A YORK butcher is through to the finals of a national pie-making competition.

Richardson’s of Woodthorpe, an independent, traditional family butcher and delicatessen based in York, is through to the final of England’s Best Steak Pie Competition 2011. They have won a gold award and are competing to get their pie recognised as England’s Best Steak Pie.

Their Upright Steak and Ghost Pie contains locally-sourced steak and Centurion’s Ghost ale from York Brewery.

More than 65 pies were entered in the competition and Richardson’s of Woodthorpe was only one of 16 companies to get through to the final.

The final round of judging will take place on Wednesday.

Each category winner will then travel to London on June 8 to attend the Meat Management Awards, where the overall winner with the highest score will win the coveted England’s Best Steak Pie title.

Martin Richardson, the manager of Richardson’s of Woodthorpe, said: “I’m very proud to get to the final 16, it’s a wonderful accolade for not only me but for everyone who works here.”

Meanwhile, to celebrate British Sandwich Week, a Ryedale deli is asking customers to come up with a unique combination to add to its sandwich menu.

Hunters, of Helmsley, sells an estimated 50,000 sandwiches a year.

Enter at the shop or via facebook.com/ huntersofhelmsley, or twitter.com/huntershelmsley.

• Food and drink businesses in Hambleton and Richmondshire will be entering into a new foodie competition called the Flavours of Herriot Country which was launched at Thirsk Racecourse yesterday.

Anyone wanting to nominate themselves should submit entries before July 1 at www.welcometoherriotcountry.com/form.html