A young baker is enjoying the sweet taste of success after opening a cookie bakery which has gained a number of celebrity fans.
Macy Donoghue may only be 21 but she is already running her own business, Cookie Freaks, selling cookie pies and stuffed cookies that Geordie Shore stars can't get enough of.
The Washington entrepreneur started out with a stall selling her homemade sweet treats at Tynemouth Market in 2019 before turning to online sales during the pandemic.
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Business boomed during lockdown as Geordie Shore stars like Charlotte Crosby, Abbie Holborn and Natalie Phillips raved about the treats on social media to their millions of followers.
Now, Macy, who runs Cookie Freaks with dad Kieron Donoghue, has opened her own shop in Gateshead's busy Team Valley, which is attracting customers from as far as Northern Ireland.
"When my daughter left school at 18 after doing her A Levels, she wanted to come up with an idea for her own business," dad Kieron said.
"Macy has always had an interest in baking and we noticed a trend going on for street food and things like big donuts and brownies.
"We thought it was a popular trend but no one was doing cookies.
"We started experimenting in the kitchen and making things like cookie pies, which we created back in 2019, and have been such a success and helped us to get to where we are."
Dad Kieron says they were the first to invent their cookie pies, which have been so popular other businesses have followed suit.
The unique cookie pies, which take three days to make, are now the shop's best-selling product, although its stuffed cookies are also a firm favourite.
Described by Kieron as "cookies on steroids," they are 150g of cookie dough with various fillings, including a whole Cadbury's Creme Egg in the middle, and are served warm.
"During lockdown, we would do deliveries and the Geordie Shore stars would order and all go mad for the cookie pies," Kieron said.
"We have delivered to loads of them.
"Whenever those guys share on social media we always get a huge influx of followers and new customers."
Kieron, who also runs streaming first record label Humble Angel, continued: "Everything is made from scratch here in the bakery, which is one of the reasons we moved here.
"There is a kitchen to bake on the premises and we can bring things straight out on the counter.
"We also offer really good quality coffee from Hasbean coffee roasters, who have created a special blend of coffee that pairs nicely with the cookies."
