Taking place on the Saturday before St Piran’s Day – the national day for Cornwall – the Global Pasty Championships will be a celebration of all things Cornish.

The event, presented in partnership with the Cornish Pasty Association, will feature a competition to find the best pasties in the world, including categories for both traditional recipes as well as more outlandish creations, with each open to companies and individuals.

Junior categories are also available, with young bakers being given the option to enter alongside an adult if they need help or want to use a cherished family recipe.

The Global Pasty Championships will also feature a speed-crimping competition to crown the kings and queens of crust, pasty-themed workshops and activities and a programme of live entertainment.

The Global Pasty Championships will be the grand finale of the ninth Cornish Pasty Week, an annual celebration organised by the Cornish Pasty Association.

The Lost Gardens of Heligan is the home of the first ever written record of the Cornish pasty. A recipe for a mutton pasty was sent in a 1764 letter to John Tremayne, then squire of Heligan.

While the Cornish pasty remains hugely popular in its homeland with the industry worth £300m annually, variations are in evidence globally thanks to Cornish miners travelling around the world. Parts of the USA, Mexico and Australia and many others all boast regional dishes inspired by the pasty.

David Harland, chief executive of The Lost Gardens of Heligan, said: “We are delighted to be launching the Global Pasty Championships at Heligan, the spiritual home of the Cornish pasty. This will be an event stuffed full of pasty-themed fun and entertainment, all encased in a crimped golden crust of elite culinary competition.

“Whether you are an oggy artisan looking to prove your Cornish cooking chops against the best in the world or a pasty aficionado looking for the best place to celebrate St Piran’s Day with a pint, pasty and party, the Global Pasty Championships has you covered.”

CPA chairman Jason Jobling said: “Hats off to The Lost Gardens of Heligan for creating this exciting new event celebrating Cornwall’s favourite food, the not-so-humble pasty, and its many global variations.

“Cornish Pasty Week is now embedded in the calendar and the new Global Pasty Championships promises to be a fitting finale.

“Inviting juniors to join in with the help of an adult is a great way to keep up Cornwall’s fine baking traditions and encourage the next generation of pasty makers.”

The Cornish pasty is one of a number of regional delicacies that is protected under law as part of the UK Geographical Indication (UK GI).

This puts the pasty in the same category as Melton Mowbray pork pies, traditional Cumberland sausages and other signature regional foodstuffs and means that Cornish pasty producers have to make their pasties in Cornwall and abide by strict rules on ingredients and methods.

The non-profit-making Cornish Pasty Association is the industry body for pasty producers and administers the UK GI designation. They represent pasty producers from the largest to the smallest and raise awareness of genuine Cornish pasties around the world.

Entries to the Global Pasty Championships competition are now being accepted. For more information and to sign register an entry, see www.heligan.com.

More details about the entertainment programme and workshop activities will be announced in due course.

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