Sian Fish - Anything But Plain Chocolate
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| Sian Fish of Anything But Plain Chocolate with a selection of her chocolate delights! |
Today lets meet the lovely Sian Fish – a Chocologist. Sian combines the skill and science of chocolate making with a good dose of fun and unusual flavour combinations – creating something just that little bit different. After all isn’t chocolate supposed to be fun?
Name: Sian Fish
Age: 34
Business: Anything
But Plain Chocolate
Location: Warmley,
Bristol
Website: anythingbutplainchocolate.co.uk
What do you do?
I make unusual
chocolates
How long have you been
running your business for?
I've just started,
so a couple of months
What do you love most
about it?
Who doesn't love
chocolate? I love coming up with funky
ideas and I love seeing people's reactions.
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| Sian with her famous chocolate frogs |
How did you get there?
After having two
kids I decided I wanted to be at home, I used to work long hours in IT,
managing a helpdesk but after having my youngest who’s now 7 months old, I
wanted to do something that I loved. After racking my brain I decided I'd fall
back on my one true love, chocolate. I
wanted it to reflect my personality, something quirky and fun.
I’m entirely self taught and after deciding ‘This was it
– chocolate’ I went and bought all the best chocolate books I could find (which
aren’t cheap) and spent a lot of time on chocolate dedicated forums – which are
mainly based in America as Chocolate making is very popular over there.
Two
chocolatiers in particular really
inspired me. Paul A Young, inventor of marmite chocolate and port and stilton
chocolate and who’s book ‘Adventures in Chocolate’ really made me decide this
was what I
wanted to do, and William Curley, who also creates interesting
chocolates and was the inspiration for my confit fruit range.
What was the biggest
challenge you faced setting up your chocolate business?
Understanding the science behind the art of being a
chocolatier. There is a lot more to it than just popping some chocolate in a
pan and melting it! There are six different types of crystals in chocolate and
that affects the flavour and the ‘snap’. The sign of a good chocolate is the
‘snap’. The reason chocolate such as cadburys
is ‘soft’ and there is no snap is due to the high vegetable oil content
– which, although makes it smooth, it changes the characteristics of chocolate.
Chocolate preforms best at certain temperatures (16-18ºC) so I invested in a ‘chocolate’ fridge as a
standard fridge is just too cold and humid.
There was lots of trial and error at the beginning, which meant I had
lots of ‘visitors’ keen to help me out!!
It’s a fascinating
process and although now I have mastered the skills – I’m still learning.
So now it’s trying to find the right people to sell to. As it
is still a new business I’m experimenting
with where the best places to sell are.
oh and running a business whilst brining up two small children!
My three year old has an amazing ability to run through the kitchen and take
chocolate with him without me noticing! (although my husband also has this
skill so he must get it from him!)
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| Sian showing me how she decorates her frogs |
What’s been the
highlight so far in owning and running your own business?
Meeting such an amazing range of people! I love talking to
people at the different markets I sell at, especially on Whiteladies Road,
Bristol. The other day I met a fantastic
character, an elderly gent with brightly coloured clothes and a peacock feather
in his cap. He bought lots of chocolate hearts while we discussed the
psychology of them.
Everyone comments on the brightly coloured chocolate frogs. I
make one frog – the North American Exploding Frog - with popping candy and they
really appeal to people over 30! They’ll come along with their children and
suddenly be transported back to being a kid and end up buying more for
themselves than their children! That’s what I love about this –it brings out
the ‘kid’ in all of us.
And of course experimenting with different flavour
combinations. Like the ‘twisted crisps’.
These are lightly salted potato crisps that have been dipped in smooth Belgian
chocolate with either chilli flakes or sea salt and freshly ground pepper to
add a unique flavour. They are something that you think – ‘that can’t possibly
work’ but it does! I love seeing the expression on peoples faces when they try
them.
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| Lydia on the other side of the camera for a change...;-) |
What’s the Best piece
of Advice you’ve been given?
