To coincide with British Pie Week 2013 (4th-10th March), Reading’s recipe saw off the challenge of entries from pub chefs nationwide to win the award. Alongside the accolade he also wins £500 in cash, a personalised chef’s jacket plus business-boosting national PR for his country pub, the Shovels Inn at Poulton-le-Fylde.  

The winning recipe, named Cheesey Drunken Swine, comprises of slow roasted pork shoulder cooked in pear cider with Garstang blue cheese and toasted walnuts combined with Jus-Rol puff pastry – a brand he has been using throughout his 12 years as a chef, and one he trusts.

He said: “Let’s face it; there simply wouldn’t be a pie without pastry! I’ll only use Jus-Rol’s Puff sheets for all my crusts; I love the quality, the flaky base and the butteryness of it. It’s the perfect way to hold your favourite filling.”

Judges were delighted by the pie and instantly won over by his ultra modern take on a traditional British favourite.

Reading said:  “I think that pulled pork is one of the best things in the world. There is a real trend for it now while pear cider has really hit the mark over the last couple of years. We’ve found that it has gone up in sales massively so I think to put it in a pie is a great selling point. When you think of pears, you also think of walnuts and blue cheese – a classic combination.”

John McKears, foodservice sales manager at Jus-Rol Professional, added: “The standard of entries this year was once again of a very high standard but Jon’s recipe stood out because of his innovative approach and the compelling combination of ingredients.

"I would like to congratulate him on his success which shows that traditional pie making can evolve to take account of changing tastes and emerging food trends – his pie is a worthy winner and the perfect way to kick off the celebrations for British Pie Week 2013.”