PIMBLETTS HISTORY
St Helens' finest since 1921.
We are more than just a bakery, we are everything St Helens represents. Each and every morning we begin to prepare and produce a delicious variety of handmade savouries & sweets. Whether it’s rolling our pastry or curating our fillings, each step is made with flavour and taste in mind. Each product has its own unique characteristics, appearance, aroma, flavour, and structure. Our customers have woken up to what’s important to them; exceptional foods with unquestionable origin, taste, and history.
Quality lean meat & fresh British vegetables are the heart and soul of our approach to handmade pies. Also, having a strong and reputable relationship with our local farmer and his harvest is one of the fundamental factors in what makes our recipes so unique.
Our pastry is mixed, rolled and cut to size by hand. Our fillings are cooked, diced and blended by hand. Our deserts are layered & built by hand. Everything we produce is done by hand - just how a bakery should be.
founded by John and Mary Pimblett in 1921, John Pimblett & Sons Ltd built a bakery empire which became synonymous with St Helens. As a result of the recession in 2008, administration led to John Pimblett & Sons Ltd closing down and the responsibility of producing the same handmade quality products was left to Arthur Bevan of Pimmies Pies Limited. Between 2009-2021, unbeknown to most, the business continued to trade from a small warehouse on the outskirts of the town centre where the original recipes continued to be produced. During the spring of 2021 we purchased the business from Arthur as we wanted to re-unite the St Helens community with the flavours and tastes of years gone by.
Since purchasing the business we have invested heavily into improving each and every product, as well as making them more accessible to the public. We have kept the original recipes but upgraded the quality of the ingredients. We have improved the grade of our British beef mince which means that the meat is more lean and full of flavour. We have also partnered with a local vegetable processor to increase the freshness of our other ingredients.
If you have been to see us in person recently you will also notice that we have built a new shop-front inside our bakery which we hope will make your visit more enjoyable.
As of January 2024, we achieved our initial mission of bringing Pimbletts back to the high street by opening a Pimbletts Bakery on Boundary Road, St Helens.
Whats next?
A PIECE OF LOCAL HISTORY
"After a rugby game on Saturday morning as I got bigger, I could handle a Pimblett's meat and potato pie, as well as a steak pie, followed by a vanilla slice with custard in it for Saturday lunch. YUMMY!!"
- Bobby Silver
PIE TEAM SAVOUR SUCCESS
- Article from 2009
THE new style ‘Pimmies’ pies have gone down a real treat with our tastebuds... and the bakers behind the venture, bowled over by their wildfire success are considering a move to bigger premises.
Since the story about the Jackson Street bakery was featured exclusively in the Star last week, Clive Matthews, one of the brains behind the fledgling business said the reaction has been phenomenal as townsfolk snap up the lip smacking pies: “We never anticipated anything like this,” he said, “I think the Internet did a lot for us – we are even on Saints’ websites.
“We are already refusing some customers because we only have so much capacity.”
Clive teamed up with ex-colleague at Pimbletts Tony Myers and local businessmen to put one St Helens delicacy back on the town’s menu.
The business, based in an industrial estate just of Jackson Street supplies Cassandra’s café in Church Square and nearby AM Fine Foods fresh from the bakery every 20 minutes.
Clive, who worked at Pimbletts for 30-years was keen to keep his feet firmly on the floor, but added: “I genuinely didn’t think the reaction would be like this. Everyone seems to be talking about us. We had a very busy weekend and Cassandra’s were also busy.
“If it continues, it’s more than likely that we will take a bigger unit, behind where we are on Jackson Street. But we aren’t going to rush into it.” ....
See the full article here https://www.sthelensstar.co.uk/news/4470733.pie-team-savour-success/
Stephen Mather
2nd July 2009
STAR READERS REACT TO RETURN OF PIMBLETTS BRAND TO ST HELENS
- Article from June 2021
STAR readers have reacted to the news that the Pimbletts brand is returning to St Helens. The Star reported last week that Ryan Little had taken over the Pimmies Pies firm, which was launched 12 years ago, following the closure of the 87-year-old famous Pimbletts.
Based at Jackson Street, the firm had been named after the nickname given to the local favourite delicacies. Now 26-year-old Ryan Little has taken over to carry the mantle and has set out his ambitions for the future. As well as continuing to produce those well-known peppery pies, Ryan says he has got the trademark to use the original Pimbletts name and hopes to revive the brand's presence in the town.
Aware of the resonance of the Pimbletts brand, Ryan says he hopes to also bring a shop to the town centre in future. Star readers have wished the venture good luck and expressed hope that the famous peppery taste will be returning. One reader said:
"Nice one to this young man. I was heartbroken when Pimbletts shut down. Best of luck to you, not that you need it".
Another added:
"Good luck. Personally I didn't mind the Pimmies pies version. Hopefully you get a shop in the town centre. Would be nice to have reason to go into the centre for a few mins".
On social media, Will Apspey said:
"If he brings back 1990 s style pepper meat and spud ill be dancing all the way down to your shop".
Steph Sheridan wrote:
"I hope they do. Myself and my family loved them pies. Use to get them every week. Loved the meat and potato and the steak. Use to get the rathbones ice buns with the pink icing on too. Pimbletts and rathbones was brilliant. The good old days".
