A PRUDHOE baking entrepreneur is on the rise after realising her dream of opening a cafe in the town.

Tina Katsighiras started Amanti Cupcakes from her Prudhoe kitchen in May 2013, baking up batches of cakes, brownies and scones before personally delivering them around the district.

The last two years have seen demand for Tina’s treats soar, and last December the mum-of-two was invited to a prestigious Downing Street event to be celebrated as part of Small Business Saturday.

Tina had long cherished the idea of one day opening her own cafe, and was inspired to walk away from her job in clerical work and follow her dream after her father suffered a stroke.

And on Saturday that dream became a reality, with hungry customers queuing on the street for a chance to enjoy a slice of her homemade cakes with a cup of tea.

Tina’s youngest son Charlie (11) cut the ribbon to officially open the vintage tearoom and stayed on to serve customers alongside older brother Josh (17).

The business name comes from a combination of Tina’s name and her sister Amanda – the name her mother coined for their childhood home.

Tina said: “I’ve always had a dream of opening a cafe with my sister and Amanda has been a great help with ideas and support.

“And when I came to think of a name for the business, Amanti popped into my head straight away – it means my mum is still involved even though she isn’t here anymore.

“I couldn’t have wished for a better day and I couldn’t have done it without the support I’ve had from family and friends.

“We sold every item I had made and several times I looked up and saw people queuing through the door.

“At some points in the day I had a few tears in my eyes because I had been anticipating that day for so long and people were coming in with some lovely comments.”

Tina took the keys for the Station Bank premises last August and as well as running the business, has been working evenings and weekends since then to get the cafe ready.

Major work was necessary on the building, which was once a stable, including levelling out the floors and re-pointing the walls.

And determined for every finishing touch to be perfect, Tina sourced and renovated the furniture herself to create the cafe’s vintage theme.

She said: “It has taken ages to get ready. It’s been a real labour of love but it’s been worth it.

“I didn’t get outside until about 4pm on Saturday and I stood back and looked at the cafe and thought ‘this is actually happening’ – it didn’t seem real because it had been a dream for so long.”

Currently Tina is running both the cafe and the delivery service herself, alongside partner David Wilson (29), but says she hopes to one day take on staff.

She said: “I don’t want to be in the kitchen all the time; I like to talk to my customers.

“I would love to take someone on and show them the ropes.”