My first port of call was Greenwoods in Boroughbridge where I collected pork and Apple and plain pork pies worth additional purchases of cracked black pepper sausages and black pudding. I had a plain pork pie 'for the road'.
Second port of call was Cockburns' in Bedale where I bought pork and haggis, pork and black pudding, pork and mushy peas, pork and red onion and pork and cranberry pies.
Arriving in Darlington I made my first delivery and shared my press with the owner and staff of Guru, a hippy alternative shop. They were convinced that Taylor's of Darlington pies could not be beaten. The pork and apple and pork and red onion pies convinced them otherwise.
After catching up on twenty years' worth of gossip I moved onto the Woodhouse household for the main event of the day - pie fest where most flavours were represented by two pies each.
No pie scored less than eight and the pork and apple and pork and cranberry both scored tens. I left nine happy and pieous people behind in Darlington hoping that I 'return sometime real soon.'
