A Russian husband and wife who live in Bucks have come up with a new and unique way to make ends meet, following the start of the pandemic last March.
Soslan Salamov, a dad of three and is based in Beaconsfield, runs his own educating consulting company, where he helps students from abroad come to the UK to find places in boarding schools, universities, and language schools.
However, due to lockdown, his work dried up considerably.
Needing a new way to make money, he and his wife Zarina are now baking Ossetian pies (both sweet and savoury) to make a living and give Brits the experience of trying something new.
Thus, Salanti Pies was formed.
One of their pies
READ MORE: 'Will definitely visit again' - Here are five of the best dog-friendly pubs in Bucks
Speaking to the Free Press, Soslan said: “We’ve been thinking about doing this for years and my business, which has got nothing to do with pies or food or anything, is doing quite well too.
“However, because of the pandemic, everyone’s plans changed and everyone had to adapt.
“This was our way of coming along with what was happening.
“So we decided to give it a go, give a chance to a long-standing dream and start producing the pies.
“We are learning a lot.
“We are the first on the market, we are trying to introduce this to the local community and as we have lived in the UK for 26/27 years, we are proud to bring this to British soil.
“My wife has been cooking these pies for years and our guests all over the world liked it.
The pies are both sweet and savoury
“But these are our friends, so no-one ever said, ‘no, we didn’t like the pies’, but when you bring your hobby into a business then it is different.
“We thought it would be welcomed as the feedback was so good.
“People were saying, ‘wow, we have never tried anything like this before, ‘and we want to try more’ and we want to try other flavours’.
“The feedback has been great.”
The pies are made from British ingredients and include traditional cheese, a number of meat, vegetarian and vegan options, are available for delivery in Beaconsfield and the surrounding areas, or for collection.
They started their pie business during the first lockdown
Soslan continued: “Before this, I had nothing to do with the food business, but you have to know it to be successful and that is what we are trying to do.
READ MORE: More famous names - Five TV personalities who live in the area
“Last year, it showed us that nothing is guaranteed but the plan is to carry on and expand to London as that is where the main market is, as it is very international.
“There are lots of Russians there and they are aware of Ossetia, so hopefully they will be the backbone of the business.
“The pies were created centuries ago and I would say, it is the centre piece of the dinner table.
The pies have been very popular with those who live in the county
“You can’t really compare it to anything on this market, because with their size and shape, they are like a pizza, but they are totally different.
“They are nothing like you have tried before.”
For more information, visit www.salantipies.com.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel