Melton Mowbray - Town of Pies

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• Uncover the story - When heading off on a day out, there’s a list of things to remember – phone, keys, money – but visitors to Melton Mowbray need to take something else, and that’s their appetite. This is especially true for fans of the not-so-humble pie! <hr> This bustling market town known as the ‘Rural Capital of Food’ boasts a culinary heritage that few can match. As well as other produce, visitors can sample Melton Mowbray pork pies and Stilton cheese – famous delicacies which, thanks to protected status, can only be made in this locality. <hr> Melton’s history is inextricably linked to hunting, and for centuries it was the place to be, with the royal, the rich and the famous spending autumns and winters here. <hr> Needing a bite to eat mid-hunt, pork pies became a saddlebag favourite and were literally ‘eaten whilst on the hoof’. Nowadays, rich, crunchy pastry and succulent British pork ensure these unique pies remain popular, and Dickinson & Morris’ Ye Olde Pork Pie Shoppe, established in 1851, is one of Melton’s top attractions. <hr> As well as buying a pie, Stilton cheese, fresh bread and chutneys, visitors can book in for a pie-making demonstration. Pork Pie Experiences are also available for pre-booked groups, who then pick up their baked pies the next day. <hr> Multi-award-winning Brockleby’s bakery also gives visitors and groups the chance to hand-make a pork pie to bake at home, and their Ultimate Pie-Making Workshop includes a ploughman’s lunch or afternoon tea. <hr> Head inside Melton Carnegie Museum to see an original pie oven amongst exhibits showcasing the town’s remarkable history, and make time to visit Old Dalby’s Nice Pie. <hr> Anyone looking for something different, from veggie fillings to exotic crocodile, will find it here. People from all over the world visit its farm shop, including TV crews, with celebrity chef Jamie Oliver giving it his seal of approval.