AN Eden business has been awarded a contract to supply thousands of pies a year to Cumbrian school children as part of a balanced lunch-time diet.
The Pie Mill, based at the Blencathra Business Centre, Threlkeld, which won the prestigious John Dunning Award at the annual Lowther horse driving trials and country fair on Friday, is gearing up for its biggest challenge yet after successfully tendering to Cumbria County Council's Client Services to supply primary and secondary schools with its products.
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Jim and Margaret Hodge,
who have two daughters, Amanda and Lynn, bought the Mill Inn at Mungrisdale in 2000. They started making pies the following year to stimulate business after the foot and mouth crisis.
Mr. Hodge, who started in the pub trade at the Agricultural Hotel,' Penrith, 10 years ago following a background of working in sales and marketing with farmers, said business was decimated for several months as a result of foot and mouth. However, the break gave them time to rethink their strategy and plan how they were going to tempt customers back.
| "We realised that there was a need for high quality hand-made pies and used the time to try and test countless recipes until we felt that everything was right, from the shortcrust pastry to the fillings,"
said Mr. Hodge.
Due to the success of the pies, the inn's kitchen could not keep pace with demand — so production was moved to a bakery unit near Threlkeld and the Pie Mill was bom. Between 12,000 and 15,000 pies a year are now served at the Mill Inn, which also hosts an annual pie fest in November for charity. |
BEST: BUSINESS: Margaret, Amanda and Jim Hodge, of the Pie Mill, receive the John Dunning Award at Lowther from David Brockbank, chairman of Cumbria Vision, and John Dunning, president of Cumbria Rural Enterprise Agency.
The John Dunning Award
honours the Cumbrian business, supported by Cumbria Rural Enterprise Agency (CREA), which had demonstrated the most significant business growth, job creation or innovation during the previous 12 months.
CREA chairman Michael Bell praised the Pie Mill for winning the county council contract at a special luncheon which was held at Lowther to highlight the agency's work and to recognise the achievements of up-and-coming businesses in the area.
Mr. Hodge said pies for the schools would be made from the same pastry and be of the same quality, the only difference being that they would be produced in a pie press, rather than by hand.
A county council spokesman said the contract would start next month and was expected to last three to four years.
The Pie Mill would be making seven types of pies specially for the authority — steak and vegetable, two sorts of Cumbrian pasties (primary school size and a 184g secondary school size), chicken and vegetable, chicken and mushroom, chicken curry and a mixed bean and tomato variety.
"The chicken and beef filling will be made using Cumbrian-grown meat and. the flour is Cumbrian-milled. They will have a high meat content and reduced salt levels," said the spokesman.
The authority is anticipating ordering more than 100,000 pies a year which will be made available to about 200 Schools as well as other facilities under the county council's remit, including residential homes for elderly and day centres.
Jack Richardson, cabinet member responsible for client services, said:
"We are delighted to be able to supply our schools and other council-run businesses with some great Cumbrian-made food.
"The Pie Mill's products are already well-known and well-liked m the region. We look forward to working with them as they produce a new specially made range for us."
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