Stick at it. I know that the first year in any business is
tough, so just to keep going.
What have you learnt
about yourself as a result of setting up your business?
That I’m tenacious! I didn’t realise how determined I was
until starting my business. Of course I want my business to be successful, but
have learnt that it will take more that a few knocks to stop me!
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| Here's some we made earlier! While we were there Sian let us loose on some chocolate! These are the results |
If others want to do
this I’d say...
What’s next for
Anything But Plain Chocolate?
We are going to specialise in making special chocolates for
weddings. We make some very beautiful rosemary and sea salt small chocolates
that are perfect for favours. And as I have the facility to spray colour the
chocolates (with coloured coco butter which comes from France. They produce the
highest quality, you have to be careful with colourings as I found that a lot
are full of nasty E numbers – which I don’t want in my chocolate),
I can colour them to match the brides colour scheme – so
creating something totally bespoke and unique. Making their special day - just that little bit extra special.
We will still make our chocolate frogs and truffles but will
focus on this area.
What’s you favourite
chocolate flavour combination?
Has to be Coffee. But to be honest I’ll eat any flavour!
Where can you buy
Anything But Plain Chocolates?
and the following
markets:
September
Saturday 1st - Sustainable
Redland Farmers Market – Whiteladies Rd, Bristol
Saturday 15th - Sustainable
Redland Farmers Market – Whiteladies Rd, Bristol
Friday 28th - Bradley Stoke
Farmers Market – Willow Brook Centre, Savages Wood Road, Bradley Stoke, Bristol
Saturday 29th – Chipping
Sodbury Jazz Festival, Chipping Sodbury
October
Saturday 6th - Sustainable
Redland Farmers Market – Whiteladies Rd, Bristol
Saturday 20th - Macmillan
Coffee Morning – Marlborough Town Hall, Marlborough
Sunday 21st – Ashton Court
Farmers Market – Ashton Court, Bristol
Friday 26th - Bradley Stoke
Farmers Market – Willow Brook Centre, Savages Wood Road, Bradley Stoke, Bristol
November
Saturday 3rd - Sustainable
Redland Farmers Market – Whiteladies Rd, Bristol
Saturday 17th - Sustainable
Redland Farmers Market – Whiteladies Rd, Bristol
Sunday 18th – Ashton Court
Farmers Market – Ashton Court, Bristol
Friday 23rd - Bradley Stoke
Farmers Market – Willow Brook Centre, Savages Wood Road, Bradley Stoke, Bristol
December
Saturday 1st – Ashton Court
Christmas Fayre – Ashton Court, Bristol
Sunday 2nd - Ashton Court
Christmas Fayre – Ashton Court, Bristol
Saturday 15th - Sustainable
Redland Farmers Market – Whiteladies Rd, Bristol
And I’m currently investigating which outlets I’d like to
stock my chocolates..
What is The 'Do What You Love' Project..?
After printing this message on my bags I thought - ooh I'd love to find ten local Bristol business people who do what they love, interview them about what they do, why they love it and how they've got there and also 'model' one of my bags.
I really wanted to work with a local photographer - so approached Lydia Samuel via Outset to see if she would be interested in collaborating with me. She was! Perfect!
So a call-out was created, posted on facebook and twitter and people started applying! Over thirty people applied, and it was really difficult to choose ten. I spent my time going through each application and selected the ten as I felt their passion really shone through.
Everyone who applied will be featured though in some way as I think it's important to celebrate everyone who is doing something they love!
These interviews and photographs are the results.
I hope you enjoy reading this series of interviews, and that it will inspire you in some way to pursue your dreams and ‘Do what you Love!’ (that is if you aren’t doing that already! - if you are - do let me know by leaving a comment about what you do and why you love it!).
Want your own 'Do What You Love Bag?' they are currently on sale at Paper Scissors Stone in Quaker Friars, Bristol or email me directly bagsofloveforbristol@gmail.com. And why not come and say hello on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bags-of-Love-for-Bristol/444261982265482
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