A Sidmouth baker has joined the cake-making elite after being nominated by a satisfied customer.

Stewart Fraser has been making the sweet treats at the Clock Tower Café since they opened 21 years ago, and now they are listed as a Great Cake Place.

The self-taught chef’s baked goods already attract people from miles around – and some of them only want to take pictures.

“We’ve been listed alongside London’s Ritz hotel – to be considered in the same breath is really amazing,” said Stewart.

“I had no idea it was coming, it came completely out of the blue.”

Hard at work in the kitchen, Stewart is often unaware of how well his cakes were being received.

He said the Connaught Gardens café had been put forward by a customer who had remained anonymous, and that made it ‘even more satisfying’.

Stewart has a repertoire of more than 40 cakes and is continually experimenting – he topped a cake with popping candy for the school holiday.

He taught himself, but not every trained chef has the discipline to bake well.

“The old saying is true – what you put into the oven comes out,” Stewart said.

“With cakes you don’t have the benefit of seasoning.

“It’s about being precise and meticulous, and knowing what a mixture should look like.”

The Great Cake Places list began in London and is now expanding to the rest of the country.