A bakery in Bolton run by ex-offenders has been left flying high after winning big at the 2023 British Pie Awards.
Proving that everyone deserves a second chance, the bakery scooped up two gongs at this year’s prestigious ceremony held inside Melton Mobrawy’s 12th Century St Mary’s Church, also known as the ‘Cathedral of Pies’.
Cleaning up, the team of ex-offenders impressively won two gold medals in the Pub Pie category for their Joseph Holts Classic pie with Lancashire, cheddar and mozzarella, onion and potato pie, and Joseph Holts steak and ale pie.
Sharing the news to social media, the team wrote: “We are delighted to say that a couple of our pies have won gold awards this week.
“We are so very proud of our team again and we will be sharing more details about the pies very soon.”
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Fans were quick to comment, with one person writing: “I remember when you were first starting out. Look how far you have come. So proud of you and your team. Congratulations mate.”
Image: HM Pasties
Image: HM Pasties
Another said: “A well deserved result. Well done Lee and all the team. X”
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HM Pasties, set up by former prisoner Lee Wakeham in 2018, offers a lifeline to those in need of work experience after leaving prison.
Using ingredients from local prison farms wherever possible, the bakery makes delicious Cornish pasties and pies.
They weren’t the only ones to win big, either, with a total of five different Greater Manchester pie makers taking home gongs this year.
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Awards also went to Ate Days A Week in Stockport, Baldy’s in Wigan, The Crown Hawk Green in Marple, Plau in Preston and Cheshire Pie Company in Sandbach.
Wigan favourite Baldy’s took home a gold medal for its Michelle’s chicken carbonara in the Chicken With Other Meat Pie category, as well as scooping up a bronze award for its chicken and pumpkin pie (aka Olivia Mai – The People’s Pie) – named after the eight-year-old customer who requested it.
Image: Ate Days A Week
Image: Plau Preston
After announcing its wins, Baldy’s shared a message from Olivia’s mother who said the bakery was ‘really on another level’ and had made her eight-year-old daughter ‘very happy’.
The message continued: “She was so pleased when you told her you were entering her pie into the competition but to win an award is something else!”
Baldy’s also scored bronze in the Chicken & Vegetable / Herb Pie category for its Gino De Pesto pie, and in the Lamb Pie category for its Uncle Joe’s mint ball lamb pie.
Other big wins for Greater Manchester pie makers included a gold medal in the Pub Pie category for The Crown Hawk Green’s chicken ham and leek pie, two silver medals in the Meat & Potato Pie category for Ate Days A Week’s lamb Pie Of The Tiger and ox cheek Pie of the Tiger, and a silver in the Lamb Pie category for Plau Preston’s Lancashire hotpot pie.
J McRobb Butchers Ltd in Chorley also won a bronze medal for its McRobb’s chicken, ham and leek pie, whilst further afield Macclesfield’s Treacle Town Pie Company won bronze for its chicken, pancetta and lemon thyme pie, and in Sandbach the Cheshire Pie Company took home a gold for its Christmas pie.
Cake Loves Cake in Greenheys, South Manchester took home a bronze medal for its meat and potato pie, whilst Wilmslow-based frozen meal company COOK won bronze in the Vegetarian Pie category for its roasted veg, lentils and kale pie.
A popular local bakery has justified a small price hike on its bakes by sharing the staggering jump in the price of basic ingredients.
In a refreshingly honest and transparent statement, Long Boi’s Bakehouse in Levenshulme informed customers that there have been price increases of up to 255% on essentials like flour, butter and chocolate.
They pleaded for understanding from their customers and said that running a business is ‘hella crazy’ right now.
The bakery, which was recently named one of the best in the UK by the Good Food Guide, has been inundated with similar comments from other bakeries which make you wonder how any independent is surviving at the moment.
Long Boi’s chose to address the small rise in their prices directly to their customers, with a ‘quite frankly depressing AF read’.
They shared real examples of price increases, including a 122% price jump on butter (from £39 to £86.95); a 232% increase on the price of dark chocolate (from £56.24 to £186.67); and a mind-blowing hike of 255% on cheddar cheese (£17.08 to £60.48).
Even the price of flour – obviously, an essential ingredient for any bakery – has gone up from £10.20 to £25.60, a 151% increase.
