The great 'Guernsey' bake off!

Wednesday 07 March 2018

Budding chefs are being invited to create a tasty potato peel pie for the 21st century to enter a competition inspired by the book of the same name, and the 2018 film which will shortly be released.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society book and film both feature the dish which was created with very bland ingredients due to the severe food shortages during the German Occupation of the Channel Islands during the Second World War.

The competition is being run by the Guernsey Botanical Trust, which is based at the Victorian Walled Kitchen Garden and came about after the organisers chose a theme for their part of the Heritage Festival programme 2018.

The theme chosen for the garden was' living off the land' and VisitGuernsey asked if the trust could think of an association with the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, knowing that the film would be out in April, 2018.

At the official launch of the competition on Tuesday 6 March, a pie was made using the traditional recipe by Cathy Morgan, a volunteer at Guernsey Botanical Trust while Steve Bacon, the catering lecturer at Guernsey College of Further Education made a more modern pie using extra ingredients, which would not have been around during the war.

Express did try the more modern version and can confirm that even with the luxury of salt, butter and grated cheese; potato skin pie is for an acquired palate and has a distinctive after taste!

Pictured: Cathy Morgan volunteer Guernsey Botanical Trust with the traditional pie

Mrs Morgan said: "At the beginning of the film trailer you see Lilly James tasting the potato peel pie and making a horrible face as it is so disgusting. The ingredients during the war were scarce, fuel was scarce too so cooking was difficult."

The idea of the competition is to make a potato peel pie as tasty as possible with the only rule for ingredients being that potato peel must be included.

Mr Bacon, who will also be one of the judges of the competition said: "I was a bit miffed to find out none of the filming of the movie took place in Guernsey so maybe these pies made on the island will put us on the map."

Pictured: Steve Bacon dishing up his Potato Peel Pie

Entries will be judged on taste and appearance and competitors are asked to be creative. A recipe card to show the ingredients they have used will also be judged and Mrs Morgan said: "It will be fascinating to see the list of ingredients used and to celebrate how lucky we are not to be rationed."

The competition is open to anyone and the entry fee is £1. Each pie must serve four people and be up to 20cm in diameter. Completed pies should be taken to the College of Further Education restaurant on Friday 27 April 2018 by 11:00 for judging. 

Prizes include a meal at the 'Future Chefs' restaurant at the College of Further Education and tickets for the Mallard cinema.

For further information and an entry form e-mail events@walledgarden.gg by 14 April 2018.