A FORMER River City star has swapped soaps for soups with the launch of her first first business venture.

Laura O'Donnell, who played Shellsuit Boab's first girlfriend Melanie in the Scottish show, has decided to add some real world experience to her CV with the launch of Laura's Lunches.

The 21-year-old spotted an opportunity at the beginning of the year to convert an old bathroom interiors shop near Springburn into a cafe.

And this week she opened the doors of her new venture alongside her aunt Rosemary Oliver.

Laura said: "Many actors become self-employed as it leaves them free to take on acting roles and provides an income when they are not on acting contracts.

"My aunt is a chef to trade and can run the cafe if I want to pursue a role. It makes it a great partnership."

She has managed to raise the capital needed to start the enterprise with money made from appearing in River City and a loan from The Princes' Scottish Youth Business Trust.

And while Laura is enthusiastic about the project, it has not been without its troubles.

Getting planning permission for the cafe wasn't easy, and it was made even more difficult because the city council didn't have original plans for the property - a property that it once owned.

Laura said: "The forms were really difficult to complete as I didn't really know which aspects applied to me.

"The premises were actually council owned but it didn't have any of the original floor plans that I needed to provide as it only keeps records until a certain date.

"It then sent me to the Mitchell Library which didn't have the plans either. I ended up having to get an architect to draw them from scratch."

The plan is to open a number of Laura's Lunches cafes across the city over the next five years. But for the next few months Laura has plenty on her plate.

In between running the business and taking on acting roles, the actress, who appeared in the hit film Orphans as a teenager, is about to begin studying to become a professional dance teacher.