TWO mothers have joined forces to open an all-you-see-is-homemade bakery in Kendal after months of market success.

Pals Marianne Woodend and Melissa Spencer who run The Bakery at No.4, in Woolpack Yard, are already enjoying a roaring trade.

The pair, who both have two young children under four and have recently finished maternity leave, decided juggling full time employment and kids wasn't for them.

"We've both separately wanted to have our own place for a long time and had different ideas but opening this place together just feels like everything we have done has led to this," said Marianne, a Kendal College graduate who trained as a pastry chef at L'Enclume, Cartmel, before working a stint at the Drunken Duck Inn, Ambleside.

Marianne, of Holme, teamed up with business partner Melissa Spencer, of Witherslack, who benefits from a high end retail background and was seduced into the world of sweet treats after taking up what soon became a 'very serious' hobby of sugar crafts.

The duo worked together briefly around 10 years ago but started out in the last year on shows and markets.

"We have just grown without any advertising and it got to the point six months ago where we needed to bake and sell at the same time," added Marianne.

And it was trading on markets where they met the bakery's fresh bread supplier John Dixon who owns the Fat Flour Bakery in Cark-in-Cartmel.

Now in their fourth week of business, Marianne and Melissa hope to satisfy with what they describe as their contemporary approach to baking.

"We like to use new techniques and don't do anything overly traditional of fussy," said Marianne. "The emphasis is on the flavour, that is the starting point and then we make it beautiful.

"Every cake we do is bespoke and we price it according to the cost of the ingredients."

The bakery offers an array of ever-changing delicious pastries, cakes and traybakes including to-die-for salted Rolo brownies, Guinness cake and plum and crumble topped shortbread.

"I'm seasonally led so at the moment I'm obsessed with spices, autumnal fruit like pears, plums and apples as well as honeycomb."

Although primarily a takeaway, the shop has a few tables and chairs so you have your cake and eat it while sitting back in the rustic surrounds.