THREE East Lancashire companies have been named as ‘gold’ winners at the prestigious Fine Food Awards 2011.

Food NW Gold Heart Awards went to The Lancashire Pasty Company in Blackburn for its Bowland lamb Lancashire hotpot pasty, Rawtenstall-based Fantasy Cupcakes for its vegan mud pie cupcake and The Bowland Beer Company in Clitheroe for its Admiral of the Blues beer.

The trio all won further awards for other products.

The awards were announced by TV chef Nigel Haworth at his Fantastic Food Show at Ewood Park on Sunday.

Barry Wood, owner of The Lancashire Pasty Company, said: “As a long-standing company we are fortunate enough to be surrounded by such a vast array of fantastic, quality, local producers that we can use to create wonderful combinations.”

Richard Baker, founder of The Bowland Beer Company, said the contest offered “true competition” as it was judged purely on quality and taste.

He said: “It makes all the hours of work worthwhile.”

And Melinda Foster, of Fantasy Cupcakes, said: “Despite there being many cheaper and lower quality products in the market place, we have always remained true to our ethos of using quality, local ingredients and traditional baking methods, hand baking our cupcakes in small batches.”

A select panel of food experts chaired by Nigel, chef patron of Ribble Valley restaurant Northcote Manor, judged the entries.

Other winners included Hopcutts of Chorley who took home two awards for its gluten free carrot cake and gluten free sticky toffee cake, and Dough2b Different in Accrington for its English sourdough and maple syrup and pecan nut bread.

Burnley-based Kevin Berkins Quality Meats won three accolades for its Just pork sausage, Leagrams mature Lancashire sunblush tomato and basil sausage, and chilli chorizo and garlic sausage.

Mawsons Ltd in Bacup won an award for its dandelion and burdock, Reedy’s Naturally in Blackburn for its blackberry vinegar, Freedom Deli Ltd in Chorley for its gluten and wheat free beef lasagne and The Real Lancashire Black Pudding Company in Haslingden for its traditional Irish white pudding.

The Bowland Beer Company, Clitheroe

Founded by Richard Baker in 2003, the microbrewery won three awards this year.

Admiral of the Blues won a gold award while its Cromwell Stout and Headless Peg beers also received recognition.

It produces 14,000 pints per week, using the finest Maris Otter malted barley and full-flower hops and employing seven people, in what was once the milking parlour of Bashall Town Farm.

Fantasy Cupcakes, Rawtenstall

Ex-NHS professional Melinda Foster turned her childhood hobby into an award-winning business based on her passion for traditional British baking and the use of natural ingredients.

Formed in 2008, Fantasy Cupcakes opened its first outlet in Rawtenstall Market and has a bakery at The Old Chapel in Rawtenstall.

The one-woman business scooped a gold award for its vegan mud pie cupcake and a secondary award for its Very strawberry cheesecake cupcake.

The Lancashire Pasty Company, Blackburn

Barry Wood has been in the bakery trade for 34 years, running Wood’s Craft Bakery with his wife Catherine for the last 27 years.

His food company clinched a gold award for its Bowland lamb hotpot pasty and another award for its Mawsons Oldham sarsaparilla apple and custard pasty.

The Bowland lamb hotpot pasty uses Trough of Bowland lamb with Ormskirk potatoes and onions, and Lancashire butter.