Toot Sweets Tempers Festive Flavour Fusions

Julia Wenlock from Shropshire was studying Television and Radio Production when a part-time job in Manchester at Belgium chocolatiers, Godiva, changed her direction and she found her love of all things chocolate. This was in 2002 and now eleven years later she is creating, making and selling her own uniquely stunning chocolate range. Her retail base is the Market Hall in Shrewsbury, Shropshire – which is filled with interesting producers, cafés and other quirky retailers. Having built a loyal customer base in her home town and across the county she has launched her chocolates online and is starting to develop opportunities beyond the county border…

Festive Fusions – ginger wine, chestnut and cranberries

For Christmas 2013 Toot Sweets is launching some of its most creative combinations so far. Julia has considered festive flavours and how they may work effectively in her chocolates. This has resulted in a Chestnut and Truffle Oil Caramel, Ginger Wine Truffle and something a little more ‘off the wall’ but it definitely works – an Umami Mushroom Truffle! These add to her chocolate bars, including flavour packed candied orange peel and chilli flakes or cranberry and pistachio. She also tempers familiar festive shapes and wreaths – these come in both small sizes and a large version, to hang decoratively on doors, with colourful edible arrangements. The Christmas collection is being launched ahead of Chocolate Week (7th September) at Brompton Cookery School, Shropshire which is run by TV-chef, Marcus Bean.

Moving On Up – retail background

Julia’s journey to retailing and making her own chocolates was helped greatly by the time at Godiva and Selfridges, Manchester, within the Grocery and Confectionery departments. Julia was selected for a place on the ‘Moving On Up Programme’, only five were chosen from regional stores and this gave her an opportunity to be trained as a future department manager. In 2007 her mother passed away and she thought that this was time to do something for herself back in Shrewsbury and her first experimentations with chocolate began. She started out selling other people’s chocolates but soon decided that the only way to really control the ingredients and quality, along with guaranteeing originality – was to sell only her own creations.

Award Winning – from great taste to international recognition

The first awards that Julia entered were in 2010 when she was successful in the Great Taste Awards for both her White Shropshire Lavender Truffle and her Dark Butterscotch. This was followed in 2011 by success with her Dark Shropshire Lavender Truffle. In 2012 Julia won the BBC Producers Bursary Award at the Winter BBC Good Food Show and she is returning in November as BBC Good Food Champion. Earlier in 2013, she entered the Academy of Chocolate Awards and achieved Silver for her Salted Caramel Truffle and this was followed in April by a nomination from the European semi-finals of the International Chocolate Awards – leading to a place in the finals, held during Chocolate Week this October.

Ingredients, techniques and imagination – only the best

Julia believes strongly that the best ingredients result in the best end product for her customer. She uses only three types of chocolate. Amedei – which is created by the Italian family business with Criollo and Trinitario cocoa beans, Marou – single origin chocolate from Vietnam and also Original Beans finest chocolate – for every Original Beans bar bought a tree is planted to replace this by the farmers in the rainforests. Julia most frequently hand-tempers her chocolate but also has a small tempering machine. Her creations are made using as many local ingredients as possible such as lavender from the Shropshire Lavender Farm and honey from the county’s youngest bee keeper, Tom Oliver. The centres are always made first and left to cool through the day or overnight and then shapes are hand-rolled or piped before being dipped or enrobed in chocolate and then decorated. Julia enjoys demonstrating her skills and regularly carries out workshops at shows and events.

Julia commented; “I know people often say this but I was genuinely inspired by my mother. Cooking and experimentation with exotic and new flavours was part of my childhood. I try to do this with Toot Sweets chocolates – making sure that the final combinations really work. Some make customers think for a second – particularly the mushroom one! I try to be innovative but also include some classics that everyone loves – they hopefully taste better because of the way that I make them and the ingredients that I use.”