A BLACKBURN mother’s journey ­— from covering her family leftovers with pastry to competing for a top award at the spiritual home of the British pork pie is featured on TV tonight.

Shear Brow’s Zainab Bilal was filmed baking her ‘fusion’ recipes and then taking them to a national competition in Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire.

At the annual event, more than 200 bakers from across the UK submit their finest products to a rigorous judging process.

The 40-year-old science teacher at Witton Park High School vies to lift the top prize with her Chicken Calzone, using a pizza wrapping.

Mrs Bilal started covering leftovers and fillings knocked up from ingredients in her cupboard with pastry for her five children and now runs an officially-certified catering company Piemezzanae from a commercial kitchen in Fort Street, Daisyfield.

She is one of the star bakers featured in the BBC One programme Life of Pies at 7.30pm tonight.

Mrs Bilal said: “I am delighted to have made the final of The British Pie Awards.

“I make fusion pies bringing together traditional British pies with more exotic herbs and spices.

“It is the third year I have entered and it is wonderful to have my pies approved by experts.

“Originally I started just putting whatever ingredients I had - such as the previous day's curry - in a lasagne dish and covering it with pastry for my family.

“I have always really liked pies and now I have showcased them in Melton Mowbray, the spiritual homes of British pies.

"I also wanted to put Blackburn on the culinary map and hope to start supplying them to major supermarkets.”

The competition’s venue is Melton’s St Mary’s Church. Life Of Pies is part of BBC One’s Our Lives series - a collection of programmes from across the UK celebrating the diversity of our society.