Final farewell to legendary Bessie, queen of the pies

12:50pm Friday 3rd October 2008

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THE founder of one of Warrington’s most famous family bakeries has died at the age of 101.

Bessie Ardern was born in Glossop in 1907 and established her Willis Street bakery as a single businesswoman in 1932, selling traditional baked savoury pastries and cakes.

Famed for her meat and potato pies, which are still the bakery’s best-seller, Bessie married Jack Wood in 1934.

The couple lived above the bakery for more than 50 years and had two sons, Geoffrey, now aged 67, and Roger, who is 63.

Geoffrey said: “Not only was she an excellent confectioner and baker, she had a lot of time for people and was always very involved in the community, becoming treasurer of St Elphin’s Church at 74.

“She was always a very happy person. She had a great memory and would entertain people with poems and songs right until the end.”

Geoffrey ran the bakery alongside Bessie, who worked in the kitchens with her husband and family until her late 80s when her eyesight began to fail.

In 2001, the reins were handed to Bessie’s granddaughter, Joanne Hull, who proudly sticks to Bessie’s award-winning traditional recipes.

Joanne, aged 39, said: “She was a very loving lady. She had great strength and determination, she believed there was no such word as ‘can’t’ – for her anything was possible.

“I always turned to her for advice. She would do anything to help anybody.”

Joanne added: “She was a great teacher and took me in the bakery with her from the age of five. By the time I was 10 I could cook a full Sunday dinner.”

The great-grandmother passed away peacefully in her sleep on Saturday, September 20.