“It just happened all of a sudden,” a police officer-turned-baker has said after starting his own home business.

Neil Rogers started Essex Cakes from his home in Loughton Way, Buckhurst Hill, less than two weeks ago but he is already delivering to clients as far away as Leytonstone and is looking forward to hopefully starting his own shop.

Mr Rogers says he specialises in simple orders such as plain sponges at the moment, but he will be taking a diploma in cake decorating soon and hopes to take on more complicated challenges.

Baking has always been a hobby for Mr Rogers, and when he made and decorated a cake for his son’s first birthday on March 19 his interest was rekindled and he is now considering a future where it could replace police work as his main source of income.

“They are quite polar opposite, but what can you do,” he said.

“It has always been a hobby since I was a kid.

“When I was a kid I used to make birthday cakes, fruitcakes, pavlova, but recently I did my son’s first birthday.

“I did a fire engine cake and it just got me back into the swing of it.”

He added: “At this moment in time it is an order here, an order there, but eventually I would like to make it a bit more permanent.

“It would be ideal to open a shop up and go from there.”