Stephanie Mackentyre meets three local producers who create divine sweet treats right here in Essex

Great British Life: Anna-Maria HawkeAnna-Maria Hawke (Image: Laura Jane Photography)

The Very Vintage Tea Party - covering Essex & beyond

If you’re looking for a truly bespoke, stylish tea party then Anna-Maria Hawke is the person to go to. She’s a huge fan of all things sophisticated and vintage and has for many years been a collector of vintage bone china. Combine that with a love of the perfect bake and you get a picture of the woman behind the now 15-strong band of bakers who are regularly donning their Very Vintage Tea Party aprons for a wide variety of events in Essex, London, the home counties and Suffolk.

Coincidentally, the lady who first came up with the idea of an afternoon tea was herself called Anna-Maria – the Duchess of Bedford in 1840. It’s a quintessentially English tradition we love to uphold. As a former art teacher, Anna-Maria knows just how to set the scene for your special occasion to show off her freshly baked wares.

Her business has been running since 2010. ‘The look is really important to me. If you’re looking for just a caterer, then I might not be the person for you. If you’re looking for the whole package with authentic vintage styling, then I’m your woman!

‘It's all home-based still, and I bake most of the cakes myself. I do get a little precious about it. I’ve always loved baking and feeding people. So, this business has brought it all together for me. Served on vintage, beautiful bone china, it always makes the bakes look and taste so much better. We can cater for up to 350 guests and our minimum booking is 25. For each party, we set it up and make it all look beautiful. We provide the cakes and then we clear it all away again. We are literally a travelling tea party.’

Great British Life: Victoria sponge makes a perfect centrepieceVictoria sponge makes a perfect centrepiece (Image: Laura Jane Photography)

What would Anne-Maria recommend for an afternoon tea party? ‘It’s got to be the traditional afternoon tea with Victoria sponge – it’s a classic. It was Queen Victoria’s favourite, alongside finger sandwiches. It's all about the dainty food.

‘And you can’t have an afternoon tea without the classic scones and jam. We’ve done all sorts of variations in the past, but we find most of our customers want the traditional afternoon tea.

‘Our afternoon teas include Victoria sponge, lemon, coffee and walnut, and a chocolate sponge – everyone loves at least one of those. Then finger sandwiches and freshly baked scones with cream and jam. We already have quite a lot of Jubilee bookings. Our weddings are booked well in advance, and we also cater for life celebrations too – any occasion where people are coming together and celebrating.’

During lockdown, Anna-Maria found all of her bookings for 2020 were cancelled. ‘We wanted to continue, so we offered afternoon tea delivery boxes. People really wanted them. So, we’d put on a weekend, for example VE Day, and we offered deliveries that weekend. We would deliver over 100 afternoon teas in a box – in one day! I loved doing them and loved the joy they spread during that time.’


Great British Life: Sarah discovered she had a flair for chocolate-makingSarah discovered she had a flair for chocolate-making (Image: Chappel Chocolate House)

Chappel Chocolate House - Chappel

Back in May 2012, Sarah Knights was asked to run a chocolate stall at a local pub fundraiser. She loved it so much and got such great feedback that she decided to create her own chocolate-making business.

Sarah took a chocolate-making course at the Colchester Institute achieving her NVQ Levels II and III. ‘My tutor told me to always use the recipe for caramel from the Scottish pâtissier and chocolatier William Curley, so I still do for my most popular chocolates, which are the salted caramel ones,’ she tells me.

Since then, Sarah has continued to make beautiful chocolates to sell at her shop at Poplar Nurseries in Marks Tey and to corporate clients, but she also teaches others how to hone their chocolate-making skills.

‘To get the fantastic sheen you need to use good, clean moulds and quality cocoa butters, but the shine is also a lot to do with the tempering of the chocolate. When you first start making chocolate it takes a while to master it. People come to my workshops to learn the techniques. I do a chocolatier for the day experience (two people £250, including lunch), and at the end of the day they go home with some beautiful, glossy chocolate treats and truffles too.’ For the whole-day course, the maximum numbers are four; shorter courses can hold up to eight people.

Great British Life: Sarah's products are made right here in EssexSarah's products are made right here in Essex (Image: Getty)

Sarah's flavours are inspired by favourite puddings of her past. ‘I used to make an orange and cardamon cake, and that’s where the inspiration came from to make orange and cardamon chocolates. I also used to make a plum and orange crumble when my son was younger, so I combined those flavours too.’

