Craft and homemade chocolate, liquorice from across Europe and nostalgic sweets are among the delights being dished up at a new business set to open next week.
David Wolstenholme hopes The Sweet Shop of Whitebridge will bring in customers looking for luxurious treats and gifts.
He is opening the shop in a former photographic studio at Whitebridge Industrial Estate in Stone, next to Chocolate at Home, where his partner TV chef Paul Young has set up a studio hosting chocolate workshops and masterclasses.
Paul was once described as ‘the Heston Blumenthal of chocolate’ and has passed on his love of good quality chocolate and provided support and training.
David, who spent 27 years working for Staffordshire Police before taking on this venture, will stock bean to bar chocolate from various makers from around the country, hoping the growing trend will go down well in his hometown.
He will also be selling handmade chocolates and truffles, brownies, lollies and other products made in the studio next door.
David said: “Bean to bar chocolate has really sucked me in.
“People in Paul’s classes were saying that they couldn’t find it locally and have to buy it online. Noone else sells a selection like we do; I think it is a first for the county.”
Bean to bar chocolate is made from scratch by the same producer overseeing every step of the production process. It is usually made in small batches and celebrates the ethical sourcing of cocoa beans.
Among those David will be stocking are Bullion, Pump Street Chocolate, MayHawk and Dormouse Chocolates.
David added: “All the brands have been handpicked by us and are some of the best around when it comes to craft chocolate.
“The beans can be tracked back to where they came from and who sold them.
“Very few ingredients are added to make the chocolate bars, which adds to an argument that it is healthier than mainstream chocolate.
“It isn’t an everyday chocolate, it is for special occasions or to have regularly but in small quantities.”
The Sweet Shop of Whitebridge will welcome customers for the first time on Thursday, 19 June and is expected to open Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays between 10am and 5pm, although visitors have been advised to check social media pages for any changes.
Other treats on offer include 11 varieties of liquorice, novelty sweets and some greetings cards.
David said: “It is more of an adult sweet shop, which we have given a retro but modern look. The room pops with colour and we will have lots of themed window displays.
“I’m very particular about the ingredients used in the products made on site and they have no unnecessary additives.”
