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We've consciously taken the decision to stay small, and I'm incredibly proud of our little shop where people can come and see bean-to-bar chocolate in action!
This year’s British Craft Chocolate Competition saw an incredible range of flavour, innovation, and craft, and Dormouse Chocolates stood out with two award-winning bars: their customer favourite Toasted White, that wowed the judges with its rich, caramelised profile, and a bold new bar made with rare Sakaguchi beans.
We caught up with the maker behind Dormouse Chocolates to hear more about the inspiration behind the winning entries, the story of how an accidental temp job led to a thriving bean-to-bar brand, and what’s next as they celebrate their tenth anniversary.
International Chocolate Awards: Can you tell us the story behind your winning products? Why did you choose these particular bars to enter this year?
Isobel: The Toasted White has been a firm favourite of our customers for a long time, so I thought it was about time I entered it into the International Chocolate Awards! It came about after I tried toasting milk powder just to see what happened. At the same time, I was looking for a way to use some amazing cocoa butter I had found, and so making a white chocolate with both elements seemed like the perfect solution!
We only started working with the Sakaguchi beans last year, and I believe we were one of the first makers to do so. As soon as I tried a sample of the liquor made from them, I knew I wanted to work with them—the flavour was so different to anything we currently use.
We use a super light roast to keep the delicate flavours of the beans, and I feel like they give such a different flavour journey to anything else in our lineup, so I was interested to see how the chocolate profiled in a competition. I was absolutely thrilled that the bar picked up such a good score! (Silver prize, score: 88.0 – the editor)
Awards: How did your journey with chocolate begin? And where are you now as a brand?
Isobel: My journey into chocolate was a complete accident. I always say it was a Christmas job that got wildly out of hand! I got a temp job working in retail with a well-known British chocolatier chain, which somehow ignited a real passion in me. I stayed with them well beyond that one Christmas, eventually moving into events and a new concept they were launching, training in bean-to-bar production.
Unfortunately that didn’t quite work out, so I set up on my own, at first in my home kitchen, before moving into a production kitchen and eventually the shop we have now.
We’ve consciously taken the decision to stay small, and I’m incredibly proud of our little shop where people can come and see bean-to-bar chocolate in action!
Awards: What’s your perspective on the UK craft chocolate scene today?
Isobel: I think the craft chocolate scene in the UK is at an interesting stage. The past few years have been challenging for everyone, but out of that we have formed a very close-knit community, helping each other out whenever we can, such as sharing the cost of importing beans.
We’re also seeing the rise of craft chocolate associations, which feels like such a positive step for us all.
Awards: What’s your chocolate-making philosophy?
Isobel: First and foremost for me is flavour. I’m always looking for new and unusual beans to work with that bring something unexpected to the lineup. There’s nothing more exciting to me than getting a call to say someone has an unusual micro-batch and would I like to try it out.
I also feel really strongly that there should be transparency across our supply chain, knowing that everyone has been treated equitably.
Awards: What challenges have you faced on this journey, and how have they shaped your approach?
Isobel: Sadly, I think the biggest obstacle has been Brexit. The constant changes to importing rules mean every bean order throws up something different. The flip side of that is that makers do group together and share orders now, which has been really helpful.
The current pricing uncertainty with beans and cocoa butter is another huge challenge. It’s definitely making me think more about the way I create new recipes. Again, the chocolate community in the UK has grouped together to share orders—especially of cocoa butter—where buying in volume means we can secure better prices and supply.
Awards: What inspires you when creating new products?
Isobel: Pretty much everything! I’m constantly looking at things and wondering how they would work in a bar of chocolate, or bouncing ideas off friends. I challenge myself to make at least one completely new bar every month—some much more successful than others!
Awards: How does it feel to have your work recognised by the International Chocolate Awards?
Isobel: It feels really validating to win an award. I really value the transparency in scoring and judging from the ICAs and the feedback we receive. Even for entries that don’t pick up an award, it’s interesting to look at ways to improve them.
Awards: What’s next for Dormouse Chocolates?
Isobel: We’re celebrating 10 years of making chocolate this year! I don’t want to give too much away—but look out for new bars and limited editions to commemorate the occasion!
Awards: What’s one surprising thing people might not know about Dormouse Chocolates?
Isobel: The company is named after the Dormouse at the Mad Hatter’s tea party in Alice in Wonderland! Not entirely sure what that says about me or the way I was feeling when I first started up!
Awards: Is there a chocolate maker, mentor, or tradition that especially inspires you?
Isobel: That’s a tough question! Anyone that has the tenacity to work in this industry is inspiring. First and foremost, I think the people that grow, ferment and dry our raw materials deserve the utmost respect—without them none of this would be possible.
I also really admire people who aren’t afraid to do things differently. Mackenzie at Map, Warren at Fu Wan, and the team at Soma immediately spring to mind—their flavour combinations and craftsmanship are incredible.
Awards: Finally, what would your dream chocolate bar look like, with no limits?
Isobel: It would have to be either a really rare cacao, or a new and experimental fermentation. As much as I love coming up with fun inclusions, there’s nothing more enjoyable than finding something unusual and letting it sing! I’d love to spend some time working on a farm somewhere and coming up with a bespoke new fermentation.
Dormouse Chocolates
Manchester, UK
https://dormousechocolates.com/