Ryan said to the Star last week: "My plan is to get it in the town centre again. "While it still will be producing the pies at the same warehouse factory, you want to try and get some shops back in the town centre and recreate it as it was. "That's the aim, it has been done in the past, it will take a few years." Ryan's background is in property, having the Little Estate Agents on Bridge Street. He has eight members of staff at the Jackson Street base. "The main focus over the next six months is to get the custom up and running and get a unit back in the town centre," he added. "It is what St Helens was known for really, and I'm excited about it. They are still a quality produce but people maybe don't know about it. "The quality of the produce is still really good."
See the full article here https://www.sthelensstar.co.uk/news/19342304.star-readers-react-return-pimbletts-brand-st-helens/
Simon Mulligan
1st June 2021
PEOPLE OF ST HELENS REUNITED WITH 'ORIGINAL TASTES' OF PIMBLETTS PIES AS ICONIC BRAND RETURNS
- Article from June 2021
Residents across St Helens and beyond are being reunited with the "original tastes" of Pimbletts as a new owner plans to bring the iconic brand back to the high street.
Ryan Little, 26, recently took over Pimmies Pies with the view to reuniting the people of St Helens with the "original tastes" and experiences of years gone by. Keeping the original recipes of the much-loved peppery pies and more, Ryan said he is upgrading the quality of the ingredients and now has the trademark to use the original Pimbletts name, with hopes to bring the brand back as a shop in the area.
Ryan told the ECHO:
"It’s what St Helens is famous for - pies, rugby and glass. Everyone still to this day remembers the taste or knows what Pimbletts is.
"I just thought it was missing a trick. I’d like to see shops in the town centre and back on the high streets. When I was younger there were about 15 or 16 shops throughout St Helens."
Ryan said Pimbletts is popular for its handmade meat and potato and steak pies and an array of handmade desserts, including cream slices and blackcurrant tarts. He said a few buildings in the area still have the original brand attached to them and that his vision for the future of Pimbletts would be to have shops back in the town centre.
Ryan said:
"We have around eight staff and everything is made by hand and everyone who works here is from St Helens. All of our ingredients is bought locally. Everyone was dead excited. I announced it on Facebook and the last few days have been stupidly busy. It’s been a good response. We’ve got a lot of customers around the country, people in Devon, Wales, Newcastle ordering pies to send out to them. They grew up in St Helens and have moved away. Someone in Australia even ordered some for us to send out."
"I just want to do something I'm proud of. It’s part of people's childhood, that nostalgia and I hope I can bring it back."
See the full article here https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/whats-on/people-st-helens-reunited-original-20679811
Jess Molyneux
1st June 2021
PIMBLETTS SAINTS WEMBLEY PACKS MAKE A RETURN!
A PIMBLETTS pack was always one of the great Wembley traditions for Saints fans travelling down on Challenge Cup final day.
- Article form July 2021
... And Pimbletts Bakery is offering the opportunity for fans to relive it with Saints Wembley Packs available for pre-order ahead of the big day.
Saints take on Castleford in the capital on Saturday, July 17, with up to 10,000 fans set to travel down for the occasion.
And Saints followers who have been unable to get a ticket, with limits on crowd numbers due to Covid, can still sample a taste of the Wembley experience with a tasty Pimbletts pack.
"We have sold out every day since the official launch (June 1). We have taken on two new members of staff and are looking at units in Earlestown and the town centre."
See the full article here https://www.sthelensstar.co.uk/news/19413339.pimbletts-saints-wembley-packs-make-return/?fbclid=IwAR09y9aOJ7oWa8omjvY2Y-Gi1VFUKymZ9w0Fv5907XUREc1fmUACNrsbCkQ
Simon Mulligan
1st June 2021
"New Pimbletts bakery is 'bringing back memories' for customers"
December of 2023 seen us trial a Christmas themed "Pop-Up" bakery at 226 Boundary Road, several doors down from an original Pimbletts bakery on Cambridge Road.
Our Pop Up bakery had a great response from the public and offered internal seating options as well as several gingerbread workshops.
St Helens Mayor opens our Boundary Road bakery
"A PIMBLETTS bakery was officially opened today to signal the permanent return of a brand “synonymous with St Helens”.
"The ribbon was cut at the Boundary Road shop to launch the venue after it had opened in an initial short-term trial as a pop-up bakery.
With a long-held desire of bringing the iconic brand back to the high street, owner Ryan Little launched the bakery in November to gauge the reaction from the public.
With customers coming in their droves to taste the iconic bakery's pies and pastries, Ryan said the response made it an “easy decision” to reopen Pimbletts permanently at the location, following an extensive refurbishment of the premises."
Full article here - https://www.sthelensstar.co.uk/news/24079137.pimbletts-bakery-st-helens-officially-launches-iconic-brand/
even the BBC came calling ...
"St Helens famous Pimbletts pies are back"
St Helens businessman Ryan Little is bringing 'Pimmies' pies back to the high street.
Ryan, who’s originally from Thatto Heath and now lives in Eccleston, took over the 100-year-old Pimbletts business in 2021.
Originally founded by John and Mary Pimblett in 1921, Pimbletts shops had closed in 2008 and Arthur Bevan took over between 2009-2021, creating Pimmies Pies Limited and continuing to trade from a small warehouse on the outskirts of the town centre using the original recipes.
Release date:
16 January 2024
Duration:
6 minutes