This year’s World Pasty Championships are in full swing as Cornish Pasty Week reaches its mouth-watering finale today.

Traditional Cornish pasties made with beef, turnip, potato and onion are lined up alongside exotic creations with a big range of ingredients in the open savoury classes in the championships, which are being staged for the ninth time at the Eden Project.

Organised by the Cornish Pasty Association, they are open to amateur and professional bakers, juniors and companies – and for the first time, pasties made in the World’s Fastest Crimper competition will be given to Coastline Housing’s Homeless Service in Pool.

The event is also welcoming a team of people from the Cornwall-based homelessness charity St Petrocs, including Tommy Ainsworth who has been homeless in the past and is now being helped by the charity.

Chefs from Rick Stein of Padstow have been working with St Petrocs to provide pasty-making workshops to help participants with their techniques.

The competition has seen entries from around the UK, include the Jamaica Patty Co from London, the Phat Pasty Co from Newport Pagnell and individual bakers from Sheffield and Swindon, as well as plenty from Cornwall.

And from Virginia, USA, The Pure Pasty Co are going for a hat-trick of Open Savoury Company titles this year, following a debut win in 2018 with a barbecue chicken pasty laced with pineapple. Last year they were again victorious in the same category, with a turkey and cranberry creation.

A team of 40 judges will be faced with nearly 200 pasties. All scores are totted up and prizes handed out at the prestigious Oggy Awards at the end of the afternoon.

Former champions are represented, including the most decorated baker in World Pasty Championships history, Don McKeever from Bristol, who is reigning Open Savoury Amateur champion and has an impressive four wins and one second place to his name.

Don is part of a group of Bristolian bakers who have supported the competition from the beginning and were collectively awarded the prestigious Pasty Ambassador gong in 2018 for their tireless work in promoting the pasty in their home city.

Also returning is reigning Open Savoury Professional champion Jill Martin from Deal in Kent. Jill, who calls her pasties Kentish Knockers, bagged first and third in the category last year and is back in Cornwall to defend her crown.

Workshops in the Eden Kitchen are giving children the chance to make their very own pasty and pick up some tips from professional bakers, with voluntary donations to Cornwall Hospice Care, and there is music throughout the day.

Eden spokesman David Rowe said: “The World Pasty Championships is a day of serious baking, great causes and brilliant music and is a fitting close to another memorable Cornish Pasty Week.”