A pie merchant, which started by supporting the elderly and homeless during the pandemic, is a finalist in the Lancashire Telegraph's Best Bakery 2024.

Ten bakeries are battling it out for your votes, with The Handcrafted Pie Company being one of your finalists.

After being contacted by several local vegetable suppliers and cash and carries, whose stock was going to go to waste when the pandemic hit, owner Lee James Brown began making meals which were easily accessible for the elderly who couldn’t go to the shops.

Additionally, Lee catered for Community Spirit to feed the homeless in Blackburn providing a range of meals including curries, casseroles and pies.

Lee said: “It’s fantastic to be nominated because originally my business was set up only for home deliveries, delivering to people in lockdown.

“To not have a shop front and have everything delivered to customers, and it is them that are voting, is amazing.

“I think it is going to help cement me as a business, it was just something that happened in lockdown and we have just rolled with it since.

“People are going to take us seriously and see us as a pie company that is doing something for the long term and not just a short-term reason.”

The success of this campaign meant he turned his attention to pies after receiving multiple inquiries as to whether he would be continuing.

Accessibility is central to the ethos at The Handcrafted Pie Company and helping members of the community who cannot get to the shops.

A wide array of pies - with local favourites including the peppered steak suet puddings, cheese and onion and meat and potato - are delivered directly to the front door or through the postal service.

Lee added: “If I was stationary in a shop, there are not many people who can physically get there, and it is just about being accessible to everyone.

“Customers are getting pies made by an award-winning chef that they could be paying a fortune for in a restaurant. They are getting them at a fraction of the price in their own home.”

Lee moved into the wholesale pie market after a career as a private chef meant that he couldn’t spend enough time with his young children as he wanted to.

Customers also help Lee in designing his menu and he uses his Facebook page to ask for suggestions, which range from desserts to curried pies.

Having started in his mum and dad’s kitchen he has now moved to a purpose-built unit where he has four members of staff working alongside him.

Lee added: “It is a full team effort. We have it in a way so that no one person is responsible for everything, and we change it throughout the day.

"Some jobs can take their toll physically, especially making a lot of pastry by hand.”

Lee was kind enough to do the interview with the Lancashire Telegraph on the morning of his wedding and we hope he had a wonderful day!