Paul Evans, a former Ormskirk resident and pupil of both St. Anne’s, and St. Bede’s schools, has recently showcased the famous Ormskirk gingerbread to a very enthusiastic Japanese public attending the British Fair at ‘Isetan in Shinjuku’ – Tokyo’s premier department store. Paul, along with his wife Ai, were invited to participate in the fair due the popularity of their small café in Tokyo, called The Three Little Pigs. The café, which opened five years ago, has built up a steady reputation amongst its mainly Japanese customers for its British home-baking style cakes and biscuits.

Looking for something special to mark the occasion, Paul recalled his love of Ormskirk Gingerbread, and through a friend, was put in touch the Ormskirk Community Partnership Gingerbread Project – home of the familiar Ormskirk Gingerbread Festival.

OCP Chairman Dave Mutch said “When we heard from Paul, and heard his story, we were delighted to be able to assist with marketing material, photographs from past festivals, and some information on the history of Ormskirk.”

Paul added “On the day of the event, 2nd November, we were astonished to have customers queueing around the event space and we were kept fully busy. The showcard looked great, with many customers curious as to where Ormskirk is, compared to more famous cities. We managed to sell out of all our gingerbread; it was amazing and we are sure that plenty more people in Japan now know the name Ormskirk. We also look forward to continued success with our Ormskirk gingerbread, and of course to promoting the Ormskirk name. Fortunately, our Japanese customers seem to like the gingerbread and it has remained a constant seller ever since.”

The British Fair is a week-long event and includes many famous British tea brands and food outlets/bakeries from the UK and Japan. Three Little Pigs were on the one-day booth that featured a different café/bakery each day. If you’re ever in Tokyo, why not pay them a visit? The OCP secretary can put you in touch if needs be.