A Gloucestershire chef, who feeds more than 200 colleagues daily at a county housebuilder, has won special recognition for her food.

Catering manager Charlie Mace works at Bovis Homes' Western region office in Bishop's Cleeve and won the prize at her employer Blue Apple Catering's annual awards.

Charlie, from Brockworth, picked up her certificate and £500 at the Hertfordshire-based ceremony, attended by 150 guests, and said she was over the moon with the achievement.

"The awards were great fun and getting this catering recognition was just lovely, it was a brilliant way to top off the night and I'm over the moon.

"Having the freedom to create your own menu every week is just great. I look out for what's on trend, browse through social media, speak with other chefs and try to keep everything fresh.

"I love looking out at lunchtime and seeing the bistro full and people eating what I produce, it's an amazing feeling."

Since Charlie moved to Bovis Homes' Cleeve Hall offices, the canteen has been fully refurbished and re-named the Basement Bistro. She is supported by her assistant Clair Roberts, and there are new menus every week plus events, including themed lunches and charity cake sales. The menu now includes dishes such as Cajun chicken with lime and coriander rice and chimichurri sauce, plus coconut rice pudding.

Charlie, who hopes to keep developing her menu and growing her suppliers, said: "I hope to carry on at Cleeve Hall for a very long time and producing exciting food that tickles the taste buds of every Bovis Homes colleague."

Stephanie Spry, regional marketing manager at Bovis Homes, congratulated Charlie on her prize, saying: "This recognition is so well deserved. We all love Charlie's dishes, they make our day at Bovis Homes and we are very proud of her achievement."