When I was asked to visit a new cake shop in Longridge I wasn’t as excited as you might expect a sweet-toothed cake-lover to be.

You see I’m vegan, and the last two cake shop openings I’ve written about didn’t produce a single crumb for me to sample (it’s a hard life).

I expect Indulgence (Cakes and Treats) in Longridge to be the same, but decide I’ll treat my mum and mother-in-law – they can do the sampling and I can earn some brownie points.

I email ahead to check opening times and explain the vegan/mothers situation, and am surprised to discover that Indulgence does in fact cater for plant-based people. Even better, they do cake jars – a newish-fangled offering that I hadn’t tried before I became vegan, and haven’t seen a vegan version of since.

So the next day we (with some speed) make our way up to Indulgence, which is situated in the centre of Longridge in Berry Lane. It’s a brand new venture for Prestonian Jackie Watson.

Read more: Stacey’s Cake-Away opens in Water Lane

When we enter we notice the decor is cute and clean, though it has to be said our surroundings blur into insignificance once we spot the overflowing cake jars, beautifully decorated cupcakes and mountain of chocolate brownies on the counter.

After much confectionary-based consideration, my mum opts for a chocolate brownie, while my mother-in-law chooses a strawberry cupcake from the many colourful options available.

Jackie has put a strawberry cake jar to one side for me (unsurprisingly they tend to sell out fast). She has been experimenting with vegan jam in the icing and wants to know my thoughts. She probably doesn’t mean immediately, but I’m scooping a finger full of icing out of the jar before her sentence is finished. My initial response – it’s deliciously sweet, strawberry-y, and very moreish.

As well as offering vegan options, the shop has gluten-free treats and also stocks ice cream by Preston’s Brooks Gelato.

We head home (with possibly even more speed than on the journey there) to put the kettle on and enjoy our cakes with a nice cuppa.

Read more: Weekend treats coming to Lane Ends as new cake shop opens

My mum normally has the appetite of a sparrow but polishes off the huge chunk of chocolate brownie in one go. My mother-in-law declares her cupcake “very nice”. My cake jar is delicious and I enjoy the icing/jam/cake ratio. It’s so big that I eat it in three sittings during the course of the day.

While Jackie has baked as a hobby for a while now, this is the first shop she has opened. She started by supplying a local cafe and appearing at Longridge and Grimsargh field days, where Jackie says her cakes received excellent feedback. 

I’m not surprised in the slightest by this because not only do the cakes look and taste great, they are excellent value. While I was gifted the cake jar, I paid a bargain £4 for the mums’ treats – making this one of the most inexpensive and delicious ways I think I’ve ever earned brownie points. We’ll be back.

Will you be visiting Indulgence? Let us know in the comments below.