Watch: Socially conscious bakery in Oldham expands, empowering ex-offenders

HM Pasties bakery, known for embracing former convicts to give them a fresh start, is set to open its doors this March with a massive expansion in Oldham and a £300,000 boost from GMCA. In this video podcast, Oldham Reporter deep dives into the life, journey, inspirations, and more with founder Lee Wakeham.

Established in 2018, HM Pasties, with support from the Big Lottery Fund, Forward Trust and the Santander Foundation, aims to support the local community by employing those who need a second chance.

Led by founder Lee Wakeham, the bakery's new 1,700 sq ft site in Oldham aims to create more jobs. What's unique is its focus on hiring former offenders, allowing them to rebuild their lives.

Wakeham, who lives in Tameside, will soon become a first-time dad. He said life hasn’t been better for him, and everything is looking up for the first time. But the journey to success hasn’t been easy for this Cornish man. By age 20, he had served two prison sentences. This is when he focused on working on himself and actively contributed to society following his release.

In 2016, he became an employment coach with the charity Groundwork, working with former prisoners.

“In life, just make good decisions, whether in prison or business. If you have made many bad decisions, stop making them. Don’t keep making a series of bad decisions to come out of the one mistake you made. And life will be better,” Wakeham said.

With a motto to ‘bring out the good inside’, HM Pasties has won six British Pie Awards in the last two years, working within a relatively limited space in its previous Bolton site. The bakery now plans to triple its production capacity, introduce new products and create 16 new jobs with its Oldham relocation and expansion. 

“My whole business was built around the Cornish-style pasties; it’s my pride and joy, and we make quite a lot of those. But other than that, our steak and ale pie, which won the gold award at the British Pie Awards last year, cheese and onion pie, and jerk chicken pie have all received great awards,” he said. 

Lee emphasises the importance of social impact, intending to allocate a portion of profits to the HM Pasties Foundation to aid ex-convicts in securing long-term employment. This move highlights the bakery's commitment to inclusivity and societal progress, setting a positive example for businesses in the region.

In addition to the new machinery, the Oldham outlet will allow the bakery to extend its product range, such as family-sized pies, dinky meat pies, pork pies, fruit pies, and egg custard tarts. They also plan to launch an economy range.

HM Pasties will maintain its hot food stand outside Etihad Stadium and is in talks with catering service Sodexo to cater to more football grounds in Greater Manchester and beyond.

*Info: H.M. Pasties