Having closed its Arbroath restaurant and narrowed its focus, WeeCOOK has returned to growth through pies, catering, and a newer street food offer. The business said pie sales rose 15% in 2025, following growth the previous year, and that it is on course to record its first profit since the pandemic disrupted trading.
The shift followed owner Hayley Wilkes’ decision in 2024 to close the WeeCOOK Restaurant and concentrate on the products that had already built the business’s reputation. WeeCOOK’s pies have twice won Best Fish Pie in Britain at the British Pie Awards, and the company has since added Phat Baps, a street food venture designed to capture casual dining demand without the cost base of a full restaurant operation.
From its base in Arbroath, the company now supplies pies to customers across Scotland and has built wider recognition through appearances on ITV’s Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh and Channel 4’s Aldi’s Next Big Thing. Even with that exposure, Wilkes has chosen not to pursue mass-market supermarket supply, instead growing through direct sales and an expanding corporate catering arm.
Reflecting on the change, Wilkes said: “It was a tough decision, but it’s transformed the business. Running the restaurant alongside the pies meant we were spreading ourselves too thin, especially as market demand changed post-COVID. Focusing on what we do best has allowed us to grow in a way that feels right, and the results speak for themselves.”
She also credited the 90% government-funded Help to Grow: Management Course at Heriot-Watt University’s Edinburgh Business School with helping her take that step. Wilkes said: “The Help to Grow: Management Course helped me step back and look at what I really wanted the business to be. Sometimes the bravest thing you can do is focus. We want to make great food that’s available to everybody – that’s what makes us happy, and you can taste that in everything we do. There’s always pressure to chase volume, but we’d rather grow sustainably with customers who genuinely value what we do.”
Flora Hamilton, Executive Director of the Small Business Charter, said: “Hayley’s story is a brilliant example of what happens when a talented entrepreneur is given the frameworks and headspace to think strategically about their business. She came to the course with an exceptional product and a clear passion for her craft; Help to Grow: Management gave her the strategic lens to make the tough calls that have unlocked the next stage of growth.”
Further details on the Help to Grow: Management Course are available via the Small Business Charter.
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