Baldy's Pies

If you consider yourself a bit of a pastry connoisseur, you’ll know that Wigan is the spiritual home of the pie. But while the town is built on the humble meat and potato, Baldy’s Pies is doing something entirely different at Windy Arbour Farm.

This isn’t your standard high-street bakery. Operating out of a farm shop in Orrell, Alex “Baldy” Main and his team have quietly racked up 39 industry awards, including being named Supreme Champion in 2026. It is, quite literally, home to the best pies in the country.

The menu reads more like a high-end gastropub than a chippy. Take the ‘Big Jim’, for instance: an 18-hour braised beef shin and bone marrow powerhouse topped with a smashed pistachio crumb. Or the Truffle Cheese, which uses cave-aged cheddar, Red Leicester, and white truffle, finished with a black and white sesame crust. It’s a far cry from a grey puddle in a foil tin.

The setup at Windy Arbour Farm is straightforward. You’re picking up part-baked pies to finish at home, ensuring that the pastry—which is meticulously laminated and often topped with inventive crumbs—stays exactly as crisp as intended. It’s the kind of place where locals know to check the Facebook page for stock levels before making the trip.

For those who grew up on Uncle Joe’s Mint Balls, the ‘Mintball Lamb’ is a must-try cultural crossover. It features 24-hour braised lamb neck and shoulder glazed with the iconic Wigan syrup, salt-baked carrots, and a rosemary mint crumb. It sounds like it shouldn’t work; in reality, it’s a piece of local culinary genius.

Whether you’re a Wigan native or making the pilgrimage from the city centre, Baldy’s proves that there is still plenty of room for innovation in the world of British pastry. Just make sure your oven is preheated before you get home.