THERE were no 'pie-in-the-sky' policies for Blackburn MP Jack Straw when he visited Inter Link Foods - one of the town's big business success stories.

But the Foreign Secretary certainly made an early seasonal start to Christmas as he sampled some of the 30million mince pies the company will produce at its Shadsworth bakery.

Mr Straw officially opened Inter Link's £2.6million pie production line - the biggest and fastest in Europe. The new plant is capable of producing 22,000 mince pies and 36,000 mini mince pies an hour.

The to ur was arranged as part of the company's 10th anniversary celebrations and chairman Alwin Thompson was delighted to welcome Mr Straw. "It is great to be able to show Mr Straw the fruits of our labours," he said.

"There is enormous opportunity to produce top quality private label pies for major retailers in the UK and it gives us the volume and versatility we need to meet this demand."

Mr Straw, who was joined on his visit by Lancashire Evening Telegraph Editor Kevin Young, was impressed both by the pies and the company.

"It is very apparent that Inter Link Foods has a commitment to excellence and we wish the company every success," he said.

"It is especially good news that such entrepreneurial spirit is putting Blackburn in the spotlight and creating wealth and job security for local employees and the wider community."

Inter Link Foods - the reigning Lancashire Evening Telegraph Business of the Year - makes 'own brand' cakes and pastry products which are sold by all the major supermarket groups such as Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury's.