Britain's pie capitals revealed: We lift the lid on the surprising towns crowned the UK's best, from a Nottinghamshire award-winner to a Scottish seaside spot

Served with mash, chips or mushy peas – however you eat your pie, it's an undeniably classic British dish.And whether you prefer shortcrust pastry, puff, or even a 'porkie', there are plenty of great spots across the country to find a well-filled delight. Looking at 50 different UK towns and cities – each home to medal-winners at the British Pie Awards, holding recognised pie heritage or featuring in the national pie rankings – LateRooms has revealed the top pie capitals across the country.Each destination was scored out of 100 using four measures – award points (50 per cent), award-winning producers (10 per cent), the number of pie shops, bakeries and butchers selling the filled pastry goodness (20 per cent), and pubs serving pies (20 per cent).As temperatures begin to drop, there's nothing better than a hot homemade pie – here are the best spots to find one this autumn. 1. Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire was crowned the best destination for pie lovers The market town is home to plenty of spots to pick up a pie, including Ye Olde Pork Pie Shoppe The area is famous for the Melton Mowbray pork pieThe historic market town of Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire takes the crown as the best destination for pie lovers. Located 20 miles from Nottingham, the town boasts an impressive score of 79.4 out of 100. It is home to the famous Melton Mowbray pork pie and even has protected geographical status.The town's pie-making history goes back generations, and Ye Olde Pork Pie Shoppe has been producing the well-loved dish since 1851.Melton Mowbray's talents have been widely recognised too: local producers have amassed 60 medals in recent national competitions.Matthew Fox, CEO of LateRooms, said: 'Once the clocks go back, a proper pie in a warm pub is hard to beat, and it's as good a reason as any for a weekend away.'Melton Mowbray was always going to be tough to top, with more medals than anywhere else we looked at.'2. Darwen, Lancashire Darwen ranked second with an impressive 32 pubs serving pies for its 27,900 residentsOver in Lancashire, Darwen secures second place, scoring 59.2 out of 100 – with lots of spots to pick up a pie.Despite the area having almost the same population as Melton Mowbray, the research found there are twice as many pie shops and twice as many pubs serving the beloved dish in Darwen.There are 32 pubs serving pies for its 27,900 residents, and the town is home to plenty of pie shops.The Crown & Thistle offers six different pies, ranging from meat and potato to peppered steak and cheese, all for £3.50 each. Elsewhere, The Pie Hole Darwen boasts more than 100 reviews raving about its offerings. Mr Fox noted Darwen and other rankings such as Mansfield and Barnard Castle placing above Wigan was a 'surprise' due to 'how closely the town is associated with pies'.'There's something quite nice about discovering that some of Britain's strongest pie credentials belong to smaller towns that people might not immediately think to visit,' he added. 3. Mansfield, Nottinghamshire Mansfield placed third and has lots of places to pick up a pie, including The Old Mill BakeryFollowing closely with a score of 58.8 out of 100, Mansfield ranked third overall and doesn't disappoint with its pie offerings. The Nottinghamshire-based spot has lots of award-winning producers, with a total of seven gold medals.Pie lovers have the choice of 22 different shops and 56 pubs serving pies across the town. From homemade pies and pastries at The Old Mill Bakery, to a hearty Hawkstone IPA and beef pie at The Foxglove, there are plenty of opportunities to tuck into a local pie.4. Barnard Castle, County Durham Barnard Castle, in County Durham, ranked fourth in the results, and is the second-smallest destination in the researchLateRooms described Barnard Castle's ranking as 'the biggest surprise', as it placed fourth with 53.8 out of 100.The market town, in County Durham, is the second-smallest destination in the research with a population of just 5,785, but it still has five pie shops – that's one for every 1,157 residents. There are eight pubs serving pies, and local producers have earned two gold medals, making it a small but mighty pie destination in the country. 5. Nottingham, Nottinghamshire The only city to make the list, Nottingham placed fifth overallNottingham ranked fifth and is the only city to make the top ten destinations, boasting 45 medals won by local producers. And while the city is home to five award-winning pie makers, actually finding a pie might be trickier.Despite its huge population of just under 300,000 residents, there are only 68 pubs and 25 shops serving up the classic dish. 6. Leigh-on-Sea, Essex Leigh-on-Sea has 18 pubs and 12 shops and bakeries serving pies, putting it in sixth placeForget tucking into fish and chips in Leigh-on-Sea, the Essex-based spot ranked sixth for its pies, with a score of 50.4 out of 100.Local makers have collected 18 awards, including four golds, and there are 18 pubs serving pies as well as 12 shops and bakeries. 7. Arbroath, Scotland Arbroath ranked seventh and was named the best pie town in ScotlandBringing Scotland into the mix, Arbroath placed seventh with a score of 50.2 out of 100.Named the best pie town in Scotland, the coastal spot has ten shops and 19 pubs offering pies to its small population of just 23,500.Local producers have been highly awarded too – collecting three gold medals. 8. Alfreton, Derbyshire Located in Derbyshire, Alfreton placed eighth in the pie rankingsWith a bustling high street and the Peak District right on its doorstep, Alfreton has a lot to offer, as well as tasty pies.This Derbyshire-based town ranked eighth, with a score of 50 out of 100.It boasts the highest concentration of pubs serving pies out of all of the destinations analysed, with 16 identified for a population of fewer than 9,000, making it 'best for pie pub density'.9. Wigan, Greater Manchester Despite being famous for its pies, Wigan only managed to rank ninth in the studyWigan placed ninth with 47.2 points out of 100, which the research described as 'one of the more surprising results'.Home to 34 pie shops and bakeries – one of the biggest totals in the study – the Greater Manchester town is known for its pies.Local favourites include Baldy's Pies, with beef shin 'Big Jim' pies on offer and Baldy's Cheddar Butter Pie made with cave-aged cheddar and a cheddar crumb.10. Kendal Kendal rounded off the top 10 with 24 pubs and 11 bakeries serving piesOver in Cumbria, Kendal rounded off the top ten and scored 46.7 out of 100 overall. Visitors have the choice from 24 pubs and 11 shops and bakeries serving pies, and it has some beautiful sights to see before stopping for some hearty grub.Kendal Castle offers lovely views of the fells, and the River Kent makes a scenic walking route to build up an appetite for a homemade, local pie.