The tiny cake shop set up in a front porch

The porch shop sells baked items, such as brownies, cookies and school cake

A woman who set up a self-serve cake shop in the front porch of her home said reaction from the local community was "heartwarming" and she felt "really lucky".

Bakers Jen and Ian Day had the idea of opening the tiny shop in Halesowen in May, allowing customers to help themselves to a variety of baked goods, including brownies and cookies.

The porch on Brookwillow Road, which has an honesty box for people to pay for their items, has taken social media by storm, with about 150 people stopping by each week to pick up a sweet treat.

Mrs Day, who has temporarily closed her shop, Cupcake Daze, in the town centre due to staffing issues, said the porch shop was the "best thing we've ever done".

Ian and Jen Day decided to set up the self-serve shop in the porch of their home

The cake porch is open between 09:00 and 20:30 BST from Tuesday to Saturday.

Customers can either place the correct change into a metal pink post box or scan a QR code to pay for their cakes by card, Mrs Day said.

"It's been so heartwarming. We count stock out, we count stock in, and everyone's really honest," she said.

"We've got such amazing feedback on it, people love it."

Visitors can pay for cakes using exact cash or using a QR code

Mrs Day said she started baking cupcakes nine years ago when her three children were younger, but her hobby soon evolved into something much bigger.

The couple, who have a registered home kitchen, opened Cupcake Daze on Hagley Road after completing a number of cake deliveries during the pandemic.

But after struggling to man the shop alongside caring for their children, two which have special educational needs, they decided to temporarily close the store and open the porch shop instead.

Since then, it has been inundated with visitors, with a number of videos on TikTok and Instagram describing it as the town's "cutest hidden gem".

"We had no way of selling what we were baking," Mrs Day explained.

"Literally, we have people come in their pyjamas, park the car, run into the porch, grab the cake and just run home," she said.

About 150 people visit the shop every week, Mr Day said

Setting up in the porch, which has cameras, was a "bit of a leap of faith" as they could get "completely robbed," she added, but so far it has been a success.

"They just run in, get what they want and they go on and it just works, so we were able to carry on baking in the shop, package everything, label everything and just literally leave it in a porch unmanned," she added.

"For us, it's a dream really."

One girl, who lives in Kings Heath, Birmingham, even called an Uber to collect a box of cakes because she didn't have a car, Mrs Day said.

"She actually ordered eight items and I just put it in a box and she sent an Uber driver over to collect them and take them to her," she added.

"It's more than just a cake sale, people really get involved.

"It's the best thing we've ever done."

The couple were inspired to set up in the shop in their porch after temporarily closing their bakery