The honesty shed serving home-baked slices of cake

Richard Price,in Staffordshireand
Susan Hanks,BBC Radio Stoke
BBC Jade Power-Vaughan, a woman wearing a green coat and a light-coloured top are standing next to a pink wooden shed which has a sign on that reads The Honest Slice.BBC
Jade Power-Vaughan set up Honesty Slice in a small shed in Alton, Staffordshire, last summer

A woman who describes herself as a "feeder" has set up an honesty box selling cake as a way of sharing her passion for baking.

Jade Power-Vaughan and her friend Lucy set up the pink Honesty Slice shed in Alton, Staffordshire, last summer as a side hustle.

The shed is open 24 hours a day but often sells out early, Power-Vaughan said.

A variety of different homemade cakes are placed everyday in the shed, which is in the former Blacksmiths Arms car park, and people leave money in a metal box to pay for them.

The concept is similar to honesty boxes that sell eggs, and elsewhere in the village there is a similar shed for bread and one for bouquets of flowers.

"We thought we'd just do it a couple of days a week but then we found out people want it every day of the week," Power-Vaughan said of the cake shed.

The response took her by surprise when she found out it was as popular as it was, but admitted it was lovely to see people enjoy her baking.

Among the most popular choices were "old school cake" and Bakewell tarts, she said, as well as New York cookies and cookie pies.

A woman wearing a pink riding hat is standing next to a pink shed with cakes on shelves inside it. She is standing with her pony who is wearing a red and black halter.
Lauren and her pony Rupert were regular visitors to the cake shed

Power-Vaughan previously ran the Blacksmiths Arms with her family, but now works in a local school.

She said since setting up the shed, it had attracted visitors from nearby Alton Towers as well as workers from JCB and local residents.

There is also a doorbell camera which people can use if they wish to create videos which are then posted on the Honesty Slice's social media pages.

Regular customer Lauren, who visits with her pony Rupert, said it was "so lovely" to have the shed in the village.

"It's just so nice to have properly home-baked food," she said.

Rupert occasionally enjoyed some of the icing and the decorations on their visits, she added.

"He loves the sprinkles, that's his favourite bit!"

As for Lauren, she struggled to decide between the cakes on offer but said the Biscoff flapjack was her most favourite choice.

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