Those prices all show how rapidly costs have risen in the five years since the Covid pandemic and subsequent economic turmoil.
Long Boi’s Bakehouse said they ‘can’t believe chocolate was ever that cheap’ in hindsight, and stressed that there are also financial issues around energy prices, and ensuring that their nine staff members are paid above Living Wage.
Long Boi’s Bakehouse in Levenshulme. Credit: The Manc Group
Long Boi’s Bakehouse said: “A few of the eagle eyed amongst you might’ve noticed that we upped all of our prices in the bakery as of Tuesday, and just wanted to do a little post to a) publicly acknowledge that (don’t want you all to think we’re being sneaky) & b) explain why.
“Tbh I don’t think it’ll be news to any of you that the cost of everything has gone WILD, but I thought I’d write up some actual examples of the changes in ingredient prices since we opened – swipe for quite frankly a depressing AF read.
“I actually can’t believe chocolate was ever that cheap, what a time to be alive!!! BASICALLY, combine this with soaring energy prices, wanting to use only the best stuff in our bakes, and making sure NINE 💖 lovely staff are paid above Living Wage as standard (maybe the most important bit!!) – means that raising our prices slightly was the only way to keep on top of this balancing act.
“Really hope you can all understand! Running a business is hella crazy right now, big love to all our fellow independents going THROUGH it.”
One customer replied: “Happy to pay the extra but shocked for you at the increases your side – very useful post to see how things are changing and how this affects small businesses.”
Another wrote: “Thanks for putting this together for customers to see! It’s a bit mad init!!!”
There are similar stories from struggling independents right across the country who have lent their voices to Long Boi’s statement.
Albie’s, a popular coffee shop over in Sheffield, said: “We actually thought we were going mad when I said butter used to be under £40 – I had to check old price lists to make sure I in fact wasn’t going bonkers!!
“Hard to imagine how we’ve even come through these last 5 years. Lots of flat whites. Love the transparency. The info in black and white really hits home even for those of us that are paying it too!”
And Big Bear Bakery up in Glasgow wrote: “Never seen trading conditions like this been baking for 18 years and in hospitality for 30. The latest NI contributions are the final nail!”
Coosh in Nottignham commented: “The increase in chocolate prices was eye watering.”
Did you have any idea just how expensive ingredients have become? If only the bigger brands would be as transparent as Long Boi’s Bakehouse.
Bundobust has hit the free beer klaxon again, giving away hundreds of pints next week after a ‘real mess-up’.
The beloved Indian street food brand, which has two sites in Manchester as well as its OG restaurant over in Leeds, shared a statement that says ‘Well this is embarrassing’.
Bundobust has revealed it had planned a huge free pint giveaway for National Beer Day on Monday…
Except National Beer Day isn’t actually until June. They were looking at the American calendar, the silly sausages.
But not one to throw a good marketing stunt away, Bundobust has decided to crack on with its free beer giveaway as planned, on one condition – you must order in an American accent.
The restaurant will be handing out hundreds of free pints of its own Bundobust Brewery beer on Monday 7 April.
Just pop in with a friend, and any time one of you orders a beer and wishes them a ‘Happy National Beer Day’ (don’t forget the accent) you get a free beer for you and your mate.
Bundobust said: “Well this is embarrassing. We’ve really messed up this time.
“For weeks now, we’ve been planning to give away hundreds of FREE PINTS of Bundobust Brewery beer this National Beer Day, Monday 7th April.
Bundobust is giving away free beers after ’embarrassing mess-up’. Credit: The Manc Group
“All you’d have to do is bring a friend in, any time one of you got a Bundobust Brewery beer and wishes us “Happy National Beer Day” you’d get your beer PLUS a free one to give to your mate.
“So simple. So elegant! Only one problem though. Monday 7th April is National Beer Day in America. Ours is 15th June.
“We don’t want to wait that long though!! Also we’ve already programmed the “free beer for a mate” button into the till, which takes a good 5 minutes, so we’re going to go ahead with it this Monday 7th April!
“There’s one catch though: you have to do an American accent when you say “Happy National Beer Day”. Deal? See y’all on Monday, pardner.”
Their cock-up is our win – free beer deal is available at all Bundobust sites from 12pm on Monday.
Georgina Pellant -
13th March 2023 
