Final sausage roll after 102-years

 Usually pastries are fast food that you gobble down in a hurry - but you can bet shoppers were savouring every bite of their sausage rolls on Saturday.

It was a sad weekend when the final crums were swept up from outside 102-year-old local bakery Satterthwaites.

 
Hundreds of shoppers queued outside the doors of several stores to taste their final home-baked cakes as the company ceased trading.

Just like many of their savoury treats, several bakeries were jam packed even before lunch time on Saturday, with the shop being given a fine send-off by customers throughout Netherton, Formby, Waterloo, Crosby and Bootle.

The final owner of the family business, Roger Wilson, 71, said he had failed to find a buyer, meaning seven new empty stores across the borough and the loss of up to 70 jobs.

But the doors were not closed without a fight, as he admirably kept the shop open until the last pastry was sold, while shoppers of all ages queued down the street, desperate for one last treat. One man even snapped up £30 worth of meat pies.

Despite having huge public support and an ever-present Twitter account, sales declined last year requiring Roger to invest heavily in the company but since March 2012 customer levels have fallen significantly.

Roger said: “Our attempts to find a buyer for the whole firm came to nothing. I thought it would be better to close down in a orderly way than to crash.”

The first Satterthwaites was built in November 1910 costing then £50 on King Street in Southport.

Former Satterthwaites worker Sarah Harvey wrote on Facebook: “The old and lonely knew where to go to ensure a smiling face and a chat without being under pressure to move on.

”I worked there for a while and I couldn't have worked with a better group of people. Goodbye Satterthwaites, you take a big piece of my heart with you. I'll miss you more than I would have imagined.“

Roger added: ”We hope that some of our shops will eventually re-open under new management, but this will be in the hands of the liquidator.

“It's terribly sad and I wish with all my heart it could have been longer but the world has changed too much.

”It has been mad all day, we have run down stock and we were totally overwhelmed, from 10am there was a queue completely across Moor Lane.

“What can I say, except to apologise to our wonderful customers and dedicated staff for not managing to continue. I wish I could have done better.”