Baking brilliance from Becky helps her to win regional final

A baker, whose business runs out of her dad’s garage, has been crowned an East Anglian category winner at the National Market Traders Federation (NMTF) Young Trader Competition.

Becky Bridges, who launched BB’s Bakery in 2020, took home the Groceries category for the regional section of the competition, which was held in Bury St Edmunds at the end of last month.

The 27-year-old, who had entered the competition for the first time, said it was great to have won.

“I had been asked to join since I started the business, so this year, I thought I would give it a go.

“It has helped with exposure for the business, and it is great to have some away with a trophy.”

Turning her passion for baking into a career during lockdown, Miss Bridges originally ran the business from her parent’s kitchen, between Palgrave and Wortham.

But as business grew, the young baker found herself needing a bigger area of her own.

“It got to a point where mum wanted to make dinner and she was demoted to a small kitchen corner and my dad could not find a space where he could put his mug down for a cup of tea,” she said.

“I looked at units and shops, but they were so expensive. In the end, my dad had space in his garage, so we created my kitchen in there.”

Being a regional finalist means the baker can compete at the national finals in Stratford-Upon-Avon, but she will not be attending.

“As much as I would love to, it is on at the same time as the Bury St Edmunds Food and Drinks Festival, which is my biggest event of the year, so I won’t be able to go,” she added.