A bakery which is said to be the largest employer of Asian people in Bradford has become Britain's number one manufacturer of fairy cakes.

Around 12 billion fairy cakes are made each year in the 35,000 square foot manufacturing plant at Bradford's Yorkshire Cottage Bakeries, in Worthington Street, sister company of the well-known Kashmir Crown Bakeries.

The bakery has more than 200 staff working between both companies and has seen its turnover rise in leaps and bounds since it was founded in 1965.

Kashmir Crown Bakeries was set up by Mohammed Saleem who pioneered the business from a small grocery shop in Bradford.

For many years it focused on producing goods which play an important part in the Asian community.

It has six outlets, four in the city, where colourful sweetmeats - traditionally eaten at Asian weddings and other religious celebrations - ethnic cakes, biscuits and savouries such as Bombay mixes are sold.

Goods are also exported globally and supplied throughout the UK.

But in 1991, the company opted to diversify and introduced more mainstream products such as fairy cakes, Madeira cakes and various slices under the Yorkshire Cottage Bakeries (YCB) label.

The company, which recently updated its plant by investing £250,000 in icing equipment, supplies major supermarket chains such as Sainsbury, Tesco, Safeway, Asda, Iceland, and Morrisons.

Fairy cakes are produced for both the YCB brand as well as other labels and are supplied throughout the country as well as being exported to places such as Ireland and Jersey.

Anna Akhtar, national accounts manager at YCB, said: "We are achieving something on a national and international level and are proud to be doing that as Bradfordians."

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