Pukka_Pies
Pukka Pies
British manufacturer of savoury pies
Pukka Pies is a manufacturer of pies based in Syston, Leicestershire, England.
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1963 |
| Founder | Trevor Storer and Valerie Storer |
| Headquarters | , England |
Key people | Tim and Andrew Storer |
| Products | Pies, pasties and sausage rolls |
Number of employees | 360 |
| Website | pukkapies |
The company's products include single-serve and sharing pies, sausage rolls, pasties, catering sausages, frozen puff pastry,[1] and non-meat foods, with the Veggie Leek & Potato pie approved by the Vegetarian Society.[2]
According to the company, the favourite pie flavours in the United Kingdom based upon its 2005 sales, were:[3][needs update]
| Flavour | Popularity |
|---|---|
| Steak pies (All Steak, Steak & Kidney and Steak & Ale) | 56% |
| Chicken & Mushroom | 22% |
| Minced Beef & Onion | 13% |
| Others (Meat & Potato; Balti; Cheese, Beer & Veal) | 9% |
A pastiche of Pierre-Auguste Renoir's painting Le Déjeuner des Canotiers hangs in the reception at the headquarters, with the original characters replaced by members of the Storer family.[1]
Pukka Pies are most commonly seen for sale in chip shops, stadiums, butchers, cafes, and pubs across the country. In 2008, the company started selling its pies in UK supermarkets for the customer to heat up at home.
A family company founded in 1963 by Trevor Storer and Valerie Storer as "Trevor Storer's Home Made Pies", it was named Pukka Pies in 1964. Today, the business is called Pukka. It is currently run by the Storers' sons, Tim and Andrew, and employs 360 people at its bakery in Syston, producing 180,000 pies and pasties per day. Millmoor, then the home ground of Rotherham United FC, was the first sporting venue where Pukka Pies were sold. Rotherham United's supporters hold the record for the most pies consumed at a football match, with a consumption 40% above the Football League average.[4]
The main stand at Boundary Park, home of Oldham Athletic AFC, is called the Pukka Pies stand. It is also called the Pukka Pies stand for the main stand of Rotherham's home, New York Stadium.[5] The company was the official sponsor of The England Band, who also play for Sheffield Wednesday.[6]
The company sponsored the 2009 UK Snooker Championship,[7] and the winner, China's Ding Junhui, was awarded his body weight in meat pies, 276 to match his 69 kg weight. He later announced that he would donate all the pies to Homeless and Roofless at Christmas, a Sheffield-based charity.[8]
- "Keeping it in the family". Bake & Take magazine. bakery.co.uk. 4 October 2005. Archived from the original on 12 February 2007.
- "Stock up on the Pukka Pies, Just in time for National Vegetarian Week 2002" (Press release). Vegetarian Society. 16 May 2002. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007.
- "Go figure Pie chart". Independent on Sunday. Independent Newspapers UK Limited. 20 November 2005. Archived from the original on 4 October 2008.
- Ashdown, John (27 January 2010). "Is Rotherham really the pie capital of the football world?". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
- Duncan Adams (26 July 2004). The Essential Football Fan (2005). Aesculus Press Ltd. p. 143. ISBN 1-904328-22-9.
- John Sinclair (11 May 2006). "Footballs' pukka band!". BBC News.
- "World Snooker". Archived from the original on 28 November 2009. Retrieved 9 December 2009.
- "Ding donates UK prize to charity". BBC News. 16 December 2009. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
- Michelle Knott (1 March 2006). "Who ate all the pies?". Food Manufacture. William Reed Publishing. Archived from the original on 16 October 2006. Retrieved 10 October 2006.