BALSAMIC vinegar bottled by a mum-of-three in the garden shed of her Oxford home has won a top award.

The vinegar, sourced in Spain by Susie Taylor, has won the top three star ranking at the Great Taste awards, beating thousands of other businesses in the process.

Mrs Taylor, 47, said: “I never dreamed of this, it’s an amazing honour and I was as shocked as anyone.”

Her business, Fino, was set up after her family spent two years living in the Spanish region of Andalucia, where they harvested olives on a 30-acre olive grove next to their home.

After returning to Oxford, she decided to start importing the oil from the village’s agricultural co- operative for sale to individuals, pubs and restaurants.

Two years ago, she branched out into supplying vinegars after tracking down a 250-year-old bodega which allowed her to become the sole distributor in the UK and that led to almost immediate success at the industry awards.

But Mrs Taylor is determined to keep her feet on the ground and stay working from her home in Islip Road, North Oxford, where she bottles thousands of litres of oil and vinegar for clients across the country.

“I really want to build up my clients, but I’m reluctant to move out of the shed,” she said.