ILKLEY business Love Brownies celebrated their retail shop’s first anniversary last week with a celebration evening.

Love Brownies husband and wife team Lee and Chantal Teal threw a chocolate fuelled brownie party for local businesses, friends, family and returning customers.

Just one year ago both Lee and Chantal decided that their online business of producing and selling brownies needed to be tangible for consumers in their hometown of Ilkley.

Chantal Teal, co-owner and head baker at Love Brownies said: “I’m not really a businesswoman, I just love having the opportunity to make people smile. That’s what matters. We had been running our online brownie company successfully for eight years when we decided to open our own little bakery in Ilkley. We wanted to sell our brownies to a tangible customer, one I could talk to, interact with, and watch as they sampled our brownies. This is the highlight of me being a baker, watching the reaction when someone tastes a Love Brownies brownie for the first time."

Lee Teal, co-owner at Love Brownies said: “Chantal is the force behind all our award-winning brownies at Love Brownies. Her background of having been a chef at some of the UK’s top restaurants means that with her kitchen acumen, her superior baking capabilities, and her sheer drive and determination, Love Brownies will thrive. When we took the decision to open a bakery in Ilkley we knew it was risky, but here we are today, and one year on Love Brownies is celebrating with a little party and a wide selection of new and multi award-winning brownies. We couldn’t be happier”.

The celebration included a multitude of brownies to sample including the award-winning double chocolate, along with fresh raspberry, morello cherry, orange, coconut, caramel fudge and the new wild mint – all received with gusto. With it being autumn Chantal wanted guests to sample her homemade indulgent hot chocolate, which went down a storm with both children and adults.

Chantal added: “It’s been a whirlwind first year in the bakery, and we knew we wanted to host a little party for our customers to celebrate with us. It was an intimate event, one that everyone enjoyed. Love Brownies is our baby and I’m thrilled that others love it too."

Lee said: “An evening filled with brownies, hot chocolate and lots of guests was exactly what we had envisaged for our first anniversary for Love Brownies. Our first year in our home town of Ilkley has been exceptionally rewarding and we hope to be in the town for many more years to come.”

Love Brownies has received many accolades and awards including; Great Taste Award 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017. Star Buy Award from Eat In Magazine, Five Stars from Excelle Magazine, and Taste Notes Selection by House and Garden Magazine. They have also just been shortlisted for the Food Quality Awards and best new business with Deliciously Yorkshire.

In perfect time for the first anniversary of Love Brownies, a brand new flavour ‘Wild Mint’ has been added to the list of mouth-watering flavours already available including; Double Chocolate, Caramel Fudge, Fresh Raspberry, Morello Cherry Double Chocolate, Orange Double Chocolate, and Coconut Double Chocolate.