Cynthia Stroud, founder and director of Pretty Gorgeous Cakes, is to close her Hertford-based shop.

The baker, who was awarded an MBE in the 2017 New Year’s Honours List for her services to business and the community in Hertfordshire, will now concentrate on bespoke orders at her new studio kitchen in Bengeo, Hertford, as well as her YouTube channel, which has almost 1.7K subscribers.

The move was designed to free up time for the mother of two, a spokeswoman for Stroud told British Baker, adding that the baker had been “whizzing” between the shop and filming regular episodes of The Sugar Free Baker Chat Show.

She also said a lot of the baker’s bespoke orders hadn’t been made in the bricks-and-mortar shop.

Stroud launched her own business, Cakes by Cynthia, from home in 2009, but later changed the named to Pretty Gorgeous Cakes when she moved into a shop in 2013, turning it into a £1m business. She was recently named ‘2018 Best Wedding Cake Maker’ in the British Wedding Awards.

“This is a very exciting time for me, personally, as it gives me a chance to pursue other things that I am passionate about, including working on screen, helping the next generation of businesswomen and men and providing a showcase and a platform to discuss the issues that affect women in the modern world,” the 35-year-old said.

“The internet and social media provide many opportunities and have helped me grow my business, but they are also great platforms to support and help other people in their lives, whether they be a young entrepreneur hoping to start out in business or a young mum struggling with issues around bringing up a family.”

Stroud is a regular mentor in the county’s schools and Oxford Brookes University and also holds workshops at the University of Hertfordshire.