Kyle Bashford, 37, is the founder and head baker at Karrot Bakery, a family-run venture dedicated to Julie Bashford, who died of cancer in 2023.

He is keeping her memory alive by sharing the carrot cake recipe she baked for him and his brothers.

The bakery is a huge favourite at Bolton’s Heaton Fold Garden Centre’s artisan market, returning tomorrow (Sunday) for the first time this year.

The market brings together independent traders and activities for the family.

The Bashfords (Image: Supplied)

“Growing up, my mum would always bake carrot cake,” said Kyle, from Blackburn.

“I just loved it and would have as many pieces as I could before my family members grabbed it.”

A few months before she died, Julie taught Kyle the famous family recipe.

“It was close to Christmas, and I made it for everyone on New Year’s Day.

“Mum gave me the thumbs up,” he said.

After her death, Kyle began to consider turning the recipe into a business in her memory.

He experimented with different flavours, including chocolate, lemon meringue and cherry Bakewell.

The Bashfords (Image: Supplied)

After eight months of trial and error, he set up Karrot Bakery in 2024.

Working from his home kitchen in Blackburn, Kyle now sells his cakes at markets across Blackburn, Bolton and Birmingham, as well as offering home delivery.

He said market events remain his most successful outlet.

(Image: Supplied)

The Bolton News first discovered the bakery at Heaton Fold’s Christmas market in December.

“I think customers are initially drawn to the cakes, brownies and cookies,” said Kyle.

“When they see my mum’s picture and story, it adds meaning to the bakery.

“A lot of bakeries have a reason for starting out.”

(Image: Supplied)

Kyle also runs a filmmaking business with his twin brother, Liam Bashford.

“They’re completely different, but I love baking and filmmaking,” he said.

“I want to keep pushing forward with the bakery to keep my mum’s legacy alive.”

(Image: Supplied)

Kyle’s younger brother, Pierce, and his father, Trevor, help run the market stall and support the business where they can.

He said his family were the original taste testers when he was setting up the bakery, and they “absolutely love it”.

The bakery can be found on Instagram by searching karrotbakery.

CAN you imagine, an English coach tour company regularly running holiday trips to tulip bulb fields, and festivals etc, into Europe.

They advertise months in advance tours to the fabulous Christmas Markets in Germany, only to arrive and find it closed.

They have booked hotels, for maybe two or three days, but find it’s the one day that the Christmas Markets are closed because blue badge users need to visit the city centre in that German city.

York had nine million visitors last year, we need those visitors, that is why we are, in York, building more and more hotels to accommodate them, not to mention the bars and restaurants, that depend on them.

I would ask our City of York Council to be very careful before closing our very successful Christmas Market on Tuesday as proposed, there will be a very large ripple effect on many other local and European businesses.

Stuart Wilson,

Vesper Drive,

Acomb

—

Where is the pride in Britain?

AN indication of how low morale and pride in one’s country has sunk was revealed this week when a survey of under 30s has shown half of them would not be prepared to fight for their country.

This is a shocking indictment on those politicians and their policies from all parties which have governed in recent years.

Also, one has to ask all the Labour MPs who appear on the media saying they believe Starmer over his version of the Mandelson affair, are you purposely being blind, deaf or totally dumb to what is happening in the real word in which the rest of us inhabit, or do you enjoy being puppets on a string in Labour’s circus of a government?

Peter Rickaby,

Moat Way,

Brayton

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Arsenal are looking to get back to winning ways and move back to the top of the Premier League table when they host Newcastle United this evening.

Back-to-back league defeats for Mikel Arteta’s side has seen the Gunners slip to second and behind Manchester City by virtue of goals scored.

But with Pep Guardiola’s side in FA Cup action today, Arsenal can temporarily return to the league’s summit with a win against an out-form Newcastle side, who have one won of their last seven in all competitions.

Arsenal are set to be boosted by the return of Bukayo Saka and Riccardo Calafiori to the matchday squad, but Jurrien Timber is expected to miss out once again.

Metro’s LIVE matchday blog will bring you all the build-up, confirmed team news and starting XIs, goal updates and minute-by-minute coverage 

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David Yates, from near Tonge Moor, found two long-lost cousins by responding to an appeal for photographs, which will be proudly placed on a war grave in the Netherlands.

He had never met his great uncle Walter Green, originally from Tyldesley.

David’s newspaper cutting. (Image: David Yates)

However, after seeing a BBC North West Tonight appeal looking for relatives of soldiers buried overseas, David realised one of the names listed could only belong to his family.

He said: “I thought there can’t be two Walter Greens from Tyldesley, it had to be my great uncle.”

