The owner of an award-winning Suffolk ice cream parlour and chocolate house says she’s thrilled that two of her hot chocolates have picked up prizes in the recent Academy of Chocolate Awards.
For most of the year Jane Hadley can be seen at major events in and around the county, and at her shop, The Parlour in Lavenham, selling the most delicious, inventive, beautiful quality ice creams and sorbets.
Only those in the know will appreciate how special her collection of hot chocolates are though – including competition judges from not only the Academy of Chocolate, but the Great Taste Awards, who have showered her drinks with attention since she started conjuring them up nearly a decade ago.
Her winners include a deep, earthy 75% blend of Bali and Solomon Islands chocolates from Orford’s Pump Street (which took silver), and the rich, fruity, bronze-winning 80% Ecuador hot chocolate made with hand-flaked Tosier bars – also from Suffolk.
Jane’s range also includes a 70% Tosier Belize hot chocolate (winner of two stars in last year’s Great Taste Awards) - “that’s really fruity and rice” - and her best-seller, made with Pump Street’s Ecuador 60% bar.
The Parlour is one of only a handful of spots in the east of England where you can enjoy luxury single estate hot chocolate, which Jane says is “like choosing a fine wine. There are so many different tastes involved with proper chocolate. We’re very lucky in Suffolk to have two of the most amazing chocolate makers on our doorstep!”
The foodie, whose ice cream production slows down in the winter months, has been delighting customers with her thick, creamy, indulgent hot chocolates since 2015. “I used to sell it at Bury Christmas Fair and it was always so popular – naturally when I opened the shop in Lavenham I had to offer it here too.”
The secret to a decent cup is using the same high-quality ingredients that go into her frozen desserts. “It’s literally just the best chocolate and organic milk or milk from Bradfield Dairy. I always use really good ingredients because you really can taste the difference.”
Anyone watching Jane at work will see she is more than generous with her chocolate flakes, which are scooped into each cup in an alarming (read: pleasing) volume. A vanilla and chocolate marshmallow, made by Dawn at Yaffle House, using Tosier and Pump Street chocolate, is the hot chocolate’s crowning glory.
The cocoa-rich mocha, made with Monmouth Coffee is a thing to behold too. And Jane is building up a range of chocolate bars and filled chocolates from Wood Row Chocolate, Pump Street and Tosier, sold alongside a collection of homewares in the shop, from hand painted Jane Hogben pottery and linens, to much-loved Emma Bridgewater wares.
Pop in for your hot chocolate fix from 10.30am to 4.30pm Friday to Sunday, with opening hours increasing from February onwards. There are a couple of seats inside and out to rest your weary feet!
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