A NEWLY WED couple from Lymm near Warrington, became the first people on the planet to take their honeymoon at a pie factory.
Jenna Tobin, 34, and her husband Stephen, 35, followed up their big Pie Do on their wedding day when 150 guests tucked into their favourite pies at their wedding reception in their home village, with a Pie Honeymoon.
It was a real treat for bride Jenna, who got a life long love of Holland’s Pies after living in a tiny terraced house just down the road from the factory in Baxenden, near Accrington, Lancashire as a child.
The bride had been delivered to the ceremony in a Holland’s Pies van, had a three tier ‘Pie’ wedding cake, had Holland’s greaseproof paper on the tables at the reception and hundreds of pies.
Yet the honeymoon was even more of a highlight as they got to take home some souvenir pies direct from the factory.
Jenna, a sister on a critical care unit at a Manchester hospital, was overjoyed with her factory honeymoon and groom Stephen, a cigarette sales manager, was delighted his new wife thought the somewhat strange holiday destination was so exciting.
When they got inside the factory the pair even got to take a ‘self-pie’ by the ovens – it’s like a selfie – just with lots of pies and below is their postcard to friends and family from the world’s wackiest honeymoon location:
‘Dear All,
‘Wish you were here….firstly what a wonderful wedding with all those lovely people and delicious pies, but the honeymoon has been something else. Yes, we’re the first couple to ever honeymoon at this particular pie factory in Lancashire, actually only couple in the world to ever honeymoon at any pie factory on the planet according to Google.
‘We know it’s in Baxenden, but everyone says it’s in Accrington, I know the location as I used to live in a tiny terraced house just down the road when I was a little girl. The smell of the pies being cooked at 4 o’clock in the afternoon have been with me ever since.
‘So this is really a dream honeymoon destination. Some people do Barbados, the Maldives and even Holland, but I am happy with Holland’s Pies and Stephen is really getting stuck in.
‘Truly Stephen can’t believe his luck, we even got a bit hot and steamy in the cookhouse. They go through a ton of filling in the cookhouse every time and make an average of 1.2 million pies a week – that’s a lot as I’ve only eaten just over 3,000 in my lifetime.
‘Now when we got into the factory proper, after stirring a vat of minced meat and onion (Stephen’s favourite), they started showing us the production lines. Now I found it fascinating and they told us how they go through 25 tons of meat at the factory every week and it takes two-and-a-half hours to tenderise.
‘Stephen went all goey-eyed again and got to grips with me by the production lines, but the Holland’s health and safety people stepped in before we turned it into a reproduction line.
‘They even let us get our hands on some pasties, but I still prefer their cheese and onion pies, though we did hear good things about the Guinness pie and as I am a stout supporter of Holland’s we’ll have to get hold of some of them. We had to take a self-pie by the ovens, it’s like a selfie just with lots of pies in the picture.
‘We even got cocktails in the factory car park and had brought along a duvet, Stephen had packed some Hawiaan garlands and our sunglasses, but that was a bit optimistic for Baxenden. Though it was a wonderful day and when we got our duvet out and had another kiss and cuddle we could see the health and safety team in full uniform across the car park.
‘Then we got a super surprise, they presented us with a couple of bumper boxes of pies and a two night weekend stay at the Dunkenhalgh Hotel at Clayton-Le-Moors. It’s a 14th Century Lancashire country manor house and has a spa and a gym….but I’ve told Stephen we’re only going if they do some proper pies.
‘The girls at work won’t believe it! It’s not every day a pie factory can make all your dreams come true. I’d never been before despite just living down the road, but it’s the closest place to heaven for me.
‘We’ll both be eating out on tales of our honeymoon for weeks and weeks….the pies have it….for breakfast, dinner and tea.
‘See you all soon!
‘Lots of love,
‘Jenna and Stephen (Mrs and Mr Tobin)’
Leanne Holcroft, Holland’s brand manager who showed the happy couple round the factory, said: ‘It was wonderful hosting them on their honeymoon. We have 300 people working here, but this was our first ever honeymoon.
‘I am not sure if they’ll be starting a trend, but it was marvellous being able to make Jenna’s dream honeymoon happen.
‘And it was all done in the best possible taste….like everything we do at Holland’s Pies.’
Honeymoon location to pie for!!! Jenna and Stephen tuck into some pies. PICTURES NIGEL BENNETT