Sarah has won awards for her flavours from the Great Taste Awards. One star for the plum and orange and two stars for the orange and cardamon. ‘For my inspiration, I think of nice combinations and just think, oh I’ll try that with the chocolates! What began as a hobby has turned into a business; I’m not sure why, it just kind of developed. I never aspired to do this. However, when I did the training course one of the tutors said you obviously have a flair for it, so why not pursue it?

‘I find the making and designing of new chocolates really interesting even now, and I’ve made a lot of chocolates over the years! It’s the creativity I think but only when it comes to chocolate. I get lost in my kitchen; I could be in there all day before I know it.’

Which products keep people coming back? ‘Our most popular chocolates at the moment are the salted caramel ones. Some people like alcoholic chocolates, for example we do gin-flavoured chocolates. My personal favourites are the rosemary and sea salt (also a Great Taste Award winner), plum and orange and also the orange and cardamom ones. The year I won the award for the orange and cardamon there were only 10 or 12 chocolates across the whole of the UK given awards, and I thought, oh crikey, I’ve done it – finally!’

Sarah likes to use local ingredients wherever possible. ‘The honey comes from my next-door neighbour who has hives in his garden. The plums come from my own plum tree in the garden and I make my own sloe damson gin. The rosemary comes from my garden, and I use blackcurrants and redcurrants too, again from my garden.’


Great British Life: Tommy Start, Dominic Parry and Harry Bond of Saffron Ice Cream CompanyTommy Start, Dominic Parry and Harry Bond of Saffron Ice Cream Company (Image: FRASER PARRY PHOTOGRAPHY)

The Saffron Ice Cream Company - Saffron Walden

At just 10 years old, Dominic Parry knew he wanted to make decent ice cream. ‘I was walking through Saffron Walden with my mum and I said to her that there’s nowhere to get a decent ice cream!’ He went to university and studied advertising and marketing. As the course drew to a close, Dominic was still unsure of his next move.

‘I woke up one morning and thought, oh yes, I remember now, ice cream! As I was still at uni, I used their facilities to research who already makes ice cream, what flavours were on offer and how to make really good ice cream.’

He also researched the current trends and found people want to buy a truly local, traceable product, with bio-degradable packaging and seasonal flavours. Once he returned from university, Dominic set up The Saffron Ice Cream Company.

That was 13 years ago, and since that time he’s been producing a range of 10 core flavours, complemented by further seasonal flavours, including summer strawberries and cream, hand-picked blackberry, espresso coffee bean and Henham honey and lavender, which is one of the flavours the company is most renowned for. ‘If there’s one flavour my company is known for, it’s that one. It’s just so floral and sweet yet different, people love it.’

What does Dominic recommend for this hot weather? ‘It would have to be our seasonal lemon curd and meringue! It’s beautifully English, perfect for a hot, sunny day and helps showcase Essex with the Tiptree lemon curd ice cream, which we hand scatter with crunchy meringue pieces.’

Great British Life: Is there anything better than a delicious ice cream cone?Is there anything better than a delicious ice cream cone? (Image: Fraser Parry Photography)

With his team at the Saffron Ice Cream Company, they supply both the public and trade. In fact, we struggled to catch up as Dominic was so busy making and delivering a fresh batch. He explains, ‘We are busy with local events and private bookings, but we also supply local cinemas and restaurants.’

When we did find a moment to chat, I also asked him what he would recommend for a party. ‘For the adults, it would have to be our spiced Essex rum and raisin! A true classic for the sophisticated palette. We soak plump raisins in Essex distilled rum before hand scattering them into our lightly spiced treacle artisan ice cream.

‘For the kids, it would have to be our Summerdown Farm mint chocolate. We infuse clear single rare estate peppermint oil into our ice cream mix before churning, then hand scatter chocolate pieces through it. We love to educate that ‘proper’ mint ice cream isn’t green – it’s only green if colourings are used. Naturally, we’d be scooping these into an impressive sugar waffle cone – delicious!’

Although very busy, you can call at the company’s HQ at Abbey Farm Barns to try the flavours for yourself. ‘It’s probably best to call in advance, just to make sure there’s someone here to look after you.’

Get the taste...

The Saffron Ice Cream Company

Saffron Walden

01799 513 552

saffronicecream.co.uk


The Very Vintage Tea Party

Chelmsford

veryvintageteaparty.net

01245 607 087


Chappel Chocolate House

Chappel, near Colchester

07787 506 846

chappelchocolatehouse.co.uk


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