A BORDERS dessert and coffee shop has celebrated winning a one-star Great Taste award for one of its bakes.

Bulldog Bakes of Channel Street, Galashiels - owned by Aaron and William Mason, entered its triple chocolate brownie as part of the awards' bursary scheme.

The scheme allows entries from 50 micro-producers who have not entered the awards in the past or those which have a new product not entered before.

The "wonderful brownie" was one of more than 14,000 products in the blind judging process.

A one-star Great Taste award is given to "food and drink that delivers fantastic flavour".

Aaron said: "We are thrilled to have won a Great Taste award for our Triple Chocolate Brownie.

"I personally have dreamt of this moment and I’m so proud to be adding the prestigious black and gold Great Taste badge of honour to our Triple Chocolate Brownie.

"We started baking from our home kitchen during lockdowns so to be where we are today is truly a dream come true."

William added: “Being recognised with a Great Taste 1-star means so much to independent producers such as myself, as it makes all the hard work and determination worth it!

"Great Taste is the most recognised accolade for taste and quality in the food and drink industry, so it’s a huge moment for us!"

Bulldog Bakes is a dog-friendly bakery and coffee shop selling a range of products, including brownies, cheesecakes, other sweet treats and a variety of hot and cold drinks.

The business opened in September 2022 and makes an effort to use locally sourced ingredients and is also part of the Ecologi scheme which plants a tree for every sale made by the bakery.

At the time of publication Bulldog Bakes and its customers had helped to plant 8,800 trees through the scheme.

The "very moreish" triple chocolate brownie can be bought from the Galashiels bakery individually or a nine-inch tray can be bought for £20.

For more information about Bulldog Bakes, visit the bakery's Facebook page, or website at: www.BulldogBakes.co.uk.