ONE of Bolton’s favourite bakeries is looking to expand to allow more people to enjoy their much-loved products.

Carrs Pasties is a family-run business which has been supplying Bolton with baked goods since 1938.

And now bosses have submitted a planning application to upgrade their Summerfield Road site to predominantly be a production and distribution facility.

From their humble beginnings at their original shop on Halliwell Road, the company has expanded its network to three shops throughout the town, a click and collect service and a nationwide delivery service. They have even made their own gin.

During the pandemic, many businesses had to revise how they operated and Carrs were no different.

Joe Carr, managing director, said: “The blessing of Covid was that we had to innovate, and those who did innovate benefitted.

“We stopped serving fresh from the oven to all our partners and they now have to bake off frozen products. It’s fresher and better quality.”

The pasties are now blast frozen straight out of the oven using dry ice, which Mr Carr claims helps lock in that freshly baked flavour while also making them easier for distribution.

Mr Carr said: “It’s opened up the whole of the UK and it has been a great success so far.

"We hope to serve more and more people with what this town is proud of. It’s very exciting.”

He added: “Everywhere you see a Costa Coffee machine we hope you’ll see a Carrs stall. In petrol stations and retail shops. You’ll see us up and down the country."

The plans for the site are integral for the implementation of the company’s new strategy, which will also be an eco-friendlier set-up, as the application includes plans for solar panels.

Mr Carr said: “Everyone is driving towards a better, greener future. It’s the right thing to do. We never even questioned that we wouldn’t do it.

“Our target is to also reduce the gas we are using for our ovens and every van in our fleet will be electric in 10 years.”

It is also hoped that the new facility will help to provide more employment to the area.

“There will hopefully be more baking and packing staff but initially there will be an increase of staff on the roads," added Mr Carr.

“As we continue to expand there will be more retail shops in what we call the Greater Bolton area, so you might see one pop up in Manchester, for example, but it has to be the right opportunity," he said.