A BARNSLEY business is fighting for the title of best bakery in the country.

Haywood and Padgett, which began life in Barnsley Market is now trading across the globe and has seen massive changes over the past 35 years.

It has moved from a market-based stall where staff hand-rolled around 100 scones a day, to employing 210 people who produce millions a day.

Now the Carlton-based company has made the final of the Bakery Manufacturer of the Year award at this year’s Baking Industry Awards, which is set to take place on October 24 in London.

Founder Wayne Padgett said: “It would be nice if we won. There’s quite a lot of bakeries across the UK who are entering - it’s a very prestigious award.

“We now ship to Panama, China, South Korea, even Japan a little bit - it’s always progressing.

“We’ve got through difficult times, with Covid and lockdown and then all these things which led to massive price increases on commodities.”

Despite its continued growth, Wayne has ensured the company remains local with his family at its heart.

“It’s been a great journey,” he added. “I’ve got my kids involved now and I’m very proud of them all, so we’ve kept it as a family business.

“But you can’t get far with an award like this without the people working for you contributing, and we’ve got great people working for us.

“I’m very proud of what we’ve achieved.”