Marshalls Bakehouse wins at England's Business Awards

Marshalls Bakehouse, on High Street in Queensbury, recently won the accolade at England's Business Awards.

Owner Holly Marshall was "totally over the moon" to win the customer-voted gong earlier this month.

She hopes to use this success and the audience the business has managed to create online to spread her products across the country.

Marshalls Bakehouse is on High Street in Queensbury (Image: Newsquest) On winning the award, Holly told the Telegraph & Argus: "It is surreal. I think it is a testament to our customers and our community in Queensbury.

"We have only been open about 18 months, so it really shows the support we have from all the people around us. We have built a really nice customer base.

"We were quite known in Bradford anyway, but we get customers from far and wide.

"I have had people from Liverpool, Hull, and Leeds visit us. That is down to social media - that has played a massive part.

"In the last month on Facebook, we have done around 1.4 million views. That plays a crazy part in our marketing and getting people into the shop."

Holly only opened the bakehouse 18 months ago (Image: Newsquest) She added: "I am hoping to expand into a postal service.

"We have people who follow us online because they like what we do, but they aren't necessarily close to us.

"That is in the works for next year. That would be for the whole country."

The bakehouse opened after Marshall Bakers, which had stores in Wyke, Wibsey, Queensbury, and Great Horton, was forced to close after 43 years in business in April of last year.

Holly serves up her own creations, barista-style coffee, and hot and cold sandwiches, as well as recipes crafted by her grandparents years before.

It is an old classic - the vanilla slice  - that remains Marshalls' top seller.

"We can sell anywhere up to 600 vanillas a week which is just insane," Holly said.

The famous Marshalls vanilla slice (Image: Newsquest) "They were a very staple product anyway. It is an old recipe which helps because it is quite well-known.

"We are doing about 800 to 1,000 products a week with cakes and pastries. It is all pretty surreal.

"I don't really get a chance to sit down and think about it. I am just constantly baking.

"We are preparing for Christmas now which is proving interesting. We made 100 Christmas cakes thinking that is all we would need and we sold them out within three days."