IT is the west of Scotland's newest artisan bakery, producing sour dough breads, cinnamon cakes and walnut and rye loaves for increasing numbers of customers.

But the ovens are in one of country's biggest prisons and the bakers inmates seeking to take steps away from a life of crime.

Set up by social entrepreneur Matt Fountain four months ago, the Freedom Bakery is building up a customer base and will be looking to expand in the weeks and months ahead to the wholesale and retail markets.

The Cambridge University graduate has spent two years getting the company off the ground and now has six staff, all inmates at Low Moss Prison near Bishopbriggs.

For the 29-year-old, the company aims to give the inmates both workplace and life skills they can build upon when released, with the eventual aim of cutting re-offending rates.

Matt was inspired to set up Freedom Bakery after learning about a similar scheme near Bologna in Italy which works with recovering addicts on everything from wine making, baking and farming techniques.

The Kent-born entrepreneur, who now lives in Glasgow, also witnessed the impact of the spiral of reoffending at close quarters after his mother's partner was convicted for credit card fraud.

Crucially he has funded the enterprise through loans and investors rather than through any kind of public cash grant.

But with the disadvantage of having to work within a prison regime and ovens starting when most conventional bread and cake have completed their day's baking, Matt said business expansion required a degree of ingenuity.

He said: "We're figuring out where to go with the business. We're doing small wholesale trade and office deliveries. But the idea we operate in a prison means we've go to respect the system, which means we don't get working until 7am and our products don't reach customers until early afternoon.

"And we're also looking to expand into markets where we can take the message of what we're about, small companies and socially-minded customers."

Matt said he recruited his team by placing adverts in the halls where the prisoners live and then issuing application forms. Even those who failed to pass that stage were given feedback as to why they did not make the grade.

Several, Matt admitted, have already been sacked for failing to adapt to their 'jobs' but he said others had produced products which were proving hugely popular with the retail customer base.

He said: "The prisoners are allowed to create their own project and one of the guys developed a walnut and rye bread which is proving extremely popular.

"There's something really important about that, seeing how your ideas and efforts become a business success."

He added: "It's too early to say if and how Freedom Bakery will be a success but we're already seeing how the inmates are getting some benefits."

A Scottish Prison Service spokesman added: "Freedom Bakery is in the process of taking over the cartering for prison visits and is already very successful.

"It's all about giving people industry-recognised qualifications and skills they can take when they leave here, life skills as well as professional skills."