'We pride ourselves on quality': Ironbridge family working to create high quality and popular pork pies

Opened 60 years ago by Tim Eley as part of his butchers shop, bought from his earnings working at Ironbridge Power Station, the shop quickly became a popular attraction due to the quality of the pies produced.

Tim's son Tom now runs the shop alongside his sister Charlotte and said the process now had remained the same as it had when his father first started.

He said: "They're traditionally hand-raised around a wooden dolly, which we still do in the shop to this day, and it's still the same quality pork and the fat that is used in pork pies, as well as them being lidded and having the jelly, which is a key factor in pork pies.

"Then, there's the seasoning, which is just a simple peppery seasoning and that's how a traditional pork pie should be done and we try and keep it that way and not diverge into different flavours and herbs and that's what makes our pork pies what they are.

"We do a pork and chilli pie and one with black pudding and one with egg, so we do a lot of variations, but our traditional pork pie is what we're known for and what our brand is."

The shop has transitioned from a fully-fledged butchers to become the shop people know and love today, with Mr Eley saying that his father had noticed that the trend for shopping was changing due to more supermarkets opening and had decided to make it a stand-alone pie shop.

He said: "We had a three-quarter counter which had been for the meat and a quarter one for the pies and we found we were selling a lot more pies than we were meat, so it was just a natural progression, even though it was a huge decision for my dad because of it being his trade for 40 years.

"However, the pies had just become more and more popular and we were filling our time more with making and selling the pies, so it was worth doing.

"We get in a lot of tourists who love to see the process in action and we can actually show them how we make the pies."

The pies produced by Eley's have become known worldwide, with the family having been invited to a festival in Japan to make the pies after a tourist from Japan had tried one of the pies.

Mr Eley said the future of the business was looking strong with himself and his sister running the shop and his brother Richard also working within the company, and said they had some big plans going ahead.

He said: "I run the business with my twin sister and we're taking it forward now, with a lot more online sales and more personalised pies with writing on them and which we're sending across the UK, all part of a way of keeping our family business going for the future.

"I remember my dad saying he couldn't see anyone buying pork pies online, but we sell hundreds each week online as far away as London and the Highlands.

"This business is a family one and it means a lot for me to be able to take the reins and carry on into the future and we pride ourselves on quality and keeping the place going towards the future and making the British pork pie, which means a lot to me."