A SNACK manufacturer helped President Bush feel at home on his visit to County Durham this week
Union Snacks, based at Tanfield Lea, set up Britain's first pretzel production line in 1996 and now turns out more than 2,000 tonnes of them.
It sent some samples to Tony Blair's Sedgefield home for the president to chew on during his stay with the Blairs. Though the US president might view pretzels with suspicion after choking on one and fainting briefly in the White House last year, his countrymen are among Union Snacks' biggest fans.
The company supplies British Airways and says its pretzels are a favourite with transatlantic travellers. "They tend to buy a lot of them when they come over here," said a company spokeswoman. "We also export them to Japan."
The company, whose managing director John Pike used to work for the famous Consett snack manufacturer Phileas Fogg, started with six employees.
It is now taking on 30 staff to boost the workforce to a new high of 90.
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