Chichester company celebrates first six months after returning to where it all began!

Mud Foods - affectionately known as Mud Pies by many - was established by Christian Barrington in 2009 and just over six months ago returned to take up the main unit at the £6 million estate on Westhampnett Road, Chichester, which is owned and managed by Chichester District Council.

"Back in 2009 I started off with 200 pie tins and within a year we had 1,500 tins and had already outgrown the space at St James," explains Christian, who began selling his produce at a range of local famers' markets including Chichester. "I then looked for new premises and found a site in Wedglen Park, Midhurst which was four times the size of the unit we were in and that's where we stayed for 13 years."

During this time, the business has expanded and evolved significantly, supplying high quality farm shops, restaurants, delicatessens, pubs, and caterers. Christian went on to purchase the building in Midhurst so that he could tailor it to his business needs.  For the last five or six years, they have also been supplying products to Southern Co-op.

During the pandemic, Christian saw an opportunity to improve the business' online service and applied for one of Chichester District Council's business grants to improve his website, which was an exciting development.

Because of demand, Christian started looking for new premises. Initially, he couldn't find anything suitable and was on the verge of having to move his operation out of the district. He then found out about the St James redevelopment when he was chatting with Chichester District Council's Economic Development Team.

"I'd turned my own office into a pastry room, and ended up working from the staff room table! We were also having issues with the electricity as there wasn't enough capacity to run the business, when we found out that St James was being re-developed, it was a game changer."

Moving back to the site has provided much-needed stability and has also future-proofed the business.

"Returning to St James has been fantastic for us, reinforcing Mud Pies as a fully-fledged, home-grown Chichester business," says Christian. "Being born and raised locally, we value our strong community ties and always strive to support the local area. The new premises are already paying dividends, enabling us to expand our product range and begin exporting to new areas - something our previous site simply couldn't support.

"Everyone who visits is genuinely impressed by our brand-new, purpose-built bakery, filling me and the entire team with immense pride. On a personal level, each day brings nostalgia, recalling the early days here on the old site, along with creating new stories and achievements.

"Thinking about how we started all those years ago and where are now and where we are going, coming back to St James and coming full circle like this, it gives such a big, warm feeling - we've come back to our spiritual home. But despite Mud Foods' growth, our founding ethos and values remain unchanged to this day - crafting pies and fine pastries using the very best local ingredients from our doorstep, including meats and dairy from Goodwood, West Dean, and the South Downs."

Councillor Adrian Moss, Leader of Chichester District Council and Cabinet Member for Regeneration says: "The story of Mud Foods is a fantastic example of how businesses can really grow and thrive within our district, and why it's so important that we have modern, high-quality business premises such as St James as well as our Enterprise Centre and Ravenna Point units.

"We do everything we can to supporting local businesses and our Economic Development Team offer a wide range of assistance to help support businesses, whether start-ups or growing companies such as Mud Foods or businesses looking to relocate to the area as part of our Invest Chichester programme. Christian's story is really inspiring and we are so pleased to have him and the team back where it all began!"

Businesses interested in finding out more about the space available at St James Industrial Estate and the council's other commercial units can call 01243 534632, email property@chichester.gov.uk or see more on the council's commercial property web page.

Date of Release: 25 June 2025

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