Award-winning baker from Northampton ends ‘incredible’ year on a high with national recognition
An award-winning baker from Northampton is ending an “incredible” year on a high after receiving national recognition, as she waits to learn her fate in two award categories.
Carly Batty founded CBrownies in April 2020, when she could not carry out her day job as a hairdresser during the pandemic and decided to embrace her passion for baking.
Having experimented with different flavours and toppings, Carly’s friends encouraged her to sell her brownies and she had an “unreal” response when she gauged interest on social media.
What started as offering just brownies has now expanded to loaded croissants, cookies, cookie doughnuts, rocky roads and tiffins.
Carly’s customers love how indulgent her creations are, with the sweet treats filled to the brim and loaded with toppings.
The business also has a strong ongoing collaboration with Weston Favell Shopping Centre, and Carly has hosted pop-ups there since last October.
After a sell out response on her first date, her stall in the upper mall next to Costa has continued to go from strength to strength.
To add to its success, CBrownies was named best small business at the Northants Life Awards 2025 and runner up in the food/drink producer category.
“It has been such an incredible year for CBrownies and we continue to have successful pop-ups at Weston Favell Shopping Centre – which I’m so grateful for,” Carly told the Chronicle & Echo.
“We’re now supplying a new local village cafe in Earls Barton called Twenty9, and we’ve had award-winning moments we could only ever have dreamed of when I started five years ago. It’s been a year full of proud moments and growth.
“As if things couldn’t get any better this year, we’ve also been shortlisted at the Small Business Awards UK in the best small business and female entrepreneur of the year categories, happening in December.”
Carly says none of this would have been possible without the support of her customers and the community, as every purchase, share and mention keeps the business going.
CBrownies became an award-winning business in 2025 and Carly says it “means the world”. She has received lots of support and additional orders off the back of her success, which she is so proud of.
Connecting with her community is Carly’s favourite thing about being an independent business owner in Northampton, as well as seeing people smile as a result of her bakes.
CBrownies is now fully booked for the rest of the year, with December 7 and 19 pencilled in for Weston Favell Shopping Centre and December 21 at Rushden Lakes. These will be Carly’s final pop-ups of the year.
Next year, the business will continue its collaboration with Weston Favell Shopping Centre and Carly looks forward to returning for the second annual Woo Fest in May.
She will also be in attendance at ‘Memories in the Park’ in August, which is an event in aid of gun, knife crime and mental health awareness. Carly is confident this will be a great day bringing communities together.