Back in the Easter of 1967, Peter Carthew was dragged by his mother into work for the school holiday. Little did he know, that more than 50 years later he would be at the head of an award winning fudge business.

Baytree Candies in Looe was set up by Brian and Lesley Gibson in 1967 after they had been trying to open the South West’s first Thorntons Toffee Shop, but since Thorntons were not interested in expanding south of Bristol, Lesley found an old recipe for fudge. Before they knew it, the pair and their team (including Peter) were having to move to a bigger premisis, where they remain today, to expand the operation aloowing them to produce more amazing products.

More than 50 years later, and now the oldest established fudge makers in Cornwall, Baytree Candies is now run by Peter and Jeanette Carthew, supplying customers with traditional Cornish fudge. The pair, who took over following Brian and Lesley’s retirement in 1989, are no stranger to awards and at this year’s Taste of the West Awards, their delicious fudge was among the winners for the third year in a row. This year, Baytree’s Clotted Cream Fudge took home the title of Champion Confectionary.

Speaking to the Cornish Times, assistant manager, Jenean McQueen-Mason, said: “We are elated and so pleased to be awarded the prestigious title of Champion Confectionery for the second year running and we are very proud of our team.

“After all these years of trading it feels a real achievement to be recognised for all the hard work our team put into making our wonderful products.”

However, despite Baytree Candies’ success, creating an award winning product is not easy, as Jenean explained: “What is a “great taste” for one is not necessarily the same for another, and so finding a balance between a subtle yet strong flavour is a fine balance when creating the perfect flavour fudge.”

But there are certainly plenty of secrets to these award-winning products. “Obviously, we don’t want to give away our yummy secrets but all our products are made the traditional way, in open copper pans.”