Maxine Gordon meets a mum who has turned home baking into a business.

JUDGING by the steady stream of customers at Helen Weeks's stall at Newgate Market in York, we find it hard to resist good old fashioned home baking.

From spicy gingerbread and tangy lemon sponge to the sheer wickedness of a caramel shortbread slice or a chocolate muffin, there's something so satisfying about anything that's been lovingly made with plain, no-fuss ingredients.

That's why you've got to believe Helen is on to a winner with her new business, A Bit Of, which was launched late last year and sells a range of home-made goods, including chutneys, jams, flavoured oils and quiche as well as cakes and buns.

Helen, 30, of Killinghall, near Harrogate, used to work as a salaries manager until she had her children, Amy, four, and Zoe, two.

"I've always loved cooking," said Helen. "In the middle of last year I started making jam and selling it at car boot sales and craft fairs. Then I did some hampers at Christmas time - that's when I really started the business - and in January I decided to get a market stall in York and see how that went."

So far, so good. Helen runs her stall every Wednesday from about 9.30am-3.30pm. She bakes Mondays and Tuesday mornings, while her daughters are at playgroup, turning out at least 30 cakes a week.

Her best seller is her ginger loaf, but other popular choices are raisin loaf, apricot and almond loaf, carrot loaf, lemon loaf and coffee and walnut.

All are £2.50.

Also on sale are muffins, caramel shortbreads and chocolate and orange and lemon cake cut into individual squares - perfect for anyone who wants a sneaky snack but doesn't want to splash out on (or gobble up) a whole cake.

Helen also makes cakes to order (from £2.50-£4) and a speciality is her fairy castle birthday cake for £15. Gluten-free cakes can also be pre-ordered and cost £3.50. Her quiches can also be pre-ordered for £2.50.

She also sells home-made jams, chutneys and flavoured oils - all for £2. Currently available are apricot jam, sweet Seville, grapefruit, and three fruits marmalades and tomato and cranberry chutneys. A best seller is her tomato ketchup, which is a pale orange rather than the lurid red of the commercial variety.

"I try not to use any artificial flavours or colours because I know what it does to my kids," said Helen. "Also, since Jamie Oliver, everybody is a lot more conscious of what they give to their kids to eat and what they eat themselves."

True to her word, Helen uses the best ingredients including free-range eggs and her own jam in her cakes. The fruit in her jam comes from local farms and the apple in her chutneys is straight from the garden of her in-laws.

Helen hopes to one day open her own tea shop, but for now is concentrating on making her home-baking business a success.

She said: "When I had children I didn't want to go to work, I wanted to do something for me that fitted in around my kids. I really wanted to do my own business and this is sort of like doing a hobby and is something I can develop as kids get older and go to school."

Talk about having your cake and eating it.

For more information about Helen's produce, catch her at Newgate Market on Wednesdays or visit her website: www.abitof.co.uk; email: helen@abitof.co.uk or phone: 07870 554110.

Top five tips for baking

1. Never open the oven door in the first 15 minutes of baking.

2. Use cake liners instead of greaseproof paper.

3. Make a double batch and freeze one for later.

4. Follow the recipe in order so you don't miss any ingredients.

5. Always pre-heat the oven or your timings will be wrong.

PS: If it all sounds like to much bother then don't do it - visit my stall instead!

Recipes

:: Ginger cake

Grease & line a 2lb loaf tin

Preheat oven to 180C

Ingredients

4oz butter or margarine

8oz golden syrup

2oz dark brown sugar

2 eggs

1/4 pt milk

8oz plain flour

2 teaspoons ground ginger

2 teaspoons mixed spice

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

In a large bowl sift the flour, ginger, spice, bicarbonate of soda and mix well.

In a saucepan melt the sugar, butter and syrup.

Add the hot mixture to the flour mix.

Whisk the eggs and milk together and add to the mix.

Mix well so there are no lumps.

Pour the batter mix into the loaf tin and bake for approx 30-40 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.

Helen says: "Delicious served warm with custard."

:: Banana cake

Grease & line a 2lb loaf tin

Preheat oven to 180C

Ingredients

4oz butter or margarine

2 eggs

2 ripe bananas

8oz self raising flour

4oz sugar

Mash the bananas so they are a yellow mush.

Cream together the butter and sugar and eggs in a mixer.

Mix the two yellow sludges together and add the flour.

Pour into the baking tin and bake for 40 minutes, then turn the oven off and leave the cake in for another 10-15 minutes.

Updated: 09:09 Tuesday, May 17, 2005