HAPPY BIRTHDAY MATTYB BAKES

I can't believe it! My little blog MattyB Bakes is a year old today. When I started writing about my foodie adventures I genuinely thought I'd probably get bored and stop after a few weeks but here I am talking about its first anniversary. This blog has become a real passion of mine and sharing my recipes, tips and recommendations and seeing people's reactions makes me smile everyday. It's a good time to for me to get all nostalgic and look over the last 12 months!

My first post talked about me and why I had started this blog. Those reasons haven't changed. I still try to cook homemade meals as much as I can and coming up with new interesting recipes gives me inspiration to try out new ideas and share them with the world.

 I thank all of the 60 thousand plus visitors to the blog and everyone who likes my Facebook page, follows me on Twitter or pins my posts on Pinterest. Every time you do it makes me happy to know that my little hobby is also inspiring people to get out there and be more adventitious with their food. I hope you continue to enjoy my posts and your comments and feedback are always welcome!

I've gained so much from this blog too. Weather it's invitations to go to shows such as the Cake and Bake show or meeting interesting groups of people such as the Baking Boys Bloggers on Facebook, it great to see what other foodies are up to and I draw lots of inspiration from them all. I hope our relationships continue to flourish in MattyB Bakes 2nd year and that new ones are also forged along the way.

Some of my recipes have really taken off. Old school ones such as my guilt free chocolate fudge cake sit proudly alongside my "Knock Em Naked" brownies. Sometimes I'm surprised at the recipes which really take off such as the love I received for my homemade garlic and chili chips but I find it's those simple classics that people love. There are now over 200 hundred recipes on the blog and I can't wait to deliver the next 200 to you all.

I hope to continue to strive to get out and about more and find those hidden gems around the area. My travels have brought me to places such as Beef and Pudding in Manchester and their incredible dessert board which I still dream about to this day. Closer to home I was chuffed when a fellow blogger told me they had visited Epicured in Liverpool on the back of my blog post. That is the reason I write my reviews - to give people ideas of where to eat in the area and that comment alone was one my highlights. Keep your eyes peeled, there are plenty of places I'm itching to try and the best ones will be getting my stamp of approval on MattyB Bakes.

My advice to someone wanted to start a food blog? Keep at it. Once you get into it you will never look back. I look back at my first couple of posts and the style has evolved so much over the year. Don't lose heart, you will find your groove and come up with your own creative take on the food blog. If your anything like me then you will fall in love with blogging and the more and more positive comments you get, the more attached to it you will come but don't expect it to happen overnight. Don't try to be something you are not. I'm never over the top with my presentation because I wouldn't be like that at home! Be yourself and the people who visit your blog will see that passion shine through.

Once again I want to thank everyone who has ever read even a single word of Matty B Bakes. I have discovered something that I love to do and don't plan to stop soon. I hope that you'll be here next year to read about my next 12 months and to celebrate with me again.

MattyB x