A popular brownie bakery has opened its first shop in the heart of Southampton.
The Fine Brownie Company has arrived in a pop of pink in London Road after opening its doors to customers on November 11.
Zara Hulkes was inspired to create the business after a stint as a chocolate maker.
Two years of selling her homemade brownies at various festivals and events in and around the city saw the 27-year-old gain an avid following.
"This business is borne out of a love for brownies - I have brownies for breakfast, lunch, and dinner," she joked.
For Zara and her team, the next step was to open a bakery and coffee house.
Hayleigh Conrary, head of the bakery’s kitchen, said: “London Road is a coffee alley – there are lots of independent places.
“This shop was originally a jewellers and we got the keys on October 13 of this year.
“We built everything ourselves – we sourced all the materials and built it.
“This is the next stage for us from having our kitchen near Ocean Village.
“We were keeping an eye on places to open a shop and this site came up.
“We had to move fast as we had a lot of competition, but the landlord really liked us.”
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The team were met with a warm welcome during opening of the shop on Saturday.
And with as many as 15 flavours of brownie and blondies available at one time, customers can easily satisfy their sweet tooth.
Zara said: “There are not enough bakeries in Southampton.
“I started the business in July 2021 and sold from a stall, so it’s nice to be in the warm for a change.
“Our stocklist is all local suppliers from Southampton and Winchester too.
“We normally have at least 15 flavours at a time. This includes the flavours people can’t get enough of, but we also mix it up as well by incorporating different things.
“Everyone has been really supportive and our opening day was really busy.”
The Fine Brownie Company is open Monday to Saturday from 8am to 5.30pm and Sunday 10am to 4pm.
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