Walker & Son has stepped into the export market, after finding a way to deliver its Dickinson & Morris pork pies frozen.

The brand, part of Samworth Brothers food empire, has started exporting the Melton Mowbray Pork Pies globally to both the expat and local market.

Henry Bowles, export executive at Charnwood Bakery, which makes the pies told the Leicester Mercury: “The expat markets are the ones that have been easiest to target, because demand was already there.

“Then we exhibited in Paris last year and we discovered that the French loved our pies. People love a quality product.

“Now we are introducing them around the world, and building contacts with distributors.

“Iceland, for instance, is a country that likes premium products and they are a wealthy country too, so we expect lots of demand there. They go by air to Hong Kong and by ship everywhere else.”

He said the pies have an eight-day refrigerated shelf-life, but can now be kept frozen for a year.

By 2018, the company hopes to generate around 10% of its turnover from exports.

Melton Mowbray Pork Pies were granted Protected Geographical Indication status in 2009, and can only be produced according to a traditional recipe in or near to the town of Melton.

Walker & Son’s premium brand Dickinson & Morris pork pies have been baked in Leicestershire for more than 160 years.