This fish and chip shop in Swaffham has branched out into doughnuts and they're becoming a hit at events.
The market for wedding favours and treat tables is booming -and one business in Norfolk has brought its own quirky USP to the industry by offering brides and grooms bespoke 'doughnut walls' for their special day.
The Handmade Doughnut Company in Swaffham has vertical stands which will hold either 50 or 94 handmade, gourmet doughnuts. Best of all, couples can opt for customised toppings and flavours to fit in with their theme.
Branching out into events has long been the plan for Andrew Martin, who runs the business with his family. "You've got to keep evolving in retail to keep at the front," he says. "You've got to be different, and you've got to offer something top quality, and service that's good."
At the moment, Andrew and the team are gearing up for National Doughnut Week (kicking off on May 11), tasting and trialling new flavours to knock the socks off their customers.
And you don't have to wait for a wedding to try them, because the doughnuts are available every day at Mother Hubbard's fish and chip shop in Swaffham, which Andrew's family has operated since 1991.
Talking about the leap to branch out into baked goods, Andrew says: "I was looking for another product that went with fish and chips as a sweet, and as doughnuts are fried and I used to have a bakery, thought they'd be ideal. Krispy Kremes seem to be everywhere and I thought to myself 'I can do that'."
Unlike many commercial doughnuts, which come drenched in oil and filled with pappy, low-quality jam, Andrew and his team have gone the extra mile to ensure every product that leaves the shop is as delicious and luxurious as possible.
"It's all natural. And we use as many local suppliers as we can. We get our flour from Carr's in Essex, we use Heygates on the market and Freestons in Norwich. Plus, we get our jams from The Garden Pantry at Wymondham - we use a lot of their preserves as fillings."
Every doughnut is made on the day it's sold and there are 15 to 20 different flavours to choose from. "We're always adding flavours so they're not the same all the time. We're always introducing new ones. Recently we brought in a Biscoff one which had a Biscoff filling, and Biscoff crumb on top. And we did an Oreo one with vanilla cream, a chocolate coating and Oreo crumb on top. I'm excited too because soon we'll be making our own cookies based on our doughnut flavours."
Regular tastes in the shop include:
1. Cherry Bakewell - filled with cherry jam and almond cream, with a vanilla glaze and chocolate.
2. Strawberries and cream - high quality strawberry jam with cream and a strawberry fondant icing.
3. Salted caramel.
4. Rhubarb, strawberry and gin jam with custard.
5. Apple crumble - stewed apple, caramel topping and a sprinkle of crumble.
6. Jaffa cake - with a layer of orange jelly and a milk and dark chocolate coating.
Andrew's favourite?
"I don't think you can beat a raspberry jam doughnut…but if I want a gourmet one I'll go for apple crumble."
Mother Hubbard's is open from 11.30am Monday to Friday, from 10.30am on Saturday and from 2pm on Sunday. Get your doughnuts there, or at King's Lynn Farmers' Market or Swaffham Market. The stall will be at the Big Norfolk Sausage Bash on May 12 in Aylsham, and there are plans to branch out to other markets throughout 2019.
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