A Chorley baker has risen to the ‘upper crust’ after his delicacies were chosen to be used at the World Pie Eating Championships.

Vince Bowen, 49, who runs Bowen’s bakery, Babylon Lane, Adlington, was ‘filling’ on top of the world when his meat and potato variety was chosen as the official pie.

Vince joined the ‘gravy train’ after the championship’s executive president Tony Callaghan cast the decisive vote after the pie selection committee failed to deliver a majority verdict.

The competition, which takes Harry's Bar in Wigan this week sees pie munchers from around the country timed on how quickly they can consume one of the pastries.

Vince, who lives on Clover Road, Chorley, said: “I'm obviously delighted that we've been chosen as official supplier. I gather it was a fierce competition, but I’ve been baking them for 14 years so I should know what I’m doing.

“I’ll be attending the competition and hope the entrants enjoy them as they wolf them down.”

The selection of a pie from outside the heartland of Wigan has not proved universally popular among ‘pie- hards’, who say things are even stranger as Vince is also a southerner.

“Yes I’m from Watford, he said. “But I’ve lived in Lancashire for many years now and the lady who taught me was local.”

The cooked dimensions of the official pie are a diameter of 12cm and a depth of 3.5cm, and a pie wall angle from base to top of between zero and 15 degrees.

Minimum content cube dimensions of the meat and potato mix are 1cm, and they must have 66 per cent meat content not including pastry.

Vince has also previously won other accolades including an award from Meat and Livestock Commission for his chunky steak product.

The championships have been held since 1992 with Adrian Frost from Wigan holding the record for eating a pie of 35.86 seconds.