A pie maker who set up in business four months ago is proving so popular he has launched a Crowdfunder project to buy a pie machine to expand.

Marketing consultant Alex Joll, who lives in Bradford on Avon, set up Eat Square last October. He prepares the pies from his parents’ kitchen in South Wraxall, but plans to move into a commercial kitchen in Woolley Green.

At the moment he is making 72 pies a day by hand, but if he raises £2,500 for a hand crank machine he aims to make five times as many, and employ another member of staff.

Mr Joll said: “We want to expand and grow, but at the moment we are limited to the number of pies we can make in one day, because it’s all by hand using a Kenwood and a good old-fashioned rolling pin.”

His crispy shortcrust pastry is his own recipe and the meat comes from Lowden Farm Shop in Shaw, Melksham – all reared in Wiltshire or Gloucestershire, it includes Gloucester Old Spot pigs reared in Box by Adam Tucker, a friend of Mr Joll’s.

Mr Joll said: “We know some of the farmers personally.

“This is really important as we feel this sets us apart from the big pie companies.”

He has eight regular fillings and said the beef and ale is the best selling by a good margin.

Also popular is the double sausage and egg, which he originally created for Breakfast Week and it went down so well he kept it on.

Eat Square pies have been selling at farmers’ and council markets in Calne, Marlborough and Bradford on Avon and also at Bath University.

But why Eat Square?

Alex Joll said: “I wanted my pies to be square, partly because of the phrase ‘square meal’ but really because I wanted my pies to be instantly recognisable, so people knew they were eating an Eat Square pie. It’s really hard to get square pie tins in the UK; I buy mine from Australia, so I knew we would stand out from the norm.”

The crowdfunder project, which ends on Saturday), has raised just shy of £1,000. There are rewards for donations, for example pledging £16 gets four sweet cherry filled pies with a personal Mother’s Day message on top of each.

Get involved at www.crowdfunder.co.uk/back-eat-square-pies-receive-great-rewards