Administrators reveal buyers of Leeming Bar’s Vale of Mowbray site

The famous pork pie maker went into administration last September with the loss of 220 jobs amid soaring costs and recruitment problems.

Administrators have now revealed that the machinery and plant from the factory in Leeming Barry, near Bedale, has been sold to rival pork pie maker Compleat Foods, which makes classic pork pies and Melton Mowbray pies, and has bases in Clitheroe, Poole, Milton Keynes and Nottingham .

The factory site was purchased by NewCold, a Dutch international company that calls itself a specialist in automated warehousing and cold chain logistics.

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Administrators Martin Pullin, Mark Hodgett and David Shambrook of FRP said attempts were made to attract new investment when Vale of Mowbray could no longer meet its financial obligations, but this was not possible at the time.

Mr Pullin said: “Despite trading for almost 100 years, the Vale of Mowbray faced significant challenges and could no longer operate or provide the investment needed for the trade. While it is never easy to say goodbye to a well-known brand, we are delighted to have found buyers for both the venue and the equipment and wish them all the best for the future.”

Compleat Foods and NewCold were approached Darlington and Stockton Times for information about plans for the site and whether Vale of Mowbray pies would continue to be made and sold, but neither responded to requests for comment.

The collapse of the Vale of Mowbray company, which produced a million pork pies a week, comes just months after a major £4m expansion, introducing a new range of Scotch eggs.

Originally opened as a brewery in 1795, it operated as a pork pie factory from the 1920s, with the local Gatenby family taking over in the 1990s.

For many in the shocked local community, it was the real end of an era. The Vale of Mowbray has employed thousands of people over the years, hiring dozens of casual workers every Christmas to make pies.

One former worker, who did not want to be named, said: “It’s sad that pork pie production has ended here, but it’s a sign of the times and at least the factory area is being used. It’s only been six months since it closed, so interest in the area and pork pies is clearly high.

“You just wonder if we’ll ever see VOM pies again and if a new company will use the name because it was so well known.”