Local 'super tasters' attend first Pie Panel event

Having beaten off hundreds of applicants from all over the world, the panellists will become key members of the Holland’s team, advising the firm on its products, helping to create new recipe ideas and trying new dishes before anyone else.

Maria Yuste, who will be coordinating the Pie Panel, is at pains to emphasise that the panel is no gimmick:
“Anyone who attended our taste tests quickly realised how serious and methodical the process was. We knew that this presented a great opportunity so the emphasis was on getting the right people. Some people were surprised by the demographic of our winners, which challenges a lot of popular perceptions of the ‘typical’ pie-eater.”

Maria also believes that they’ve uncovered some of the region’s ‘super-tasters’:
“Recent research suggests around a quarter of the population are ‘non-tasters’, ‘50% tasters’, and the rest are ‘super-tasters’. We’ve managed to select a group of these super talented people and we hope they can support our long-term aim to remain in touch with people’s changing tastes."

New panellist and star performer, Michelle Sigley, from Manchester said:

“I’m really looking forward to the panel. There’s so much more to it than I first anticipated but it’s good fun and really interesting.”

The first meeting of the Holland’s Pie Panel will take place on Tuesday 2nd and Wednesday 3rd December. It will include an introduction to Holland’s key products and the methods of analysing taste, texture and appearance. The panellists will also be invited to give their thoughts on current products, product development and possible new ideas.

Holland's Pies has been making pies, puddings and pastries since 1851. It employs more than 380 people at its base in Baxenden, near Accrington, and produces one million pies a week.

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