WE have a lot to thank Gary Barlow for – mainly for giving us Take That – but now Newport has another reason to thank the English songwriter.

It was while listening to Barlow’s recent song, Jump, that Rogerstone baker Paula Brown decided to bite the bullet and start her own business.

“It was something that I had wanted to do for a number of years and I got to a stage where I thought ‘if not now when’,” Mrs Brown said.

“You can always think of reasons why it’s not a good idea to change direction in your life but with my 59th birthday approaching I decided that it was my time.

“It might be a bit corny but it’s completely true - Gary Barlow released a song around at the time I was making my decision called ‘Jump’ which kind of confirmed that I didn’t have anything to lose and should stop procrastinating and get on with it.”

Now aged 59 - and eight months into running her successful new business, Mrs Brown’s Bakes - she is busy making to-order batches of biscuits while also selling at markets.

She makes a limited but delectable range of large biscuits in packets with flavours including plain shortbread, chocolate chip shortbread, almond and cranberry shortbread, crystallised ginger shortbread and old fashioned ginger nuts.

Her unique selling point, however, is her plain shortbread biscuits which she prints with personalised messages at the request of her customers.

The idea started around two years ago, while she was still working as a family officer for the National Deaf Children’s Society.

“I dropped my full time hours to part time to develop the brand, do some low key market research, attend a few events to see if it was going to be a viable option,” Mrs Brown added.

“Then at the end of October 2015 I left my paid employment and decided to give it a shot.”

Mrs Brown, who has in the past also worked as a teacher, aromatherapist and newborn hearing screener, said her old fashioned ginger nuts and chocolate chip shortbread are some of the most popular flavoured biscuits.

But she said nothing beats her personalised biscuits for popularity.

“I have had requests from customers for all kind of messages,” she said.

One customer wanted a box of memories for their terminally ill mum, so each heart biscuit had a different memory on.

“It was for her to enjoy with a cup of tea,” Mrs Brown said. “It was particularly poignant.

“I have made wedding favours in the shape of planes for a couple with a travel theme and in the shape of Mickey and Minnie mouse for a Disney themed wedding.”

She added: “A jar of biscuits was ordered by one of my regular customers to take to Olly Murs at a book signing with lip biscuits with ‘kiss me’ on them which was the title of his latest song and they managed to it give him.

“I made a jar of stars for a customer to give to his friend Amy Wadge who co-wrote Ed Sheeran’s Grammy winning song ‘Thinking out loud’ this year.

“They had ‘Amy Wadge’ and ‘Grammy winner’ written on star biscuits. Amy tweeted and put a comment on my facebook page which was great.”

“The possibilities really are endless and this is what makes it such a unique business,” she said.

She also makes a gluten free range of biscuits – with the same flavours – which she said are becoming more popular despite being more expensive.

“I have had really good feedback about their quality and taste compared to what people can buy off the shelf in the supermarket.”

Mrs Brown said she has baked “for as long as I can remember” after being taught the basics by her mum and studying cookery up to A level in school.

“I had many years of making wedding cakes as gifts for friends and family and baked a range of cakes of a café in Cardiff”.

But in the end Mrs Brown decided it was biscuits – and bespoke biscuits in particular – which was the way ahead for her.

The recipe she uses is her aunt’s.

“I decided to do purely biscuits because there wasn’t anybody else in the area doing purely biscuits and the bespoke biscuits with the messages, but also because they have a good shelf life.

“I had five months for cooking for a café in Cardiff and doing cakes is too pressurised.”

Why does she think the biscuit is such a touching way to send a message to someone?

“I think most people like a biscuit,” she said. “It’s comforting.

“And it’s a unique way of showing somebody that you love them to give them a little gift. It’s not too much food but it’s the right amount.”

For now, Mrs Brown said she is really happy with the way things are going.

“It’s my main thing I do for income. I don’t do anything else. But I don’t want it to take over my world; I have grandchildren who I love and want to spend time with.

“But I do love it, it’s a lifestyle business to fulfil my need to cook. I don’t become stressed about things in the kitchen, I have the radio on and listen to various things.”

She now sells at Riverside Farmers market every Sunday on Fitzhammon embankment in Cardiff every two weeks as well as food festivals, and charity and school events. Customers can also order online. For more information please visit https://www.facebook.com/mrsbrownsbakes.