DESCRIBED as the driving force behind a new private catering business, Ashley Hyde was crowned 2015's Young Entrepreneur of the Year.

Baba Ganoush Private Dining was started by husband and wife team Matthew and Ashley Hyde at their kitchen table with just £300 a little over a year ago, and has now grown to serve an ever extending list of customers across the Yorkshire region.

Since starting their company, the duo has catered for private dinners, birthday celebrations, and weddings ranging from six people up to 200 people, as well working closely with local suppliers including The Fruity Kitchen, Fowlers of York, M&K Butchers, Wolds Select, HFF, Holgate Windmill, Ainsty Ales, Bootham Honey and Deli Fresh

In the beginning they worked from their own kitchen to keep their initial rental costs low, while continuing to work in full-time roles to support the business during the initial period of growth.

In March this year Mrs Hyde made the decision to join her husband in working full time for the business, and since leaving her previous role Baba Ganoush has already earned 90.9 per cent of its total first year income.

The pair say Baba Ganoush is successful thanks to the combination of Mrs Hyde’s business mind and drive, and Mr Hyde’s exceptional skills in the kitchen, but they would both agree that without Mrs Hyde’s drive and determination.

Mrs Hyde said: "I always knew I wanted something different, I didn't just want a normal job, I wanted a business. I started working at 14 pot washing, and I thought one day I will have my own business. Winning something like this at 29 is the icing on the cake.

"It makes the times when we were trying to hold down three jobs at once to start the business all worth while."

In advice to other young entrepreneurs, Mrs Hyde said the key is not to give up, she said: "The day you give up is the say something great will happen."

In an all female shortlist this year, judges of the Young Entrepreneur category described Mrs Hyde as a "highly driven entrepreneur who has transformed a small private dining business into a distinctive catering company Baba Ganoush, serving an imaginative selection of culinary delights".

The said in her interviews Mrs Hyde undoubtedly came across as being passionate about business, and cites her mother as her source of inspiration.

As a finalist in the Young Entrepreneur of the Year category in the Forward Ladies Yorkshire and North East Awards, and now a winner at the Press Business Awards, Ashley Hyde is certainly one to watch for the future.