IT wasn’t the Great British Bake Off which inspired Cathryn Howard to try her hand at baking — it was her son’s first birthday.

She had such positive comments from the 'judges' – and of course her son Benjamin – that she decided to cook up a small cake making business from the kitchen at her home in Hall i’th’ Wood and is hoping to the corner the market with her speciality cupcake bouquets.

By day the 27-year-old can be found making sure it all adds up as an accountant at Cohens Chemist Headquarters in Lostock, and in her spare time she is busy ensuring the right ingredients equal success in the kitchen.

She said: "People ask me about the Great British Bake Off and I don’t even watch it! It was my son’s first birthday a year ago and because my mum always made our birthday cakes I made him a celebration cake — before then I had only made fairy cakes when I was younger.

"I used my mum’s recipe and it was really light and fluffy."

She was so pleased with the success, and decided to make cakes for family, friends and colleagues and starting making her speciality cupcake bouquets simply through experimenting — but is keeping the basic recipe for a light sponge a secret.

She said: "I work part-time and everyone liked them so I set up the business in September, making them from my kitchen and advertising the business on Facebook. Since then she has been receiving orders keeping her busy. I have been making them on my days off. I make celebration cakes, I recently made a Barry Manilow Cake for a 50th birthday. I am getting more enquiries for the bouquets which are more popular for birthdays and celebrations." The bouquets come in bunches of seven, 12 and 19 and Cathryn sells them for £20 to £40.

She said: "I would like to make a Wolverine Cake, I really like Hugh Jackman." For more information visit her Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/cakeyourdaybolton/?fref=ts