We chatted with Lucy Birchley from Duchess of Sweet about artisen rocky road:
Can you tell us about the Duchess of Sweet?
We can’t all be Kate Middleton but everyone can have a touch of Duchess in their lives with our handmade artisan sweets.
Every day at the Duchess of Sweet we are making the most delicious jelly and silkiest marshmallow from which we create our signature rocky road.
Our businesses ambition is to give our customers (and fellow Duchesses) a luxury flavour experience.
Why did you decide to specialize in making rocky road?
My business partner Judi and I are both HUGE rocky road fans but we often felt disappointed by the quality of the products already on the market.
Crappy chocolate, cheap marshmallow and very little or no jelly, left us regularly feeling underwhelmed. Also, a lot of the time rocky road is made using Turkish Delight, which is a great flavour but not everyone’s cup of tea. It just seemed crazy that no one was creating a high-quality product in a variety of flavours that would revive this retro classic and take it to a new level. Eventually, we decided to take matters into our own hands.
How do you create the perfect rocky road?
It’s all about the jelly and marshmallow. We make all of our products by hand in small batches to ensure the quality and flavour of everything that goes out into the world.
We worked very hard to develop our jelly and marshmallow to make it as delicious and unique as possible. And by pairing our signature creations with EXCEPTIONAL ethically-sourced chocolate we can create a balance between the flavour explosion in our jelly, soft chewy bliss that is our vanilla marshmallow and chocolate with really great flavour.
What are your most popular flavours?
The Orange and Almond Dark Chocolate has been walking off the shelves, I think because it is Dairy and Gluten Free so it is a real crowd pleaser, but personally, I’m a huge fan of the Pineapple and Macadamia Milk Chocolate. It’s like a Pina Colada in a chocolate bar.
Tell us about the chocolate you use?
Because we are making an artisan product we wanted to use high-quality couverture chocolate. After a lot of research, we decided to use the FairTrade certified Callebaut chocolate. We chose it for a few different reasons, including the incredible flavour, but also because it is ethically sourced and has a wonderful high cocoa butter content which gives it a creamy taste and texture. Adding an extra touch of luxury.
Do you cater for events, weddings and parties?
Absolutely! We have a range of options for parties and corporate events. We have small individual bags which make great wedding favours or take home event gifts and we also provide all the flavours for a rocky road dessert table and bulk orders so people can create their own unique event catering.
What do you love most about what you do?
I get to play with chocolate every day. Chocolate is messy, temperamental and a lot of fun to work with. I’ve had a small amount of formal training so everything I have created has been though my own experimentation and a lot of support from my business partner who has been running food businesses for decades and is an amazing cook in her own right.
Who or what inspires you?
I’m very inspired by other female bakers like Katherine Sabbath or Kirsten Tibbles. I love the design and artistic nature of their work, its technical but also imaginative and delicious.
To be honest I’m also really inspired by my business partner Judi (who also happens to be my mum) because she is a great cook and has a huge passion for making people smile though her cooking. If I could be even a little bit like her I think I’d feel proud.
What’s next for you?
We are already working on new products and packaging for the second half of the year. Also putting together a very special gift box ready for Christmas. We have so many exciting things in the pipeline, I cannot wait to share them with our fellow Duchesses. Watch this space!
Where can we buy your rocky road?
For the moment you can visit our website, www.duchessofsweet.com.au and follow us on Instagram @duchessofsweet to find out which markets and events we’ll be popping up at.
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