'Pie of the Tiger' win World Custard Pie Championships

The practice of 'flanning', or throwing custard pies, has a venerable history, with film stars Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin at the forefront of the art in the 1920s. Nearly a century later, 16 teams battled it out in village of Coxheath, Kent, to win the World Custard Pie Championships.



Dressed in colourful costumes, each team was made up of four people – many having travelled from the far corners of the UK to take part in the event. Rather than using real custard, the pies were made from a mixture of flour and water. Organisers said they had ordered 700lbs of flour for the day.

Among those taking part were teams called 'Pie always me', 'Splats be having you' and 'One too many Sherberts'. Contest heats lasted just 15 to 30 seconds – with local team 'Pie of the Tiger' scoring a victory against 'Tutu Fruity' in the final round. The first World Custard Pie Championship took place in June 1967 and was created by former Mayor of Maidstone, Mike FitzGerald.


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In its early days it was a male-only event – but women were eventually allowed to join in. The World Custard Pie Championship used to attract participants from Japan, Canada, Finland and Germany but that tradition came to an end in 1987 when the trophy was lost and never found. The championship was resurrected in 2007.