BRITISH PIE WEEK: Pie sales are still healthy across Lancashire

For it’s British Pie Week between March 2 and 8 - when the country celebrates one of its favourite foods.

With new research revealing that 75 per cent of people enjoy a pie at least once a month, British Pie Week has been growing every year with pie-eaters everywhere seeking their ultimate pie perfection.

Paul Bowen, sales director of Bowen’s of Adlington, near Chorley, said: “We currently sell across the region between 12,000 to 14,000 pies a week, in the Chorley, Bolton Preston area. Popular are meat and potato, the gold-award-winning chunky steak and the gold-award-winning pork pies.

“We’re always looking at growing. We’re still developing the cheese pie. We’re going towards the chip shops with our steak puddings, because they’re getting very popular. Last year we had a pork and black pudding pie.”

He added: “We’ve been going twenty-odd years as a butcher’s and baker’s and five years purely as pies.”

He said pies are always popular. “They’re a cheaper option. A meat and potato pie is £1.45, compared to a sandwich, which is about £2.50 and it’s more filling – and keeps you warm.”

Joe Hall, of Hall’s Bakery, Chorley, said: “We probably sell about 5,000 pies and sausage rolls a week.

“Our best sellers are meat and potato, followed by our chunky steak and butter pie.

“They’re sold in the shops in Chorley and we have a mobile shops which go round the industrial estates.”

He said the pie-selling business was influenced by trends – such as “bikini times and New Year’s resolutions” – but that it was generally steady.