A CAFE in Failsworth has seen its trade double since it launched a pie named after the district.

The ‘Failsworth Pie’ is the invention of Philip Graham, who helps run Royle and Graham, on Lord Lane, with his wife Jools.

And what started off as a bit of a joke just two weeks ago has now turned into a mouth-watering sensation.

The hearty delights are selling like hot cakes – or should that be hot pastries – and the Grahams are struggling to keep up with demand.

"Our kitchen at home is nothing but pies these days," Phil said. "It’s turned into a phenomenon."

Best of all, in these times of belt tightening, the pies have provided a big boost to a family business that started 15 months ago.

After working in the food industry for 30 years, Phil got bored of the standards and developed a taste for creating his own recipes. Following a knee and hip operation two years ago, Phil, who is in his 50s, decided a family firm was the way to go and started a catering business from the Graham household in Alder Road.

Their wares were soon in big demand for weddings, funerals, parties and business functions – so much so that when the opportunity arose to move into premises nearby they jumped at the chance.

Seeing the move as a chance to take a bigger slice of the market, Phil and Jools, with the support of son Phil, 18, and daughter Lauren, 21, started running a small cafe as well.

"We’ve tried to do a bit of everything from homemade soup and traditional meals to sandwiches and sausage rolls," said Phil. "I suppose you could say we’ve got our fingers in a lot of pies."

In fact, it was the success of the homemade sausage rolls that inspired Phil to create his own pies.

"It started as a bit of a laugh. I decided to make individual pies and we needed a name for them, so it made sense to name them after our home town," he explained. "I knew I was doing something right when one lady came in and bought a pie only to return the next day and buy four. In the past two weeks we’ve sold 150 pies! It’s incredible. They’ve really taken off."

The pies are especially enjoyed by players from Oldham Rugby Union Football Club, who the couple’s son Phil plays for.

So what is the secret of their success? Well, Phil is obviously not going to give the whole game away, especially with regards to his "special gravy", but did say that most of the standard ingredients are included like mince meat, vegetables and potato. And, of course, they come complete with an ‘F’ for Failsworth embossed into the crust of the pastry.

"Customers keep asking what I put in the gravy, but I won’t tell," he said. "It’s a secret. If Coca Cola won’t give up their secret formula then neither will I."