This weekend, I took a long overdue trip back home to Bedfordshire; to my hometown of Leighton Buzzard. I moved to London last September but I love going back; you don’t realise how nice a place is, especially one you grew up in, until you’re not there anymore. It’s a historic market town with a thriving high street – seems to have staved off the recession with a plethora of independent and boutique shops and cafes; indeed, my favourite thing about going back is the saturday morning coffee with mum and dad in one of the independently-owned coffee shops!
So imagine my delight when, this saturday, we discovered that a new family-owned handmade chocolate shop had opened in the high street; replacing an empty shop left over by a bakers. It’s called Creighton’s and I instantly loved it, just look at the prettiness:
Picture above and below from Creighton’s blog – all others are my own.
The chocolates are lovingly displayed in their brill colour co-ordinated wrappers – the red is Chili chocolate (my dad bought that) and the purple is a dark chocolate and dried cherry one, which I bought. So amazing. My mum got their creamy java one, and as it was 3 bars for £6 we went all in – surprisingly good value for something which is handmade and clearly quite luxury.
With a shop like this, it’s all in the visuals – the chocolate is handmade on the premises, so it needs to look special; the fact that they’ve merchandised it so there’s not too much stock on show gives you the feeling that a) it’s made to order and they don’t keep it lying around for weeks and b) it’s popular! Nothing worse than a lovely boutique which is overstocked to the brim because no-one’s buying anything.
The range of products on offer was great; I could see myself buying things as a present for others, but at the same time as a treat for myself; especially the bars!
These looked amazing – shavings on chocolate with various additions; on the left, marshmallows and coffee beans, in the white chocolate, rose petals. So pretty!
They had varying intensities of dark chocolate, from 62% to 75%. I love dark chocolate, the richer the better – you know when you get a good quality one because you can taste all the fruity, smokey flavours; if it’s a cheap chocolate it’s just bitter and yuck. It’s almost like wine in that sense, you really can pick up so many different things from chocolate.
I really hope the shop does well because places like this can be so hit and miss; Leighton is a very mixed bag, you have all kinds of people, from working class to the very well off. It’s why shops like this can sit side by side with poundland quite comfortably; each has it’s place.
It’s certainly given me a reason to go home more often; my saturday morning coffee outings will definitely involve a visit here! Check out Creightons website, and their blog too.
2 comments
storage leighton buzzard says:
Sep 8, 2011
As a local business we are delighted to read about Creightons. I hope they do well and wish them all the best
Suzanne VP Whaddon NightOwlers WI says:
Feb 24, 2012
Oh Wow! Lucy of Creighton’s Chocolaterie had us enthralled and drooling with her fascinating talk to Whaddon Night Owler’s WI about her delicious chocolates and amazing business in Leighton Buzzard. The chocolate samples were delicious and fascinating – I never realised real chocolate came in such a variety of flavours and how much nicer it tastes without the additives and fillers. I’ve gone right off the ‘production’ stuff now. I’m a convert!! I’ll be on regular pilgrimmage to the store to stock up on supplies and check out the wonderful seasonal items; and will be hard pressed not to eat the lot in the car on the way home! I never came across a box of chocolates where you can eat the box! Yummy! Well Done Lucy!!!