A HAYDON BRIDGE baker is taking her business to the next level - to the roads!

Eleanor Donkin, of Els Baking Bible, recently bought and revamped a ‘hut’ to sell her sweet treats out of.

“I’ve always loved baking, thanks to my grandmas, and I’ve baked since I can remember”, said the Hexham Dental Clinic nurse.

“I’ve always loved the thought of having somewhere I can sell my baked goods out of, on a weekend, at festivals and at food markets.”

So it was fate when Eleanor, formerly of Hexham, came across a blue hut, kitted out with a sink, electricity and powered by solar panels, on eBay.

She said: “It was originally used to sell scones out of at Newcastle Sunday markets.

“I feel in love with it, the colour, size, just everything! Thomas, my finance, knew straight away I’d be buying it, my face lit up with excitement.”

And while most businesses have taken a hit during the Covid-19 outbreak, there has never been such demand for chocolate pick-me-ups.

“My business has grown massively over lockdown, thanks to social media and having time to experiment with different recipes", said Eleanor.

“Over lockdown, post box brownies were such a popular demand. I’ve even had people from Dubai ordering for their friends and family who live locally.

“It’s taken me ages to find a good brownie recipe and I finally cracked it over lockdown - I won’t even tell my family what it is in case it gets out!”

Eleanor has now joined forces with Pans Pantry, based out of Hexham, who offer grazing boxes.

Together, the small, independents hope to do grazing tables for functions.

Eleanor added: “I think it’s always important to support local businesses, but especially during these uncertain times. You can definitely tell when food has been homemade, customers seem to appreciate it more.”

Els Baking Bible hopes to be at Hexham Christmas Market this year.