Hollywood stars get a proper taste of Burnley

Hollywood stars experienced a true taste of Burnley last night at the premiere of Netflix’s Bank of Dave movie held in the town.

Forget champagne and canapes, it was Bene ‘n’ Hotpot Pie for 200 guests of self-made millionaire David Fishwick at the Reel Cinema red carpet premiere, a special edition pie prepared especially for Dave by Haffners.

And the Haffners team couldn’t be hap-pie-r.

Ted Cockett, managing director at Haffners Butchers and Bakery, said: “Our butchers’ shop is on the same road as Burnley Savings and Loans, affectionately known as the Bank of Dave and he is a regular visitor to the shop, always enjoying a bit of Burnley banter with the team when he comes in.

“He’s a down-to-earth, likeable guy who is incredibly proud of Burnley and he really wanted to showcase a bit of the town to his A-List audience, so asked us to provide our Haffners pies for the event.

“We wanted to encapsulate the best of Burnley in our pie and that, of course, had to include the town’s adopted tipple, Bene ‘n’ Hot and a Lancashire Hotpot, as well as a special Spinach and Curried Potato pie for the non-meat eaters.”

Bank of Dave follows the life story of the entrepreneur who took on the finance industry to open his own community-based lender and 10 days of shooting for the film took place in Burnley.

His inspiring ‘rags-to-riches’ tale is now available on Netflix, featuring a stellar cast which includes James Bond actor and BAFTA nominee Rory Kinnear as David Fishwick himself and former Bridgerton star Phoebe Dynevor as the local doctor.

Ted and Haffers’ staff Neil Sledding, Paul Teasdale and Beth Lawson were invited to watch the screening before giving out the gold foiled, special edition Haffners pies as guests filtered out.

Ted said: “It was crazy to see the red carpet and TV cameras at our local Burnley cinema interviewing the stars of the film and, of course, Dave himself.

“The film was incredible. It made you feel proud of the community we have here in Burnley and the response to our pies was fantastic.

“A huge thank you to Dave for choosing to support our Burnley business and yes, we will be giving our customers a chance to try our Bene ‘n’ Hotpot pies this week in the shop.”

Haffners is a family bakery extending back four generations and has been trading in the town since 1889.

Ted and his brother Dean took over the business in July last year, both holding a deep affection for the brand and wanting to ensure it maintains its place in the town.