A Michelin-starred chef has blasted vegans saying they have ‘taken away’ pies after a plant-based dish scooped top honors at the British Pie Awards.
Richard Corrigan, who has cooked for the Queen twice, operates Bentley’s Oyster Bar & Grill, and Corrigan’s Mayfair in London.
His outburst came after a vegan curried sweet potato, butternut squash and spinach pie was crowned ‘supreme champion’ at this week’s pie awards – the first time an animal-free concoction has done so.
‘Vegans have taken pies away’
“Please, please I’m going to cry,” Corrigan told The Telegraph. “Pies are supposed to be filled with the most delicious morsels of steak and liver and kidney, with the jelly and little pieces of fat in the middle delicately dripping onto your tongue.
“A vegan pie? Give me a break. The oldest culinary art form left in the world and the vegans have taken it away.
“It’s a disgrace. The millennials have taken over. It’s not a pie competition. It’s a pie in the sky competition. We should all just retire now.”
Vegan is the supreme champion
But the pie in question was praised lavishly by judges, with Matthew O’Callaghan, chairman of the British Pie Awards, saying: “This year’s supreme champion was outstanding and well deserving of the accolade.
“From its very appearance on the judging tray, you knew it was going to do well and it didn’t disappoint when it was opened and tasted.
“This pie isn’t just for vegans, it’s a pie for everybody. With this award, we can truly say that veganism is now entering the mainstream of British food.”