THE owners of a Darlington patisserie have taken inspiration from a classic children’s book to celebrate the first anniversary of their cafe.

Frederic and Jane Robineau, who run Robineau Patisserie in West Auckland Road, in Darlington, opened a cafe within their business last year, increasing their staff from five to 17.

To mark the milestone, the couple have created a range of chocolate bars, ten of which have golden tickets hidden within them, similar to Roald Dahl’s famous choclatier Willy Wonka.

The golden tickets each offer a prize connected with Robineau, including a top prize of an experience day at the patisserie.

Mrs Robineau said the cafe had proved to be popular with customers and had led to the creation of a new brasserie menu and plans for special restaurant evenings.

She said: “We jumped from having five staff to 17 almost overnight when the cafe opened so that was a major challenge but it has proved successful.

“No-one has found a golden ticket during the first day but I’m sure it won’t be long.”