As the Eden Project gears up for the annual World Pasty Championships, head chef Tony Trenerry has got the whole world in his hands in the shape of giant pasty planet.

Proud Cornishman Tony was looking for a new way to mark the event which returns to the project on February 28, and came up with an out-of-this-world recipe to create a pasty globe.

Tony said that the creation of the colossal orb was the toughest – and heaviest – baking challenge he has undertaken in his 25-year career.

Tony said: “I was inspired by the amazing collection of competitive pasties at last year’s World Pasty Championships and wanted to do my bit to inspire entrants to this year’s competition.

“Word about the competition is spreading and, as well as local bakers, we have had interest from around the world, including enquiries from the US and Canada. “ Using the biggest oven at Eden, it took Tony eight hours to create the 70cm diameter globe, inspired by the Greek Titan Atlas who appears in numerous sculptures bearing celestial bodies on his shoulders.

Registration for the World Pasty Championships, the annual showpiece for Cornwall’s most beloved delicacy held annually at the Eden Project, is now open.

The acclaimed global competition – also known as the Olympics of the Oggy - will return to Eden for the fourth year running.

Pasty lovers from around the world are invited to put their finest creations up to be crowned best pasty in the world.

The competition is the centrepiece of a day of pasty celebrations, featuring music and comedy headlined by Cornwall’s own international superstars The Fisherman’s Friends and top rap duo Hedluv and Passman.

The World Pasty Championships are now a firm fixture on the festival calendar, being staged each year on the Saturday before St Piran’s Day.

The competition sees amateur and professional bakers from far and near compete by baking traditional Cornish pasties or variations on the classic beef, onion, potato and turnip recipe.

Competition categories are split between those who would like to make a traditional Cornish pasty, which abides by strict guidelines and is made in Cornwall, and those who want to make any other type of savoury pasty.

The Championships are backed by the Cornish Pasty Association after it won European Union Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status for the Cornish pasty last year. It means only pasty makers based in Cornwall who make pasties in a traditional manner and follow a traditional recipe are able to label their products as Cornish pasties.

Anyone who would like to enter the competition can do so by visiting www.edenproject.com/pasty or by calling the Eden box office on 01726 811972.

Entry costs £10 per adult category or £5 for the junior categories. This entitles the competitor and one guest to free entry to the Eden Project on the day of the competition. Entries will be strictly limited so early registration is advised.

Tony Trenerry first joined the Eden Project when it fully opened in 2001. This followed a 12-year career as a chef in the Royal Navy, during which he saw active service in the first Gulf War.

Tony has been at the forefront of the recent development of the Eden Project’s food offer, including having a key role in the development of the new Mediterranean Terrace restaurant and the introduction of the Eden Kitchen (formerly the Eden Bakery).

Born in Truro, Tony is a Cornishman who, besides his periods on war ships, has lived in the Duchy his entire life. He has four children and lives in Trebullett, Launceston. In his spare time, he enjoys fishing, American hotrods and weight training.