Pie maker saved in rescue deal

The pre-pack deal will see the Huddersfield-based firm continue to trade under the Andrew Jones Pies brand, which supplies handmade pies to local retailers across Yorkshire.

The recovery package has been put in place by Mike Mattok of Company Doctor, a rescue and turnaround specialist along with Phil Booth, an insolvency practitioner at PR Booth & Co, and the insolvency team at law firm Irwin Mitchell.

The deal will see the business receive investment via a newly formed company AJ Pies and Pastries.

Mr Mattok said: “It is refreshing to report some good news in the current economic climate with the continuation of a quality, niche manufacturer preserving employment and trading activity within the local community.”

Doug Robertson, an associate at Irwin Mitchell, said: “Andrew Jones Pies is a well-known brand which supplies both local retailers across Yorkshire and the UK’s leading supermarkets, and the major focus of this deal was to preserve jobs and to keep the brand alive.

“It was also important to protect the jobs of all of the employees at the company, many of whom have been through a difficult time in recent years.”

The company was the scene of tragedy on Good Friday 2009 when a worker, David Cole, was killed instantly when an oven exploded. In November last year, a jury returned a verdict of accidental death at an inquest into Mr Cole’s death, which was held in Bradford.