Walter Green, who died aged just 39 in 1945, is buried at Venray War Cemetery in the Netherlands.

It comes as the cemetery is looking for photographs of three others who come from Bolton, buried at Venray.

Walters grave, now with a new picture. (Image: Venray War Cemetery.)

Photographs of the other war heroes have been found by their families, all except Private Cecil Wood, Son of Thomas and Alice Wood.

Tom van Mierlo, Chairman of Venray War Cemetery, said: “We still live in freedom today because of the sacrifices that these 693 men, and many others, made back then.

“Even for that reason alone, they deserve to have their memory preserved, especially today, because those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

Volunteers have been working there to trace families and place photographs on soldiers’ graves, giving them a face as well as a name.

David Yates. (Image: David Yates)

David explained how the appeal sent him delving into family history, uncovering a forgotten newspaper cutting that had been kept in a box for decades.

He added: “My grandmother had a picture of Walter in her bedroom.

 “We even found a letter he sent her in June 1940 saying he was hoping to come and visit.”

Walter had spent some of the Second World War as a prisoner of war.

After being wounded, he eventually died from his injuries. Until now, his grave had no photograph.

The Venray graves. (Image: Venray War Cemetery)

David said: “The man in Holland who looks after the grave told me there were people interested in Walter, but they didn’t have a picture of him.”

The discoveries didn’t stop there.

Through the appeal, David learned he had two cousins he never knew existed, including Walter’s granddaughter, who had never seen a photograph of her grandfather before.

“She’s absolutely over the moon,” said David.

A cross which separates some graves. (Image: Venray War Cemetery)

David believes the care shown by Dutch volunteers is a powerful reminder of the legacy left behind by Allied soldiers.

He added: “I think a lot of this comes from gratitude. Tending to these graves is their way of saying thank you.”

Walter was one of nine children, with family roots stretching from St Helens.

David’s own family later moved to Bolton, where he grew up in Breightmet and now lives near Tonge Moor.

David added: “Of course, there are probably relatives out there who still don’t know who he was,” David added. “But now his story is being told again.”

Just don’t offer columnist Hannah Jones a cup of tea if you don’t understand what’s important in life

There are grand theories about what holds a society together – shared values, functioning institutions, the slow, invisible work of history knitting us into something resembling cohesion. Failing that, a nation collectively holding its breath, hoping Wales remember how to finish a try.

But if we’re honest, it’s something far simpler and infinitely more dependable: a cup of tea.

Tea, in its quiet, unassuming way, is a kind of social glue. It asks almost nothing of us and in return offers comfort, structure and a pause in a world that’s forgotten how to have a proper whiff. It’s the reflex that kicks in long before you’ve processed the news: good, bad, catastrophic, or just a bit s***.

Somewhere, someone is already saying, “I’ll pop the kettle on, mun,” and with the flick of a switch, the world becomes fractionally more manageable.

I bloody love tea. Not in a casual, “oh go on then” way, but with a loyalty bordering on devotional that’s steeped into my emotional infrastructure.

Tea is as adaptable as a Swiss Army knife, only less pleased with itself. There’s tea to soothe you. Tea to help you think. Tea to stop you thinking altogether. Tea to warm you. Tea to steady you. Tea to remind you that you’re still here, even if you’d rather be somewhere else.

There is tea for grief – the quiet, wordless kind taken in slow, stop‑the‑clocks sips.

And then there are the cups you remember. The one pressed into your hands at a kitchen table where the lino curled at the edges like it was attempting to pack up and move to England. The one that tasted better than it had any right to because of who made it, or when, or why. The fact that it came in a chipped mug declaring, “You don’t have to be mad to live here… but it helps” which was less a joke and more a local ordinance.

Tea often stands in for language when words fall short. It says: “I love you.” It says: “I know.” It says: “I haven’t got the faintest idea what to say, so I’m going to do the only useful thing I can think of and make you a cuppa – and no, it’s not going to be that matcha muck in this house.” It is, in its own modest way, an act of care or a tiny domestic sacrament.

Which is why the specifics of it can feel oddly sacred. Personal. Non‑negotiable. And this is where it can all go horribly wrong too.

Although tea will meet you wherever you are, I have very clear ideas about how it should meet me. So clear, in fact, that I rarely drink it outside the safety of my own home. Partly because I don’t have the nerve. Partly because I don’t have a handbag big enough to lug around my own bone china. But mostly because I lack the resilience to be handed a disappointing cwtch up in a cup and pretend it’s fine.

Coffee, meanwhile, occupies a very different space in my life. I can endure a bad one with the kind of stoicism usually reserved for minor injustices, like finding a no‑smoking sign on your cigarette break if I were more Alanis Morissette about stuff.

