As fans of Big Mike's Artisan Cheesecakes know, the shop at Carlton Hill closed down on Christmas Eve after two-and-a-half years. Owner Mike Jones blamed the cost of everything 'going through the roof' and decided to ditch the overheads of the shop in favour of having stalls at events and supplying other businesses.
However, the shop won't be empty for long. In a few weeks' time, Project Pies will be opening there. It's a name already familiar to pie lovers since founder Dan Lione used the premises to sell his wares on a Monday during the summer when Big Mike's was closed.
The 41-year-old first started making pies as a sideline during lockdown at the weekend when he wasn't at his job in a butcher's shop. His work meant he knew exactly which cuts of meat to use. He advertised the pies for sale on Facebook and Instagram, starting off on a small scale.
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He said: "I thought I will make a few pies and see how it goes in the Colwick area. I put it on Facebook and Instagram but word of mouth proved to be the biggest thing. All of a sudden I'm getting phone calls from all over Nottingham - asking if they could pick up or I could deliver and it expanded from that.
"It just grew and grew and caught me totally off guard. It just took off so well and here we are today walking into my first shop. I have just been waiting for this day to come," said Dan, who picked up the keys to the property today (January 3).
He started off with classic fillings such as steak with either kidney, ale or stilton, and chicken and mushroom, encased in shortcrust pastry. He progressed to more adventurous chicken balti, chilli beef and a new cheeseburger pie with two beef patties, fried onions, gherkins, ketchup and mustard.
Dan said: "I did a Goose Fair pie which proved to be one of my most popular pies ever, with minced beef and onion and a layer of mushy peas and mint sauce. It just worked so well, people loved the concept. I don't know if it was it was a Nottingham thing."
The range includes sausage rolls and pork pies, including one named sticky fingers with red onion marmalade and Red Leicester cheese. He doesn't currently do vegetarian pies but it's something that will be available 'in the very near future'. He's already worked out the fillings, which will include mushroom medley, cheesy curried cauliflower, potato, cheese and onion and a mac 'n' cheese pie - and a chilli version.
The pies come in two sizes. An individual pie averages £3.75 and family-sized is £7.50. "Some people say that's expensive but if you try it, it's not like one you get from Tesco or Marks & Spencer. You can taste the difference and you get what you pay for," he said.
Instead of baking at home, Dan will be busy in the kitchen at the shop, which he hopes to open in a few weeks' time. He said: "I have designed my menu and logo myself even though I'm really bad on computers and phones. I only got a smartphone five years ago when my daughter was born, just to take pictures so coming on Instagram and Facebook is quite an eye-opener for me.
"I asked a few people to design menus and it was about £120 and I thought, do you know what, why can't I do it, so I downloaded an app on my phone and that was it." Dan, who originally went into hairdressing from school, and has gone on to work as a plasterer, in Caffe Nero and Yo! Sushi, ended up having a stint at Big Mike's after bumping into the owner 18 months ago.
Dan said: "I was dropping an order off and I passed him while he was fixing his awning and we got chatting. We stayed connected and got on really well and last summer he said to me 'why don't you make extra pies and come up here on a Monday and use my shop?' He didn't want any money out of it or anything. I just thought what a lovely gesture and that's when it got me thinking that I could do a shop."
Business on that one day a week was 'fantastic'. He said: "It was quite nice that I kept seeing the same faces coming back. There's the Free Man pub a few doors down and they seemed to like the pies as well."
He's not deterred by the current economic climate, which drove his predecessor to close. Dan said: "There is always going to be something in the world it seems at the minute and there is never going to be a perfect time. It's my dream to have a shop and I just think I've got to go for it.
"I've had a little helping hand in building up my customers over the last few years, it's the loyalty and the word of mouth has been amazing. It's been lovely really. We're doing a good range of products here. It's a great British classic - pie and mash and veg on your plate and gravy, especially this time of year."
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