5:51pm Friday 20th October 2006
By Mark Casci
The humble pork pie might not be regarded in the same terms as delicacies like caviar and oysters by most people.
But if a Bradford father and son get their way the traditional pie could soon be mentioned in the same breath as fois gras and vintage wine.
John Lord and his son Jonny consider the pork pie to be a genuine English delicacy and one that deserves to take its rightful place on the pantheon of great food stuffs.
Having grown frustrated with what they see as poor-quality imitations sold in garage forecourts and supermarkets they became determined they could do better.
John has been baking the pies for years and, after listening to people telling him he should go into business with his top-notch recipes, he decided to give it a go.
He and his son gave up their respective careers in chemicals and finance to dedicate themselves to making pork pies full time.
Take a Bake started out as a cottage industry in the family home in Heaton, Bradford, but it is now blossoming into a thriving business and the pair hope soon to be producing one million pies per year.
Jonny said: "The image of the pork pie has taken a real battering as a result of pies being designed to have a shelf life of a month. We are passionate about pies. Our pies are made with only shoulder pork, all of which is sourced from Wharfedale.
"We do not use excess fat to bulk it out and we use traditional hot water pastry. Naturally there is a secret blend of herbs to give our pies that extra special flavour."
The pair are well on their way to achieving their one-million pie target, having just signed a deal with a specialist production facility in Low Moor, Bradford, which will hand-produce the pies to their exact specification and method.
This new deal will increase their production capacity from 1,000 pies per week to 10,000 pies per week without compromising the product.
The pair got a feel for how good their pies were the first time they put them on sale at a local farmer's market, and the 60 pies they had with them sold out within five minutes.
Today they are selling them to delicatessens and gourmet food pubs across Yorkshire and the north-east.
Take a Bake has been helped on its way by the Yorkshire Forward-funded agency, West Yorkshire Ventures, which provides help to start-up businesses with the potential to turnover £1 million in three years.
West Yorkshire Ventures was able to handle some of the administrative duties at the start of firm's life, freeing up John and Jonny to get on with making their pies.
e-mail: mark.casci@bradford.newsquest.co.uk
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