The specialist baker and confectioner, already established as Sainsbury’s own label supplier, has turned to Skinners Brewery of Truro for the ale input.

Technical manager Maurice Rowe sampled the full range of Skinners’ ales to find the most suitable, commenting afterwards: “It was a tough job, but someone had to do it!”

He chose Figgy’s Brew – a dark, premium-strength ale, full-flavoured with a smooth finish and three times a premium bitter champion at beer festivals.

According to legend, Madgy Figgy was a Cornish “wrecker” and the best-known witch of the St Levan and Burian coven, casting spells to whip up tremendous storms and then luring ships to the rocks with the light of her lantern.

“We are delighted Madgy has been selected for this product, especially as I gather she will be taking over from a particularly famous Irish brew!” said managing director Steve Skinner. “It’s a big feather in our cap in our tenth anniversary year and we are very confident Rowe’s new pasty will prove a huge hit up and down the country.

“The Steak and Ale pasty was first sold by Sainsburys last year, but they were keen to capitalize on the Cornish connection and we are delighted to have been taken on board.”

W C Rowe, whose roots go back almost 60 years, now employs over 400 people and began supplying Sainsburys hot food counters in 2003 as a regional producer, initially supplying just a handful of stores in the South West.