Why do fresh handmade chocolates taste so good?

We like to have full control over what goes into our chocolates and how they are made. This is why we do it all by hand, with a small highly trained team of chocolatiers. Nigel Rumsey has personally trained all our chocolatiers and they work in 'theatre kitchens' which you can see when visiting our chocolateries. There is nothing to hide with our artisan handmade chocolates. In fact we want our customers to have an amazing experience when buying chocolates from us both online and in our chocolatiers, we think it's important for you to know and understand the care that goes into each and every chocolate.

At Rumsey's we aim for perfection every time, this is why we are proud to be a handmade business. We quality control every chocolate and the ingredients we use. We make small batches of our chocolates to ensure they are fresh. Our chocolatier’s individually hand dip each of our chocolates making sure they are perfectly covered... so you don't miss out!

Organic Ginger and Dark Chocolate Ganache Truffles

This month's "Spotlight on.." Rumsey's flavour focus features our ever-popular stem ginger chocolate is made with tempered dark chocolate base which is scattered with stem ginger chunks and left to set to give a satisfying snap.

On top of this we add a ginger ganache... imagine boiled cream, ginger and syrup plus dark chocolate all mixed together - delicious! The smell when this is being made is incredible.

Finally, we dip each individual chocolate by hand into our organic dark chocolate, we use organic for the extra fruitiness it brings, and top with a delicate piece of stem ginger to finish.

If you love ginger, we promise you'll love these. Included in our luxury chocolate gift boxes and also an option in the Create Your Own Chocolate Box section.

Golden Caramel Chocolate with a Biscuit Base

Golden Caramel is definitely one of our most popular chocolates (it's certainly one of our). The reason it is so special is all the delicious layers... first a layer of caramelised biscuit on the base, which is then topped with a creamy toffee ganache.

This is then dipped into a golden caramel chocolate and finished with a sprinkle of toffee pieces. It has a smooth, velvety texture and seems to be loved by everyone young and old.

Orange Seville Zest Dark Chocolate

We get asked a lot if we have "chocolate truffles".

Did you know that officially a truffle is just a simple chocolate ganache made with cream, that's traditionally rolled in cocoa powder creating rich creamy flavour?

Our handmade chocolates therefore aren't officially classed as chocolate truffles, as each chocolate is made with different flavours and has a range of textures. Our Orange Seville however is much like a truffle, but it's even better!

We create a zesty orange reduction that's added to the dark chocolate ganache for an extra flavour. This is then spread on a slab to allow the ganache to cool and firm slightly ready to be pipped out and rolled in cocoa powder to finish. Looks like a truffle but is so much more.

Rumsey's Behind The Scenes - Staff Spotlight

People Behind the Taste

We want to introduce you to some of our fabulous team.

Nigel

Master chocolatier Nigel Rumsey has been creating his exquisite range of award-winning handmade chocolates since 1991. Starting with just a small catering unit at the back of his house, his simple aim throughout his career has been to produce top quality products from the very finest ingredients.

Pawel

Pawel is our head of all thing’s chocolate (and ice cream!)… not a bad job right! Pawel has worked for us for 15 years and was trained by Nigel Rumsey from scratch. He’s grown (not literally!) with us and now looks after the whole production team - chocolatiers, wrapping and fulfilment. Not only did Nigel teach Pawel how to make the very best chocolates, he also brainwashed him into supporting Tottenham Hotspur’s! Pawel says his favourite chocolate to make is Champagne. And his favourite one to eat... all of them!

Jo 

This is Jo, she is a key asset to our chocolate team. Jo leads our patisserie team as well as creating new chocolate ideas, she is currently working on something new which hopefully you will see very soon! Jo also created our handmade marshmallow that accompany our luxury hot chocolate (delicious). One of Jo's favourite things to make is our marzipan chocolates. Jo works in both our Thame and Wendover shop, and you can often see her making wonderful creations.

Amy

This is Amy, she is one of our wonderful chocolatiers and has been with us at Rumsey's for almost a decade. Amy has perfected her chocolate skills over the years and now knows most recipes off by heart!

Amy's favourite chocolate to make is Pink Gin (which is actually one of her many personal creations). Her favourite chocolate to eat meanwhile, is our Strawberry chocolate - a very popular seasonal flavour available to choose in our Create Your Own gift boxes. Amy is currently working on her Level 2 Patisserie & Perfections course and the rest of us are enjoying tasting all her creations!

Ella

This is Ella, the superstar who looks after all our online orders. Her favourite chocolate to wrap is our beautiful mint leaves (she got lots of practice at these as we sold hundred at Christmas!).

Pistachio Marzipan is Ella’s favourite chocolate to eat, so she’s always jealous when they go into your “Create Your Own” bundles... no missing chocolate complaints yet though!