She's the New Forest entrepreneur set to take part in a TV contest in the hope of having her fishcakes stocked in supermarket chain Aldi. 

Hayley Elston set up The Fabulous Catch Company, a small, independent fish and crabcake business, geared towards producing sustainable, British fish products, in Calshot in 2012.

Its success has led to her being picked from hundreds of applicants to appear on Aldi's Next Big Thing as it returns to Channel 4 for a second series on Tuesday (April 2) at 8pm.

Daily Echo: The Fabulous Catch Company will appear on Aldi's Next Big Thing on Channel 4

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The six part series sees food and drink suppliers compete for a life-changing contract to be stocked in 1,000 Aldi stores nationwide. 

Hosted by broadcaster and author, Anita Rani and Chris Bavin of BBC’s The One Show and Eat Well for Less, the show sees products presented to Julie Ashfield, Managing Director of Buying at Aldi UK, who deliberates on factors such as price, packaging, and shopper demand.

Two finalists are given four weeks to address any feedback before their products are taste tested and one winner is chosen to appear as a special buy in stores nationwide. 

Daily Echo:

Hayley, from Milford on Sea, will be showcasing her Crabulous Crabcakes on the show. 

Loaded with brown crab meat, which Isle of Wight fishermen asked her to sell as it was often surplus to requirements, the cakes also include leeks, a smattering of chilli, some fresh parsley, lemon juice and seasoning.   

Hayley said: “We have worked so hard to get this product where it is today. We started making crabcakes because there was an abundance of brown crab meat on the Isle of Wight. Brown crab meat is often overlooked, but this is where the flavour is - it tastes fabulous which is why we called our product Crabulous!”   

Julie Ashfield added: "I’m always looking for quality, but if I can also land something that will surprise our shoppers and keep them coming back for more, that’s the absolute dream. This opportunity could be huge for a small business.”    

Others competing in Aldi's Next Big Thing include brothers from Wolverhampton with their Halal Wagyu Pastrami, some colourful burgers from West Sussex, vegan toad in the hole produced in Manchester, Cumbrian pasta bombs and short rib truffle mac and cheese from the private chef to Stormzy in South East London.