Exciting new chocolate flavours available from Donington shop
A couple’s passion for food has brought an exciting fresh addition to a village.
Ash Anderson and Samantha Anderson-Hewie have been busy working on new flavours of quality chocolates for their shop in Donington.
The shop is an attractive new extension to Market Place, offering fine confectionery with – coming soon – ice creams, hot chocolate and cakes.
It had only been open briefly at its new premises when the November lockdown hit.
“We opened on October 31, Halloween,” said Ash. “We were open five days and did about 70-80 boxes of chocolate and 3,000 chocolates. We were working until midnight.”
While the couple have been allowed to trade from the shop during the latest lockdowns, and did so briefly in January, they decided to close again and wait until they can open fully, hopefully on April 12.
For now, Ash and Samantha have been busy coming up with new flavours in their approved home kitchen and are offering Easter goodies for order via their Facebook page.
Ash has also used the time to decorate the shop, including making a new vintage-look counter by upcycling the doors of an old wardrobe, ready for full reopening.
“It all started because we had been looking for something to do with food,” Ash explained.
“And the passion has grown. We started about four years ago doing a Christmas market in Gosberton Village Hall where we made chocolates and cupcakes.
“We then did big shows including the Blenheim Palace Flower Show. We are self-taught from books and YouTube.”
The couple had a shop for a time two to three years ago at an old stables in Donington but needed alternative premises.
“We did the artisan outdoor market in Donington and then we found this shop for rent. It was Ali Carrott’s (soft furnishings).”
The couple buy in a high quality couverture chocolate which they craft into their creations.
“Our flavours include mint meltaway, salted caramel, coconut meltaway, baci (which means kisses in Italian), gingerbread caramel and normal caramel. We have about 30 flavours altogether and that is expanding. We like to have different things to try.
“It is the enjoyment of doing something you love and seeing other people enjoying it too.”
Son Raphael (15) is also hoping to follow the couple into the business and is starting training to learn the trade.
“We are making all the ice creams ourselves,” Ash added. “We are just perfecting it. They will be with couverture chocolate. The ice cream will have real chocolate in it.”
You can find Hewie’s on Facebook.