I can sip it politely, even if it’s missing key components like sugar or milk, as a bad one doesn’t unsettle me. I can convince myself I’m enjoying it if necessary. I might even construct a small internal narrative to get through it, like I’m a cinematic drifter hunched over a tin mug beside a campfire, the drink dreadful but the mood moody.

But I cannot, ever, bring myself to down a bad cup of tea.

Which is why I simply don’t order it. Anything less than lovely feels like an affront – to the drink, to my nature, and to anyone who’s ever said: “Fancy a cuppa?” Possibly the three best words in the English language, and I do include “Gatland is free” in that.

Because nobody has ever said “shall I fire up the Nespresso and you pick a pod as it’s obviously YOUR day today”, have they?

Coffee is theatre. Tea is truth. And those three words aren’t a question, they’re a covenant.

So yes, I am a tea snob. But not in the way people usually mean. I’m not interested in tasting notes or provenance or whether the leaves were harvested under a waxing moon by someone who’s had a sound bath with Charlotte Church in Laura Ashley’s old house. I’m not looking for a story. I’m looking for consistency. Reliability. A cup that quietly does what it’s supposed to do without demanding a standing ovation.

Which is why Fortnum & Mason can keep their rose‑and‑violet nonsense, and Tetley can bog off with their 60 “indulgent” blends. If I want gingerbread, I’ll buy biscuits and dunk them, which only goes to prove that you cannot have your cake and drink it.

The Cup Of Tea Test (copyright me) is also what anybody who knows me will pull out as a kind of shorthand for cleanliness. Let me explain.

Not so long ago, I told somebody, without a moment’s hesitation, that I have a peanut allergy. For good measure, I added out of nowhere that I’m also gluten-free. I’m neither.

I can only apologise to all of you living with these conditions, but I was under considerable pressure at the time.

Detailed lie after exaggerated lie came tumbling out of my gob because some new friends had invited us over for dinner. But after a recent recce, I can safely say I don’t want to go to their house to sit down let alone have them cook for me. Worse, offer to make me a cuppa.

That’s because it’s more than a little bit ych a fi if such a description exists. I discovered this when we were asked to pop over to water their plants. Now, of course, I could have filled the watering can from the outside tap. But I’m not my mother’s daughter for nothing.

My husband, Posh Paws, headed in first. Like most things – such as showers on holidays, so brainbox can work out which way’s cold before I strip off and come a cropper – I send him in to suss it out.

Places and spaces also have to pass my Cup Of Tea Test. It’s quite simple really: there’s no revision involved, no exam at the end, just a quick visual and olfactory sounding out of surroundings. Mostly by him, it has to be said. If said surroundings involve things like dirty pans making their final resting place on a plate of congealed fried egg on a manky worktop, it fails the Cup Of Tea Test which I apply to everything. It never lets me down.

Within moments of his return, my probing about what it’s like inside – “Marble or wooden worktops? Big or little fridge? Separate dining room or table in the kitchen? Dusty or pristine knick-knacks? Does it smell of cat? Did you manage to go upstairs for a nose?” – were answered with the one sentence that speaks volumes to me and puts a full stop on any notion of a dinner party at theirs: “You wouldn’t have a cup of tea in there.”

And blimey, was he bang on.

Dirty dishes everywhere, empty takeaway detritus on the floor, manky socks on the back of the settee, a forgotten punnet of mushrooms growing its own punnet of mushrooms next to the telly. And – AND! – just the one, single, naked-as-the-day-is-long, slice of bread sitting on top of the washing machine.

As I said, ych a fi with Brasso’d knobs on.

Then there was the time I went to visit my friend Hiya Love’s folks. His mother was a retired school teacher who used to get her hair blow-dried twice a week and had a penchant for Jaeger jumpers and real pearls. However, she just couldn’t see her slovenliness through her Chanel glasses.

He had warned me about it the first time I went to see her to say hello, as he knows all about the Cup Of Tea Test.

Anyway, on the face of it, it was OK… just a little messy. But who among us hasn’t cleared 16 completed crossword books and years’ worth of wet Western Mails just to sit down? Then…. (ugh) then…. (can’t cope!)… then she got the shortbreads out of a tin marked DOG BISCUITS.

Then… (bear with)… then… (kecking at the memory now)… then she went to her display cabinet to reach for one of her Royal Copenhagen cups only for her to grab it, BLOW ON IT to get rid of the dust, then WIPE IT CLEAN on her “best” gardening trousers. The ones with the dirt AND the dog hair on.

