Leicester has largest pie consumption in the UK

- Published: 24 August, 2010

People in Leicester consumed more pies per head of population than anywhere else in Britain in the past year, according to Tesco.

The city has even overtaken the UK’s traditional pie capital, Wigan, where this year alone supermarket Tesco sold 256,000 hot pies in Leicester — a 9% increase on last year.

The city’s shoppers spend an annual average £15.50 on the snacks and the top-selling varieties are shortcrust steak, deep fill steak and ale, meat and potato, minced beef and onion, and bacon and leek in filo pastry.

Tesco chief food developer Angela Hughes told The Sun: “This news finally provides a definitive answer to the age-old football chant, ‘Who ate all the pies?’

“The news may come as a bit of a blow to Wigan, but as far as sales go, you have to go to Leicester to find the true champions.

“Over the last five years or so, pies have become increasingly trendy, because far better ingredients are now used.”

Pie sales across the country are said to have risen by 7% in the last year. The total UK pie market across all retailers is currently worth a huge £235m.

Residents of Redditch, Worcestershire, get through the second-highest number of pies, spending an average of £14.60 on them this year.

But the top pie-eating county is Essex, it has been revealed, with three of its towns in the top 10 — Romford, Pitsea and Southend.

The UK’s best-selling versions are claimed to be steak, steak and kidney and chicken and mushroom pies.

>>Pies & Pastries: Pie-high sales

>>Bakers beat butchers to take pie title