A BAKERY has proved it has the recipe for success by being nominated for a triple crown at the baking industry's Oscars.

The nominations are the icing on the cake for Peter Herd's, which is a finalist in three categories at the awards ceremony to be held in London later this month.

Boss Carol Gatto-Hall said it was an honour to be nominated for just one award while three was a major achievement which would go down in family history.

She said success was due to hard work and family tradition as the Herd's were bakers born and bred.

They have been firing up the ovens since George and Nellie opened their first shop in 1936 and now a fourth generation has shown an appetite for it.

Katrina, 25 and Peter, 20 are the latest recruits to the family business, which has flourished in Wilmslow and Handforth while others have floundered.

The new generation is following in the footsteps of their mother, Carol, and grandad, Peter who set up the business almost 40 years ago.

"I think our secret has been to move with the times," said Carol. "We don't stand still. We are always introducing new products and looking for fresh markets."

But the family firm also relies on tried and trusted family favourites and feeds Wilmslow's huge appetite for vanilla slices and sausage rolls.

"They have been favourites for years," Carol said.

The business is in line for the Celebration Cake Confectioner of the Year award, Independent Craft Business Award and the Marketing award.

The Baking Industry Awards 2002 will be held at the Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane, London, in front of an audience of 800 of Britain's top bakeries, confectioners and manufacturing companies.