We might still be months away from that longed-for foreign holiday, but with the help of new local business, Primrose Baklava, you can bring the flavours of the Mediterranean right into your own home.

Combining syrup-soaked layers of flaky filo pastry atop sweet walnuts and pistachios, baklava is a hugely popular dessert in countries such as Greece, Turkey and Iran.

Luckily for us, Primrose Baklava, which was set up in January by Maryam Ellison, is the only business of its kind in the Frodsham area which delivers fresh baklava straight to your door.

"I've always made baklava for friends and family and they have often said that I should sell it," Maryam says. "When this lockdown began I decided that people might want something different, so why not give it a go?

Knowing that local people who had travelled to Turkey and other countries in the Eastern Mediterranean would already know and love the taste of fresh baklava, she thought that her homemade pastries might help to brighten the monotony of Covid restrictions.

"So I set up a Facebook page and it went really well.

"In the first week I sold my baklava to neighbours, and then they started recommending it to their friends, who recommended it to other people in the community.

"I have a customer who initially ordered one box, and then before I even got home she rang to ask for another!"

Although Maryam set up Primrose Baklava on her own, she has a valuable assistant in her little boy, Sebastian, who helps out with deliveries in return for his pocket money!

A love for cooking

Maryam, who is originally from Iran, is a keen cook, and enjoys introducing her friends and family in Alvanley to the vibrancy of Persian cuisine.

In 2017, she even appeared on the BBC2 series, Yes Chef, where she competed against other talented home cooks for the chance to work alongside professional chef Amandine Chaignot.

For her customers, Maryam makes a traditional Persian baklava, infusing her syrup with

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