FRESH OUT of the business oven, a home-grown Loders enterprise scooped a gold award from this year’s Taste of the West Awards.

Bayside Bakery’s chocolate orange brownie delight pipped other entries to the post in the Sweet Bakery Class in the competition, which selects the best produce from the South West.

Katy Howell, 40, only set up the business recently, selling to the public over the Easter period at Bridport Market before setting up a website which offers freshly made brownies delivered to your door.

She said that the idea to set up the business came to her after she lost her best friend to cancer.

“I have always baked, ever since I was little, I have loved it and I found quite a lot of comfort in baking after my best friend died.

“I was baking for the love of it and giving it away, and my friends were telling me that I needed to reach a wider audience.”

Speaking about her achievement, she added: “It’s very exciting, it’s the first time that I’ve ever done anything like it.

“I still can’t quite believe it but it’s just the boost that the business needs at that early stage which is fantastic.

“I have always enjoyed making the brownies more than any other product.”

She admitted that the competition was nerve-wracking, as she put what little money she had into her entry fee.

At one stage she even thought about pulling her entry from the competition, she added, but admitted it turned out to be a very worthwhile gamble.

All the awards in the competition are hotly contested, and as part of last year's awards more than 1,000 products were tested and 300 establishments were judged.

Judges said that the award winning brownies were ‘nice and fudge-y with a lovely taste and a good, delicate amount of orange.’ A spokesperson from Taste of the West said: “For Bayside Bakery to win a gold award for their first entry into the awards is an excellent result.”

As for her next venture, Katy said she will be setting up a stall at the Bridport Food Festival, which takes place on June 13.