Bakeries in Burnley

The baking story of Burnley

Burnley has one of the most unlikely drinking traditions in Britain. Soldiers of the East Lancashire Regiment, stationed in Normandy during the First World War, developed a taste for Bénédictine, the French herbal liqueur, and brought it home. More than a century later a local miners' club is said to be among the largest single buyers of the liqueur in the world, often served with hot water as a 'Bene and hot'. The town grew as a cotton-weaving centre beside the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, and its Weavers' Triangle preserves the old mills and warehouses. Burnley's food is classic East Lancashire — meat pies, barm cakes, black pudding and Eccles cakes — with the Pennine moors rising all around.

Local bakes to look out for

• Meat and potato pie – A hearty shortcrust pie, the staple of East Lancashire bakeries.
• Barm cake – A soft, flat bread roll for chips, bacon or black pudding.
• Eccles cake – Flaky pastry around a rich currant filling.

Bakery hunter's tip: Walk the Weavers' Triangle beside the canal, then look for traditional pie shops and bakeries around the town centre and market.

Did you know? Thanks to First World War soldiers who acquired a taste for it in France, Burnley is said to drink more Bénédictine than almost anywhere else on earth.