A young mother hopes to have found the recipe for job success after redundancy.

Polly Pomfrey applied for hundreds of jobs after being laid off in February but decided to go into business for herself after only managing to get one interview.

The 28-year-old, who lives with her husband Matt and son Ben, four, has always had an entrepreneurial spirit. She said: “When I was about 13 I would bake cookies and cakes and sell them to cafes.”

Polly has used these skills to set up Polly's Patisserie in her own kitchen.

As well as birthday cakes and other traditional treats, the online business specialises in Whoopie pies, which originated in the Amish communities of the US.

Made from batter that resembles Yorkshire pudding and filled with cream, their distinctive names supposedly come from the sound Amish children would make when they were given them.

Polly, of Rose Walk Close, Newhaven, is convinced they will be the next big thing in catering.

She said: “They are really simple but very different and I find the history fascinating.”

Polly is already working on baking savoury versions and with the help of her grandmother Shirley Harrison, a published nonfiction author whose books include the Diaries of Jack the Ripper, is hoping to publish a cook book.

For more information, visit www.pollyspatisserie.co.uk.