This year's Bramley Apple Pie Week activities created media coverage valued at six times the original investment. With over 64.5 million apple pies consumed each year, the week was a celebration of the nation's favourite dessert with the creation of Britian's biggest Bramley apple pie plus the finals of the National Bramley Apple Pie Championships.

The record breaking 6x6 metre Bramley apple pie featured in The Guardian newspaper and Funday Times, the children's supplement in the Sunday Times, as well as dozens of regional newspapers and trade publications.

The recipe used was donated by celebrity chef Antony Worrall Thompson and the enormous pie was created by a team from Stratford-Upon-Avon catering college using 6,500 Bramleys and 300kg of puff pastry from Scottish family-run firm, William Sword Ltd.

The National Bramley Apple Pie Championships provided the ideal opportunity for chefs, restaurants and food service organisations to support Bramley Apple Pie Week. The regional winning pies were blind tasted by a judging panel consisting of Alastair Hendy, food writer for The Sunday Times, Emma Marsden, deputy cookery editor at Good Housekeeping and Adrian Barlow, chief executive of English Apples and Pears.

The Groes Inn, Nr Conwy, North Wales was announced as this year's champion, receiving £1,000 prize money as well as broadcast and regional media publicity promoting the restaurant.

With new season Bramleys in the shops, Bramley Apple Pie Week provided the ideal opportunity for consumers to think about creating traditional winter puddings.

Home economist, Gina Steer, carried out eight regional radio interviews encouraging listeners to bake apple pies, offering top pie tips to guarantee their success and some quick ideas for contemporary alternatives to the traditional apple pie.

National newspapers, consumer magazines, over 30 regional newspapers and websites including www.bbc.co.uk/food featured recipes inspiring readers to buy Bramleys and treat the family to a warming pudding.

Sainsbury, Waitrose, Safeway, Somerfield, Asda, Morrisons and the Co-op all took advantage of increased sales opportunities and carried out various promotions, including POS material, recipe leaflets and featured Bramley in magazine features to support the week and draw consumer attention to new season Bramleys.

Catering organisations who supported the week with sales and promotional activity included 3663, Spirit Group, Wyevale Garden Centres, Sodexho, Compass, Frank Dale and a number of organisations in Northern Ireland. Events included apple pie challenges for chefs, in-house magazine features and special POS materials for distribution to their outlets.

Ian Mitchell, chairman of the Bramley Apple Campaign ,said: 'Bramley Apple Pie Week has been a tremendous success with a wide range of activities carried out across the industry and we would like to thank all the retailers, manufacturers and caterers who participated in the initiative. We are confident that our promotional activity over the coming months will help maintain sales and encourage consumers to keep Bramley as a regular ingredient.'

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