Baker from Hoghton is named as a Top New Talent in the business world

Amy Cheadle, co-founder of the Northern Dough Co.
Photo courtesy of Robyn Swain Photography. — Amy Cheadle, co-founder of the Northern Dough Co. Photo courtesy of Robyn Swain Photography.

A mum-of-two from Hoghton has been named as one of 35 ‘ones to watch’ in business.

Amy Cheadle, 36, set up the Northern Dough Company with husband Chris in 2011, and now their frozen pizza doughs are for sale on the shelves of supermarkets including Sainbury’s, Waitrose and Booths the length and breadth of the country.

Amy, who grew up in Penwortham, said her nomination in The Grocer magazine’s Top New Talent programme was “a massive honour”.

She said: “It’s great to be part of an alumni like this. It’s great for networking. When you’re in the North West, it can feel a little bit London-centric, so to have a foothold and to fly the flag for the North West is a great thing.”

The couple - still the only company employees - got the idea for their business while throwing ‘pizza parties’ at home with friends.

Amy said: “Chris is a fourth-generation baker. His family bakery in East Lancashire used to produce pizza dough for restaurants, and we would get this and put our own toppings on and have a laugh.

“We thought about how this product was being sold in droves to restaurants, but there was nothing like it in terms of retail. We now produce our own dough using 100 per cent natural ingredients in the family bakery as a separate business, which is a nice connection for us.”

Amy Cheadle and husband Chris, founders of the Northern Dough Co.
Photo courtesy of Robyn Swain Photography. — Amy Cheadle and husband Chris, founders of the Northern Dough Co. Photo courtesy of Robyn Swain Photography.

After a sell-out launch at Clitheroe Food Festival , the company now produce hundreds of thousands of item each year.

Amy now has her sights set on widening the product line to include more hands-on, accessible bread products and gluten-free items.

She said: "We want to continue to make great food that people can share together. We want this to be accessible without compromising on ingredients."

The accolade:

The Grocer, a prestigious industry-led publication, has been running its Top New Talent programme since 2013 after recognising that there was an ageing workforce in the food sector.

Other people named in this year’s list include Aislinn Campbell , brand manager for Cadbury’s Easter, Emma Brocksom, product manager for Little Dish, and Jodie Bolland, senior buyer for Morrisons.

Amy said: “I’m really excited to have the opportunity to meet the wider network and understand how we can share knowledge and conquer the food and drinks market in years to come.”