As an aside, Hiya Love also told me the story of the time his folks were burgled. When the police came down the stairs after checking their bedrooms, one turned to his mother and said: “Oh, we’re so sorry. It’s awful up there. Best to leave it a while before looking at what they have done.”

They thought the place had been utterly ransacked… but that was the state they’d left it in that morning, she laughed.

He’s still helpless when he recalls her turning to her bi-weekly cleaning lady and saying: “Nice job today. Not that I ever think of this house as being untidy. I like to think of it as a museum – everything’s on display.”

So, I will compromise on many things – politics, music, literature, people, wallpaper, men. Tea is not one of them.

And let’s be clear about terminology while I’ve got you. It is simply “tea”. Never bubble, herbal, iced, green, or Earl and its smug buttie Grey.

So, in the spirit of public service, here is my ideal cuppa.

I’m at home. Tea tastes better there – safer somehow, like emotional insulation. One Yorkshire Tea teabag because it’s dependable, no‑nonsense, and understands the assignment. I’m going decaf these days, though I remain unconvinced there’s any meaningful difference. The fact that my left eye no longer twitches is beside the point.

The vessel matters more than people think. It’s got to be somewhere between a mug and a cup, or what I like to call “thin china”, made in a material sturdy enough for my hams‑for‑hands. When you find the right one, buy several. This is not the time for restraint.

Five sweeteners. Non‑negotiable. Canderel tablets, not that powdered stuff. If only Hermesetas is available, I pivot to three sugars with quiet martyrdom and mild excitement that I’m going full on.

Boiling water. None of this waiting‑for‑it‑to‑calm‑down lark. There should be a brief, satisfying moment where the bag fizzes like a tiny volcanic event. Then we wait. Properly wait. Waaaaaiiiiiitttttttttt. Timing matters here, do not rush. There is a window for perfection. You learn it. You feel it. You respect it.

Add milk generously. I’m not fussy about type unless I’m in a cafe in Abergavenny, where everything is dairy-adjacent. Milk before or after water is a debate I refuse to entertain. Life’s too short to go full Devon‑versus‑Cornwall over its regional differences à la the jam/cream first conundrum.

The colour should land somewhere around a Tenby tan – present, but not aggressive.

I own a teapot, of course. I’m not a heathen. Loose leaves are lovely but require a level of commitment I simply don’t have. And nothing fragranced should come near a hot drink: no rose, no violet, no festive flavours trying to blur the line between a drink and a dessert.

Posh Paws makes a respectable cuppa, though he cannot commit to my order of five sweeteners.

He watches me make his with quiet horror, muttering “wrong, wrong, wrong” as if witnessing a minor but troubling faux pas.

And look – if you want to microwave your tea if it gets a bit Baltic, that’s your business. I won’t be joining you, largely because of the mysterious ecosystem living on most microwave ceilings, with bits of baked bean threatening to drop at any moment. But this is not a judgment.

Because for all my rules, rituals, and strongly held opinions, I do understand one thing: There is no single correct way to make tea. Only the right way for you.

For all its structure, tea is deeply personal. It reflects how you like to be looked after, and how you look after others. What you consider “right”. What you’re willing to tolerate. And perhaps that’s why it matters so much.

In a world increasingly loud, fast and impersonal, tea remains small, slow and specific – a tiny act of care in a country that still believes in them.

Best put the kettle on while you stew on that.

Virgil van Dijk’s 100th-minute header to win the first Merseyside derby at the Hill Dickinson Stadium will live long in the memory as pressure eased on Arne Slot, who will be hopeful of ending a four-game winless run against Palace that has included three successive losses – including in the Community Shield at Wembley in August. The 13th-place Eagles head to Merseyside unbeaten in four domestically, but with much of the focus now on their quest to reach the Conference League final.

Since the initial warning was issued earlier today, Saturday, April 25, United Utilities has provided residents around Arthur Lane in Ainsworth with a further update this afternoon.

The nature of the repairs means that emergency traffic lights will be put in place while work is underway, but it unclear for how long at the moment.

Arthur Lane in Ainsworth (Image: Newsquest)

In an updated message to residents, the water company said: “We’re sorry if you’re experiencing no water or low pressure.

“We’ve identified the cause to be a burst water main on Arthur Lane.

“Because of the location of the burst we need to put traffic management in place before we can safely begin the repair.

“We’re sorry for any disruption this may cause, we appreciate your patience while we get this sorted.”

It is not yet clear how many properties have been affected.

Engineers are understood to be working to identify and resolve the issue as quickly as possible.

A spokesperson for United Utilities added: “We have a team on site so that repair work can get under way.

