CALUM FRANKLIN

The Ye Olde Pork Pie Shoppe and Dickinson & Morris teamed up with ‘Pie King’, and former Executive Head Chef at Holborn Dining Room, Calum Franklin, back in 2021. Working alongside our team of highly skilled development chefs, Calum is helping to craft new techniques and recipes, reflecting the latest food trends but with Melton Mowbray tradition at heart, using the very best quality ingredients. Calum specialises in complex, intricately decorated pies with innovative fillings, based on his extensive research into the history of pies and savoury pastry.

The partnership has been a great success to date with Calum scooping three prestigious food awards for the beautiful Centrepiece Pie he developed with Dickinson & Morris and sold in Selfridges at Christmas 2021.

Having built and honed his skills at Michelin star restaurants, Calum took up the opportunity to join Holborn Dining Room back in 2014 and was soon given the opportunity to become Executive Head Chef. In 2018, Calum turned the restaurant's deli into a Pie Room which provided the perfect environment to create exciting, innovative and delicious savoury pastry ideas. The Pie Room then became Calum’s first recipe book where he was able to bring his inspiring recipes into homes across the world.

Calum left his role at Holborn Dining Room in 2022 and is now working on a new, exciting project – with pastry obviously at the heart of it!

​​STEPHEN HALLAM (MBE)

Stephen Hallam has been with Dickinson & Morris at Ye Olde Pork Pie Shoppe since 1992. He fully retired in 2020.

He has a passion for food and is a true ambassador - not just for pork pies but for the town of Melton Mowbray too. He is the proud recipient of the Melton Borough Award, an honour awarded in recognition of his outstanding service to the Borough and for putting Melton Mowbray on the map both nationally and internationally.

He has an infectious enthusiasm and often appears on TV and radio waxing lyrical about Melton Mowbray Pork Pies and the importance of Britain’s regional food heritage; he now hosts ‘Bakers Dozen’, his own radio show on Food FM. He has featured in food programmes and met with Ministers yet continues to support local tourism and food associations.

A baker by profession, he has quite literally worked his way around the world - three times! Having spent time as Head Patissier on the QE2, including the Falklands campaign, he has also worked in Germany and Spain.

He is Chairman of Judging at the World Bread Awards in both the UK and the USA, Past President of the British Confectioners’ Association, a Liveryman and past Assistant to the Court of the Worshipful Company of Bakers and a member of the British Society of Baking.

Awards & Accolades:

• Country Land & Business Association’s Award for Outstanding Service to the British Food Industry
• Won numerous industry awards including the prestigious City & Guilds Silver Medal for Breadmaking
• 2023 - MBE in the King's Birthday Honours List for services to Leicestershire, Lincolnshire and the baking industry.
• The Daily Telegraph once voted him ‘The Nicest Man in England’ for Outstanding Customer Service.

He has been a fantastic ambassador for British Pies and instrumental to the status of Dickinson & Morris as the leading Melton Mowbray Pork Pie brand. No wonder he's renowned for being Mr Pork Pie!

He's played host to numerous VIP visits from members of the Royal Family over the years at the Shoppe. Including the now King Charles and Queen Camila.