A BAKER is hoping her ‘bread and booze’ venture proves a hit with passengers at a busy railway station.

Claire Bowes Fairless, from Middlesbrough, rose to the occasion after sampling Virgin Trains’ Yorkshire-brewed ‘Hop on Board’ beer at a monthly pop-up shop event for small businesses at Darlington railway station.

She is now using the tipple in beer-inspired loaves as well as in biscuits and cookies.

Mrs Bowes Fairless’s family-run business Jar House sells bread and bread-baking kits and the inclusion of beer as an ingredient has proved popular with customers, attracting orders from all over the UK.

She will be at Darlington railway station on Friday for the latest pop-up event, which takes place between 10am and 4pm. Pop-up businesses will also be on the station concourse the following day from 9am to 2pm.

Mrs Bowes Fairless said: “I’ve always liked to buy a beer from the places I visit and I’ve found that bread tastes best when you bake it with a bottle of beer.

“The pop up shop events are very popular with my customers and it’s great that a big company like Virgin Trains is helping small companies like mine.”

Hop on Board is a golden ale brewed for Virgin Trains by the Rudgate Brewery, near York.

Jennie Pitt, corporate responsibility manager for Virgin Trains on the East Coast route, said: “Since launching our pop up shops last year we’ve helped support dozens of local independent retailers by offering them a market stall environment within busy train stations, where they can interact with thousands of potential customers.”

“We’re delighted that our Hop on Board beer is helping Claire’s business grow.”