Walsh’s Ye Olde Pastie Shoppe: Celebrating 125 years of business

As a family business, Mr Wright Rigg started the pins rolling with a little help from his wife Mary Jane. Today Marie Walsh, the widower of the late great nephew Jack Walsh, continues to serve up treats for the people of Bolton. It is a family business which has built up a reputation as one of the greatest pastry houses in the world.

Watch the video telling Marie Walsh’s story of Ye Olde Pastie Shoppe:

According to Marie her pasties have been as far as Hong Kong, taken on safari trips to Africa and eaten by legendary sports stars and celebrities. The shop is covered in wall-to-wall photos of famous pastie lovers including Sir Jason Kenny, Sir Alex Ferguson, Peter Kay, Ricky Hatton, Amir Khan, Gary Neville, Francis Lee and Bolton’s Lion of Vienna, Nat Lofthouse OBE.

Marie said “Nat’s mum used to shop here, she was so proud of the day he was first chosen to represent England, she told us he’s going to be paid £20 and given a cap. In those days the cap was worth more than the money and Nat certainly valued the cap far more!”

The shop is one of the oldest buildings in Bolton. Jack’s father Robert Walsh was a well-loved, chirpy character who sadly died after a fire at the building 35 years ago. Known as ‘Pastie Bob’, he got the wrong idea when, during a royal visit to Bolton in 1945, HRH the Duke of Windsor wanted to condemn the towns old buildings so Pastie Bob chipped off the numbers on the wall saying 1667 – and plastered over it.

Marie and Jack grew up in Churchgate when it was a thriving thoroughfare and Bolton’s entertainment centre brimming with theatres and cinemas.

Film stars have visited the shop. The bay window used to display tempting sweets for the cinema and theatregoers. The pasty shop used to be open from 8.30pm – 10.30pm as crowds flocked. George Formby, impresario Jack Hylton and comedian Frank Randle all visited the shop after appearing in shows in theatreland.

Marie, 85, said “We got Boltonians from all over the globe requesting our pasties. One man was celebrating his 70th birthday and his son drove all the way from London to get a load of pasties from The Pastie Shoppe as an extra special present.”

Marie added, “Our customers mean a lot to us. They have remained very loyal and stand outside the shop patiently waiting in all weathers. All the staff want to say a big thank you for your patience and loyalty.”

What is the secret of Ye Old Pasties Shoppe which has customers coming back and braving the biting winds to taste its succulent offerings?

Marie explains, “Our recipe is no secret. Many bakers started their training here and learnt our methods of only using the freshest ingredients, using fresh meats and potatoes. But they often leave us and set up business on their own. They soon realise that it is costly to use fresh meats and swap them out for dried ingredients. Then they cut down on the best flour, and by the end they have something of little resemblance to our pasties. We also try to offer value for money, that’s very important to us”.

Marie’s son Chris is the baker who works tirelessly with his small team in the bakery behind the shop. Chris became a business partner in 1991 and continues the generational family tradition of taking on the business responsibility.

The bakery used to be a silk mill which was transformed into a hive of industry as shelves ovens and fridges line the walls. You would be amazed at the size of the building, it’s like a Tardis!

The rambling building was rebuilt in 1667 as a pie shop in front of a silk mill, when Churchgate was the village street of Bolton-le-Moors. The sloping floors are still there, the back rooms and the house make you feel like you’re walking into a Tudor country manor.

If you haven't been to The Pastie Shop for a while, what are you waiting for? Pay a visit and you’ll be greeted by a smiling face, some real Bolton charm and some really great food.

31 Churchgate, Bolton

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