This is the man who spent two years touring the UK in a quest to find the perfect pie . Author Martin Tarbuck , from Wigan , Lancashire , had his fingers in a total of 314 pastries on his search for the best the country has to offer . The 41-year-old judged each pie on a number of important criteria - purveyor , premises , purchase , place , pastry , presentation , package , palate , price , and portion - as part of his research for a book on British pies . Scroll down for video . Martin Tarbuck ate 314 pies over the course of 700 days to find Britain 's best pastry . A humble meat and potato pie from a bakers in Cumbria topped the chart , with Martin describing it as 'softer than an angel crying on your tongue ' . The pie-mad author said : 'Sometimes I go looking for the pie , sometimes the pie finds me . Sometimes it 's a shop recommendation , sometimes I just hit a particular town or city and see what it has got to offer . 'People , towns , cities and counties are proud of their pies and love to make and eat their own regional variations of them . 'It was my staple diet for 700 days , although I was prepared to mix it up a bit in the interests of research . There were also pasties , chunky steak pies , breakfast items , and chicken and mushroom pies . ' The crowning winner set him back £1.15 from Greens Bakery and Confectioners in Barrow , Cumbria , and was awarded a heartwarming 61 points . Martin Tarbuck 's book Life of Pies . Reviewing it , the father-of-one said : This is what I 've been searching for ! 'Externally it does n't look at all spectacular but once I open it up I 'm left in awe as to how they pack it all in . 'Layer after layer of thick spud slice expanding like a concertina . It looks like one of those penny drops at the fairground where the chutes zig zag . 'Absolute pastry perfection . I 'm in love . ' The 41-year-old 's love of pies originates from his hometown - arguably the pie capital of the UK . 'It is the duty of a Wigan man to sample as many pies as is humanly possible from around the world , ' he said . 'For many decades large swathes of professional and amateur commentators alike have laughed at the town of Wigan and mocked its inhabitants for being pie eating simpletons . 'Nevertheless what I discovered during my research is that pies are not necessarily a Wigan thing . They are a national treasure where each area has its individual intricacies and delicacies . 'You know the way Hugh Hefner parades around his Beverley Hills mansion in his dressing gown surrounded by a bevy of poolside beauties ? 'Well that 's how I feel when you put pies in front of me through my eyes , there 's no ugly ones and each and every one of them deserves to be loved equally . ' The Wigan native crowned a humble meat and potato pie from a bakers in Cumbria as Britain 's best . And after years of practice in eating them , he has firm rules as to how they should be consumed . Martin said : ' A pie has to be completely encased for a start - otherwise there 's no chance of eating it with your hands , and the top crust should be the decorative invitation to the party that lies within . 'Oh and if that pastry falls apart , then so do I . With rage . ' Martin has penned a book on finding the perfect pie - with in depth reviews of each and every one he has sunk his teeth into . Martin addeed : ' I feel duly obliged to say that pies , brilliant though they are , should only be consumed in moderation . '
Author Martin Tarbuck ate 61 pies whilst conducting research for book . Britain 's best pie is from Greens Bakery and Confectioners in Cumbria . Pastries on presentation , price , package , portion and presentation .