 Tony Callaghan said the pies had to meet strict criteria |
Regulars at a pub in Wigan are planning to boycott the World Pie Eating Championships at their local because the pies were not made in the town. People from Wigan are jokingly called pie eaters but regulars at Harry's Bar are not laughing at the use of pies from Farnworth, near Bolton.
Pub manager Tony Callaghan said: "It would have been worse if the pies were from St Helens."
Mr Callaghan said no local pie makers met the pie specification.
Miners' strike
"It is a problem for us - we did ask pie manufacturers in the Wigan area but we didn't get them," he said.
The pies to be consumed at Thursday's contest had to meet strict criteria.
They needed to ensure a diameter of 12cm with a depth of 3.5cm - with a consistency neither too runny nor crumbly.
The "pie-eater" term given to Wiganers dates back to the 1920s when miners in the town were forced back to work before the end of a strike.
As a result they were said to have eaten "humble pie".
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