BURY’S very own black pudding queen could be crowned the best in the North West next week.

Debbie Pierce has been short-listed for two accolades in the prestigious Northwest Women in Business Awards which will be staged at the Park Royal Hotel, near Warrington, next Friday.

Her thriving Bury Black Pudding Company is among four entries nominated for the Growth Business of the Year title. And the company has also been shortlisted in a second category, this time for Business of the Year.

The awards are organised by the Northwest Women’s Enterprise Forum in partnership with the Northwest Regional Development Agency. The event aims to bring together some of the region’s most innovative and successful female-led companies and recognise and reward their achievements and successes.

Last year, Debbie emerged as runner-up in the Northwest Women in Business Awards, winning £2,000 for her firm. Later, she was a finalist in the North West Food Awards before scooping the coveted Institute of Directors’ Winning Women title last September.

Debbie’s Bury Black Pudding Company, based at the J2 Business Park in Bridge Hall Lane, Heap Bridge, was originally launched six years ago from her Radcliffe home on a shoestring budget of just £1,000. Three years ago, the firm moved to its present £700,000 manufacturing base which churns out 20 tonnes of black pudding each week.

The products are supplied to a host of supermarkets, including Tesco, Asda, Waitrose and the Co-op.

The company’s buoyancy is illustrated by the fact turnover for 2007 topped £1.4 million, up from the previous year’s figure of £628,000.