One of South Lakeland's specialist food producers has a yen to exploit a new overseas market in the Far East.

Grasmere Gingerbread is aiming to capitalise on the popularity of its product with the many Japanese visitors who are drawn to the Lakes.

The family firm is now exploring ways of marketing its culinary treat in the Far East.

The gingerbread can already be sold across the globe by mail order and the firm took advantage of a grant from Business Link for Cumbria's foot-and-mouth recovery fund to set up a website in Japanese so it can be ordered over the internet.

Now representatives of the business, based in a shop and bakery, in a corner of St Oswald's Churchyard in Grasmere, have taken part in a seminar run by Business Link for Cumbria to help the county's businesses explore ways of increasing exports to Japan.

However, Grasmere Gingerbread faces a challenge of how to break into the world's second largest economy without spoiling the unique product baked every day to a 148-year-old secret recipe, which is locked away in the safe of National Westminster Bank in Ambleside.

"Our gingerbread is freshly baked every day, with no preservatives or additives, and it's all wrapped in pure parchment," said marketing manager Joanne Wilson, whose family has owned the business for more than 70 years.

"No doubt we could increase our overseas sales by vacuum packing and using all kinds of preservatives, but that would ruin the product and go against everything we are trying to do.

It is a piece of Cumbrian heritage and we have a responsibility not to spoil it."

She said she was amazed yet delighted by Japanese tourists' passion for the gingerbread.

" The Japanese don't really like sweet things, but they love the gingerbread because they like anything to do with ginger."

"They come to the shop - sometimes up to 40 at a time - and buy it in huge quantities."

At present, around 20 per cent of Grasmere Gingerbread goes for export, but the business is convinced there is huge potential to increase that figure.

"If we could preserve it without ruining it we could export it all over the world," said Joanne.

Business Link for Cumbria's international trade adviser Andrew Fawcett said Grasmere Gingerbread was one of several companies considering Japan as a potential new market place.