WHEN it comes to pie Olympics, dedicated bar regulars have proved they are pastie masters!

And their unusual event was given some upper crust support when East Lancashire design guru Wayne Hemingway, founder of the Red or Dead fashion label, turned up to help the judging.

The fashion adviser on Channel 4's Big Breakfast and partner with his wife Gerardine in award-winning architecture and interior design consultancy hemingwaydesign helped judge a pie-eating contest at Barzooka in Victoria Street, Blackburn, last night.

Customers enjoyed some "pie land games" including a blindfold taste test, a speed pie-eating contest against the clock and also dreamed up ditties with which to address the pies in the way Scottish people address the haggis.

Shortly after tucking into one of his favourite Holland's pies Wayne, who went to school in Blackburn, said: "It's quite funny being up here judging this competition because last week we were at a premiere and had dinner afterwards hosted by Mick Jagger and Princes Charles -- but the food here is better."

The bar, owned by Wayne's friends Mick Tattersall and Steve Danov, hosted the one-off pie-and-pint evening to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Holland's Pies, of Baxenden. Wayne's fellow judges were celebrity chef Nigel Smith, of the Feildens Arms, Mellor Brook, and Dilys Day, head of marketing at Holland's Pies. The evening was compered by Paul Kaye, studio engineer for Blackburn's new radio station The Burn 106FM, who transmitted live links to the radio station from the bar. Nigel is now planning a world record attempt to make the world's biggest pie some time next year.

Wayne and Gerardine, who met in Burnley, have four children aged from four to 15 and they all love Holland's pies. Wayne said: "You can't get them down south. I've lived there for 22 years now and that is one of the big things I miss.

"When I come back up here I always fill the car with pies and stick some in the freezer. My favourite is meat and potato. All the kids love Holland's pies -- the boys like meat and potato and the girls prefer cheese and onion."

Wayne's mum, Maureen Adamson, who lives near Garstang, said when Wayne was a youngster growing up in Blackburn his diet consisted mainly of fish fingers and chips. "I tried to get him to eat vegetables. He would have Yorkshire pudding on a Sunday, but if I put just one pea on the plate under the pudding he would find it," she said.

The humble pie was feted from afar on National Poetry Day by dialect poet Eric Holt, 72, of Westhoughton, president of Lancashire Authors' Association. His ode to a pie began: "By gum, but theawr't a gradely pie, There's nowt in t'world con beat thi, Theaw looks so champion on mi plate, It pains mi 'eart to eat thi."

Overall contest winner was Rawtenstall firefighter Ian Dixon, who won two months' supply of Holland's pies, a night at a top hotel in Blackpool and £100 spending money -- which he had donated to the New York fire department following the September 11 atrocities in America. Ian also won the pie tasting and ode to a pie rounds, with Barzooka partner Mick Tattersall winning the speed eating round. Mick also won a month's supply of pies.

TOP TEN ODES TO A PIE:

My Pies Adored You -- Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons

Fillings -- Morris Albert

Lucy in the Pie with Diamonds - The Beatles

You Little Crust Maker -- The Tymes

Crumblin' In -- Suzi Quatro and Chris Norman

American Pie -- Don McLean

Peas Peas Me -- The Beatles

Steak, Rattle and Roll -- Bill Haley and is Comets

Pie Jesu -- Sarah Brightman and Paul Miles-Kingston

Who Ate All The Pies? -- football fans everywhere!