With Easter and Mother’s Day coming up, what better time to treat someone to chocolates created in Cheshire, suggests Emma Mayoh
Sam Joseph Chocolates, Altrincham Driven by a passion to create the highest quality delicacies, Sam Pugh and his partner Claire Price select fine ingredients to produce hand-made chocolates and patisserie items. The pair, who have a combined 18 years’ experience in five star hotels and top restaurants, love coming up with new ideas to delight their customers. Sam was most recently the head pastry chef at the 3 rosette Caxton Grill Restaurant in London and a finalist in the 2014 APC Dessert of the Year competition. Claire’s first pastry chef position was at London Carriage Works in Liverpool. She went on to become head pastry chef at The Lowry Hotel in Manchester before moving to London to be product development chef at a renowned bakery. They decided to return to the county because of their mutual love for the area and to share their passion for chocolate and patisserie. Choose from chocolate covered honeycomb, Brazil dark chocolate bars, milk truffles, Madagascan hot chocolate or a box of handmade chocolates with flavours including sea salted caramel, fennel pollen and mandarin, cherry and peanut butter. samjosephchocolates.co.uk
The Old Fire Station Chocolate Shop, Tarporley This Cheshire favourite is one of the many reasons people visit Tarporley. Choose from Freudenberg Swiss truffles, chocolate animals, continental varieties as well as traditional confectionery. There is also a range of ‘no added sugar’ products, suitable for most diabetics. They are located in the old fire station, which is now also an interesting fire service museum. The premises were first built in 1897 and used to billet troops during the war. It then became home to the local fire brigade. www.firestationchocolateshop.co.uk
Simon Dunn Handmade Chocolates, High Lane A company that needs little introduction, Simon Dunn has been producing the best chocolate creations for more than 25 years. In fact Easter is his favourite time of year as he likes to make chocolates in wonderful shapes, sizes and colours. Weeks before Easter, Simon and his staff have piled through tonnes of chocolate. There is plenty of choice from a beautifully crafted large handmade Easter egg to boxes of Easter chocolates, chocolate cards and champagne truffles. There is also a host of novelty shapes from shoes and teddy bears or delicate artisan chocolates perfect for making mum feel special this Mother’s Day. www.simondunnchocolates.co.uk
Simply Cocoa, Altrincham All the chocolates made here are produced in small batches using the finest couverture chocolate, imported from Belgium. Choose from soft creamy ganaches combined with pure vanilla, nutty pralines and fruit infusions such as cassis, pear William, strawberry and mango. All of the chocolates are handmade to order and hand-wrapped in bags, ballotins or beautiful gift boxes and tied with ribbon. Indulge yourself this Easter with the Giant Handmade Easter Bunny Chocolate bar, £24.95. This huge treat is decorated with chocolate bunnies and mini eggs. www.simplycocoa.co.uk
Éponine Patisserie & Chocolaterie, Greasby Éponine is a small, artisan producer of patisserie, chocolates and confectionery. All their products are hand-crafted in a home kitchen using quality ingredients from the best producers locally and worldwide, from the fresh locally grown fruits to fine single-origin and grand cru chocolate couvertures. The chocolates are too good to eat…almost. Choose from varieties like chocolate creams, sea salted caramel, pralines, marzipan chocolates, dark chocolate, ginger and cocoa nib bars or a raspberry and rose variety that’s decorated with a striking heart pattern. You can also try one of Eponine’s hot chocolate drinks, which are stocked in a few places around the county as well as in Hong Kong. www.eponinepatisserie.co.uk.
