When I recently overheard a group of lunching ladies singing the praises of the best cakes around, my ears naturally pricked up. So I took a mental note of the name and headed straight to the next local farmers market to track down Juliet  and her celebrated cakes.

I wasn’t to be disappointed as I set about the tricky task of choosing between the beetroot and chocolate, butternut squash and coconut and the rhubarb crumble cake, to name a few. The fantastic recipes are all inspired by the seasonal fruit and vegetables available at the farmers markets and are baked at home in Hamble by Juliet, using local free range eggs, flour from Leckford Estate and Hampshire honey.

After rigorous sampling, I’m pleased to confirm that the cakes do indeed live up to their reputation – delicious flavours and baked to perfection. Form an orderly queue when you next spy Juliet’s stall at one of the regular farmers markets held in Winchester, Southsea, Alton, Chandlers Ford, Romsey or Bishops Waltham.

Photo courtesy of Cakes by Juliet