Landlords at The Ropemakers, Bridport have crowned the town’s winning mince pie this Christmas, created by Lynne Atkinson.

John and Geraldine Baker, of the West Street pub, invited entries for a new bake-off competition to raise money for Cancer Research UK.

Mince pies have become a traditional Christmas treat using ingredients that can be traced back to the 13th century, when returning European crusaders brought back Middle Eastern recipes combining meats, fruits and spices.

Early mince pies were known as shred pies, mutton pies or Christmas pies.

They were banned during the English Civil War.

Mr Baker said: “The idea for the competition came out of watching The Great British Bake Off this year.

“The competition was for those who love home baking and were interested in baking themselves, rather than buying processed foods or going to the cake shop.

“This matches our policy in the Ropemakers making of everything from scratch, including our own pastry and mashed potato.

“The bake-off went extremely well with 13 very high-quality entries.

“Enthusiasm was very high and a sense of competitive pride was clearly evident as guest judge Caroline Perkins, from Leakers Bakery, cast her professional eye over the entries.

“The quality of the entries was exceptional with a variety of toppings and home-crafted mincemeat fillings.”

The overall winner was Lynne Atkinson, from Bridport, who impressed Caroline with the depth of filling, taste, consistency and appearance of her pies.

Crowned in second place were Brian Atkinson and Leah Wallbank. Competitors Jane Wheelright and Suzanne Bosi were also highly commended.

All the remaining mince pies were sold for charity, and a final total of £72 was raised for Cancer Research UK.

As the winner, Lynne Atkinson received a certificate and a bottle of wine, plus a gift voucher from The RopemakersRopemakers. The next bake-off will be held at the pub on Easter Sunday next year, with the theme of hot cross buns.

For more information on the competition call The RopemakersRopemakers on 01308 421255.