Bailey’s Best English Sausage Rolls & Savory Pies
Jessica Harcourt, Proprietor
How did you get your start making savory English pastries?
My family immigrated from England. I always looked forward to the food whenever I went to England. I started making sausage rolls, steak and ale or steak and kidney pies so I would not miss them so much.
When we moved to Napa, I would take sausage rolls to friends’ houses and everyone would rave about them. I thought about selling them at Napa Farmers Market, talked to the vendors, and 10 years later I am still at the Napa Farmers Market. My menu grew from selling just sausage rolls to now 12 different savory pies.
Are these family recipes, or did you source them in another way?
It started with family recipes but then I would get requests from customers, or ideas just came to me. I might look at dozens of recipes for the same item and would make up the pie with the best from all recipes. Right now I am taking suggestions from my customers on different vegetarian rolls I am developing. I have tried to introduce a new pie every year.
What do you love most about the work?
My customers are the best. I love getting to know my fellow vendors. I try to purchase everything I can from the other vendors at the Napa Farmers Market because fresh vegetables, mushrooms and eggs can make the world of difference in flavor. Having repeating customers tell me how much they enjoy the food is absolutely the best!
Where does the name “Bailey’s Best” come from?
We had a beloved cat named Bailey. He had crossed over to the Rainbow Bridge a few months before I started Bailey’s Best. When my husband Jack and I were thinking of what to name the business, Jack came up with naming it after Bailey.
What is your go-to pastry for this time of year?
That is very difficult question. I do not make anything that I do not love to eat myself. I do know you can never go wrong with sausage rolls!
How does the Napa Farmers Market support your business?
Napa Farmers Market has given me a place to sell my food. Both my husband and I are retired, opening a shop was out of the question. The Napa Farmers Market has given me a place to sell my products without a huge outlay of money. I have been asked about placing our food in grocery stores and introducing the food on a national level. All very flattering if I was younger, but I do Bailey’s Best for fun and to get extra money for vacation or improvements around the house. When it is no longer fun, I will stop. Without the Napa Farmers Market, Bailey’s Best would not be in business.
What’s your favorite accompaniment for one of your pastries?
Before Covid, Bailey’s Best was often at various wine release parties in the valley because it pairs so well with wine! I love having a sausage roll with a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon!
