HMPasties founder Lee Wakeham took the business’s award-winning pasties to Japan, showcasing three flavours at the British Food Fair in Osaka’s Hankyu Department Store.
Visitors could try HMPasties’ Traditional Pasty and Chickpea Curry Pasty, both category winners at the British Pie Awards, alongside its Great Taste award-winning Jerk Chicken Pasty.
Lee worked closely with the Hankyu team to source high-quality local ingredients and recreate the three recipes in Japan, bringing their award-winning flavours to a new audience.
During the six-day showcase, the team served pasties from 10am to 8pm, giving shoppers the opportunity to discover a British favourite with both traditional and adventurous fillings.
Lee Wakeham, founder and CEO of HMPasties, said: “Taking HMPasties to Japan was a really proud moment. We’d put so much work into these recipes, and being in Osaka sharing them with a completely new audience was incredibly exciting.
“We worked closely with the team at Hankyu to find the best local ingredients and ensure every pasty delivered the flavour and quality we’re proud of. We were excited to see which would become the favourite: the Traditional, the Jerk Chicken or the Chickpea Curry.
“Winning awards is a fantastic recognition of our team’s hard work, but this opportunity brought it to life. Seeing people on the other side of the world enjoying something we’d created was very special.”
The visit highlighted the international opportunities associated with the British Pie Awards, whose Supreme Champion and Pasty Category winner receives an all-expenses-paid trip to Japan to showcase their winning creation at Hankyu’s British Food Fair in Osaka.
