BOLTON bakers Greenhalgh's has a workforce of more than 900. Karen Stephen went behind the scenes to see what specialities they are producing for Easter.

MY son is a huge fan of gingerbread so it was with a glad heart and, sadly, a not too steady hand that I found myself piping chocolate eyes on a gingerbread bunny in the training room of Greenhalgh's Bakery in Lostock.

I donned a white coat and blue hairnet to go behind the scenes and "help" decorate some of the company's most popular Easter products.

But unfortunately for my bunny, no amount of carrots consumed would ever enable him to see in the dark because, as the two blobs of sweet, brown liquid plopped on to the gingerbread head, they slowly but surely began to merge into one rather large eye - the bakery's first Cyclops bunny.

My teacher, Christine Strong, who has been with Greenhalgh's for 14 years, was quite complimentary about my debut effort, saying she had "never seen anything quite like it in all her life".

I had been invited to Greenhalgh's to lend a hand at decorating the new Easter range of cakes that will be in the shops soon.

Confectionery manager Christine said: "In addition to our regular lines, our seasonal products are always hugely popular and the Easter range is no exception.

"Particularly the Gingerbread Bunny."

Moving me swiftly along after glancing at by gingerbread effort, she allowed me to try my hand at an Easter Nest.

Bakewell base, lemon curd and marshmallow topping, dipped in coconut and adorned with three mini eggs.

Easy. Well, apart from the lemon curd bit.

I have to admit to having the co-ordination of an octopus when it comes to handling one of those ice-piping bags, which brings me round to another Easter favourite - the Chocolate Marshmallow Chick.

This is a biscuit base dipped in melted milk chocolate which, once set, is topped with yellow marshmallow in the shape of a chick, complete with jellybean beak.

Covering the biscuit with the chocolate was a breeze but once again, I was foiled by the marshmallow filled piping bag my Easter chicks resembled rather fat caterpillars.

The same has to be said at my stirling effort at recreating the Marshmallow Bunny.

Christine's were, well, the ones you see in the shops, while mine looked six-months pregnant and were banished to a box to take back to the office.

Happily for Greenhalgh's - and the cake consumers of Bolton and beyond - I shall be sticking to my day job.