IT will soon be too easy to earn brownie points at Piccalilli’s café and sandwich shop in Walmgate, York.

All its regular customers know that owner Claire Harrison makes brownies to sigh for, although her new loyalty card promotion will also give them advantages if they choose any of her other magnificent bakery creations.

Now Claire, who took over and transformed an unassuming sandwich shop three years ago, is pitching for the Small Business Of The Year and Women In Enterprise categories in The Press Business Awards 2011.

She says: “With a long background in catering and confidence in my abilities as a cook, I wanted to move this sandwich shop away from the pre-made, pre-packaged goods that many commercial high-street cafés seem to serve.

“I planned to make everything from sandwich fillings to cakes, savouries and even chutneys, on the premises.” She also wanted to create a “quirky, unpretentious café”, saying: “Finally I feel I have achieved this.”

Her sandwich selection has grown huge and her traditional and vegetarian breakfast menu is popular.