“We are very sorry for any inconvenience and hope to have things back to normal as soon as possible. All the latest updates can be found on our website.”

It will close a long and bitter chapter in the story of failed social housing in West Lothian.

The last traces of West Lothian’s notorious Ghost Estate will be gone by the summer of next year.

Springfield Partnerships, part of the wide Springfield Group has agreed a £9m for the final phase of affordable homes at Deans South with the Wheatley group.

The phase of 37 homes will complete the wider transformation of Deans South and will include a mix of one, two and three bedroom homes as well as a new play park.

It will close a long and bitter chapter in the story of failed social housing in West Lothian. The estate inherited by West Lothian Council from Livingston Development Corporation was cleared of tenants in 2004 after crumbling concrete known by its initials RAAC, was identified as the core construction material.

READ MORE: Change to West Lothian rent collection process could be on the way

It left only a handful of homeowners who battled for almost 2O years to achieve a “home for home” when the council concluded a deal with Springfield Homes to demolish their homes and build anew.

Ghost Estate campaigner Kerry Macintosh took possession of the keys to her new home two years ago.

Writing on her social media page A Fair Deal for Deans South Homeowners this week she welcomed the news that the development has been shortlisted for the Homes for Scotland’s Affordable Development of the Year.

She said: “The considerate designs implemented have helped regenerate the local area from a Ghost Town into what is now a thriving community.

“This is in recognition of the regeneration of Deans South estate. Providing a solution to 100% RAAC in homeowners’ buildings to ensure provision of safe and energy efficient homes to replace the condemned existing buildings throughout the local Deans South area. We wish Springfield the best of luck in securing this well-deserved award which is due to be announced in May.”

READ MORE: Girls at West Lothian school establish clothing bank with touch of class

The new development will bring a total of 136 affordable homes to the new Deans South once completed.

Springfield Partnerships Managing Director, Tom Leggeat, said: “The transformation of Deans South has been hugely rewarding. Through partnership working with Wheatley, we have already completed 82 high quality, energy efficient homes, with another 18 due to handover in the coming months. With this contract for the final phase in place, construction work can commence on the remaining 37 homes for people who need them.”

After RAAC was discovered in the former properties in 2004, the homes were condemned leaving a desolate eyesore within the community and families trapped in properties with very little market value.

Tom continued: “Our work with Wheatley to bring high quality housing to the area has changed the lives of the families affected by RAAC in their homes and transformed this development from an abandoned “ghost town” into a thriving community.”

READ MORE: Bathgate & Linlithgow MP praises work of animal campaign after visit

Lindsay Lauder, Director of Development and Regeneration at Wheatley, said: “We’re excited to start this next and final phase of the Deans South development.

“This will bring to a close a complex project that has transformed Deans South into a vibrant community with modern and affordable homes for local people.

“We would like to thank our partners, Springfield Partnership, and West Lothian Council for their support and to the Scottish Government which provided a £6.8million grant towards the development.”

Construction of the final phase of homes at Deans South is under way, with residents expected to move in Summer 2027.

READ MORE: Families come together in Livingston to celebrate Tamil New Year

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Walkers will come across Roman villas, as well as a Victorian railway that is still used today

A circular walk through the Cambridgeshire countryside has some historic sites, including Roman villas and a Victorian railway station. The Emperors Trail between Ailsworth and Sutton offers a step into part of Cambridgeshire’s history.

The walk, which is around 3.6 miles, is one of Nene Park Trust’s ‘walking in time’ trails. These are self-guided walks that explore the heritage and history of the area.

Along the way, walkers will come across Roman roads and Victorian railways. On the Nene Park website, it said: “You will walk in the footsteps of Roman Emperors, discover the medieval village of Sutton, then pass under the Victorian-built Nene Valley railway before returning to Ailsworth along the River Nene.”

Along the walk, people will see the line of Ermine Street, which was a main route that connected Roman London (Londinium) with York (Eboracum), and this is still visible today.

Here are some points you will come across on the walk:

• Walkers start at a railway crossing gate at the end of Station Road, Ailsworth, which was formerly the site of Castor Station
• Walk along Ermine Street and the Roman agger (mound), which was an important route busy with traffic, bringing goods, messengers, soldiers and travellers
• Along Manor Road in Sutton, there is a stone built platform. This dates back to when milk churns were collected from the then dairy
• People will go past Nene Valley Railway’s Wansford Station, which has been open since 1845
• Along the Nene Valley Railway, there are fields that contain evidence of a Bronze Age burial mount or barrows, alongside two Roman villas.

To find out more about the Emperors Trail walk, visit the Nene Park Trust website.