Bolton is renowned for its pasty shops, with Carrs Pasties and Ye Olde Pastie Shoppe being the two most famous. A recent visit by a journalist aimed to settle which offers the best experience.
Carrs Pasties: A Modern Twist
Carrs Pasties opened its first bakery on Halliwell Road in 1938 and now has locations on Corporation Street, Middlebrook Retail Park, Manchester Road, and in Bury. The journalist visited the Corporation Street branch, drawn by the bright yellow logo and outdoor seating.
Upon entering, the counter displayed a variety of pasties and sweet treats. The server recommended the cheese and jalapeno pasty, which the journalist chose along with a sausage roll and a raspberry and white chocolate pasty, taking advantage of a meal deal for a total of £6.20 (£4.25 for the meal deal and £1.95 for the sausage roll).
Sampling the Goods at Carrs
The cheese and jalapeno pasty had a signature pocket shape with vertical lines. The pastry offered a slight crispness giving way to a softer texture, though it lacked the chunky crust of Cornish pasties. However, the filling was generous, hot, and cheesy, with tiny jalapeno chunks providing a briny-spice kick.
The sausage roll was hot with crisp, flaky pastry and well-seasoned meat without gristle, though the pastry-to-meat ratio was slightly unbalanced, making it more of a snack. The raspberry and white chocolate pasty was encrusted with demerara sugar, with excellent lamination and a raspberry filling that oozed out, complemented by a hint of white chocolate.
Ye Olde Pastie Shoppe: A Step Back in Time
Ye Olde Pastie Shoppe on Churchgate opened in December 1898 in a building dating back to 1667. The shop felt like a bygone era, with tiny window panes, trays of small pasties, meat pies, custard tarts, and regional delicacies like Whimberry Pies and Whist Pies.
The interior was packed with customers and staff, with signs written in felt tip and a 'cash is king' poster. The journalist ordered a small meat and potato pasty, a meat pie, and a Maid of Honour tart for £3.20, as sausage rolls were sold out.
Tasting the Traditional Fare
The small meat and potato pasty had soft, bread-like pastry and a firm, corned-beef-style filling that was well-seasoned and moreish. The meat pie had thick, delicious pastry but a disappointing filling of underseasoned mince with an iron after-taste, lacking gravy.
The Maid of Honour, resembling an almond macaroon encased in pastry with cheese curds and a blob of jam, was dry and biscuit-like with a subtle almond taste, best accompanied by tea. It was the journalist's favourite from Ye Olde Pastie Shoppe.
Conclusion: Two Different Experiences
Carrs offers innovative flavours and modern branding, while Ye Olde Pastie Shoppe preserves traditional baked goods and regional delicacies. Despite the journalist's mixed palate, the queues outside Ye Olde Pastie Shoppe indicate strong local support.
