WHEN it comes to matchday pies a Bolton baker has kicked the rest into touch by winning the approval of the world's press.

And when the chant went up at Old Trafford on Saturday "Who ate all the pies?" all the fingers were pointing in one direction -- towards the touchline snappers who had their faces full of Bolton's finest.

Bolton freelance football photographer Harry McGuire laid on a treat for the photo-crew by delivering two dozen Burnden Park pies to the ground, after so many of his colleagues had said they were in a league of their own.

"Since Bolton Wanderers moved to the Reebok the national photographers have missed out on the taste of Burnden pies," Mr McGuire told the BEN. "We all met at Manchester City last week and the photographers kept saying how much they missed them so I decided to give them a treat."

Mr McGuire called at the Manchester Road Burnden Park Pie Shop before travelling to the "Theatre of Dreams" to pick up a batch of chief pie maker Frank Partington's meat and potato marvels.

"We have travelled to a lot of grounds around the country and we never had anything as good as these," said Mr McGuire. "The other photographers were delighted. We had members of the press from other countries coming over looking for a taste and in the end there wasn't enough to go round. I could have taken three dozen and they would have all been snapped up."

He added: "We may not be able to get them every Saturday but whenever we are covering a local game we might just be calling into Burnden Park before kick-off."

But for pie maker Mr Partington it comes as no surprise that his fayre goes down so well because he has 48 years to hone his craft.

The Burnden Park Pie Shop has been in Partington family for more than 90 years with the business being passed down from generation to generation.

Mr Partington, 68, was even born on the premises, and says his secret is to sell 'em fresh from the oven.

"We used to have queues out of the door when Bolton Wanderers used to play here," said Mr Partington whose clientele even included goal scoring legend-come-pundit Ian St John.

"We have had lots of compliments about the pies in the past and it is nice the photographers enjoyed them. My secret is to only ever sell a pie that has been baked that day and use lots of pepper."