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'Ready, steady, pie' at custard pie championships

Emily Coady-StempSouth East
News imagePA Media A man in an orange wig is throwing custard pies.PA Media
The competition has been running for nearly 60 years

"Ready, steady, pie."

That is the call participants in the World Custard Pie Championships 2026 heard from compere Geoff Cooke.

The competition, first held in 1967, takes place in Maidstone, Kent, each year to raise funds for Coxheath Village Hall.

Cooke told BBC Radio Kent that it was a "wonderful day for pie throwing", despite trying to avoid getting pie on himself.

News imagePA Media Several people, covered in custard pie, are celebrating after winning a competition. One of them is holding a trophy which reads "world custard pie trophy".PA Media
The Old School Ravers were the winning team at the World Custard Pie Championships 2026

Cooke said that the contest, made up of a semi-final and a final "becomes a very serious competition".

"In the early rounds, it's just a laugh. And then as it progresses, it becomes more and more serious," he said.

"It's about accuracy, there are points given for amusing and original pie throwing."

A total of 30 teams took part in the event, with four participants on each team.

The teams face each other and throw the custard pies with their left hand.

The winning team, The Old School Ravers, took home a trophy.

News imagePA Media A group of people, standing opposite each other, each side wearing orange and purple. They are hurling custard pies at each other in a park.PA Media
Judges grade competitiors on accuracy and pie-throwing techniques
News imagePA Media A man wearing a hat, black shirt and brown trousers is covered in custard pie. There is a woman, wearing a baseball cap, taking notes in the background. PA Media
The World Custard Pie Championships were first held in 1967

Previous years have seen teams attend from Japan, Finland and France.

And as for the custard pie recipe, it is a "closely guarded secret," according to Cooke, with a scout group "trained in mixing".

The right consistency is "so we get the right velocity", he adds.

"You get a much better spread with our recipe, much more impressive," he added.

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