When we think of Christmas, our minds tend to turn towards the warming scents of the season like cinnamon, ginger, peppermint and orange. So why not work these evocative festive ingredients into your wholesale sweets order for the coming season?
When ordering your stock of wholesale sweets for Christmas this year, try to think beyond the chocolate coins and candy canes to the flavours that we really associate with the festive period.
Think mince pies, mulled wine and Christmas pudding and your tongue will start to tingle with memories of warm spices and sharp citrus. Why not echo those warming memories in the confectionery you choose?
Warm Ginger
Known for its health properties, ginger has traditionally offered a warm heat to Christmas confectioneries and baked goods throughout the ages. From the gingerbreads and pfeffernüsse of Northern Europe to the Middle Eastern sweet treats flavoured with the spice, it has always proved a popular warming winter flavour.
Ginger has become increasingly popular in the UK in recent years as part of the growth in Asian cuisine and its inclusion in healthy juice drinks and smoothies, making now the perfect time to stock some sweet candied ginger.
Prestat’s flavour-bursting Ginger Hunks are so beautifully presented they would make an ideal Christmas gift or after-Christmas-dinner treat.
Those looking for a gentler ginger heat this winter should try the Pure Gingerbread Cream Truffles for an indulgent chocolate and ginger flavour.
Spicy Cinnamon
From mulled wine to spiced apples, cinnamon has always been used to add a spicy warmth to winter sweet treats. Joe and Seph’s Toffee, Apple and Cinnamon Popcorn feels like Halloween, fireworks night and Christmas all rolled into one, evoking memories of cold autumnal and winter nights.
For an equally winter-warming, but slightly more indulgent, treat for your customers you could stock some delicious Baked Apple and Cinnamon Truffle Balls to create the flavours and aromas of winter.
Peppy Peppermint
Ever since confectioners started adding peppermint to their Christmas candy canes back in the 19th Century, the connection between peppermint and the winter festival has been maintained. Now companies like Barú are taking this a step further by creating a Christmas treat in the form of a marshmallow bar flavoured with peppermint and coated in dark chocolate.
Tangy Orange
The pairing of fresh, zesty orange with the creamy richness of chocolate has long been a Christmas classic thanks to its rich, indulgent flavour combination.
For this reason, confectioners have always battled to make the most delicious chocolate orange offering for the Christmas period. This year the two confectioners I believe are leading the way are Meybona, with its Collage Bar of fine milk chocolate topped with orange and roasted almonds, and Prestat, with its crystallised orange hand-dipped in chocolate.
Whichever products you choose to stock as part of your wholesale confectionery range this winter, make sure you think past the obvious and stock up on some of the flavours and aromas which evoke the feelings and memories of this very special season.
Angelina Moufftard works for hf Chocolates, established wholesale sweets suppliers with decades of experience supplying sweets and high-end chocolates to retailers across the UK. Working with the most dedicated suppliers from France, Spain, Germany, Holland, Belgium, the USA and the UK, hf Chocolates' great tasting and beautifully packaged products add panache to any sweet display.