Are you a fan of chocolate brownies? Do you know someone else who is? If you can answer ‘yes’ to at least one of those questions, read on! There’s something special below for fans of these delicious chocolaty treats – and, I wouldn’t share something if I didn’t think it was awesome 🙂
Established by Kirstyn & Andrew in 2006, Gourmet Brownie is a company that’s local to me in Ely. They have a reputation for indulgent brownies that ooze flavour and once you’ve bitten through the crisp crust, it melts in the mouth. No exaggeration.
Gourmet Brownie rebranded six years ago, which is when they first appeared on my radar. I have a feeling they’re on the way to their biggest & best year in 2019. They’ve certainly started as they mean to go on: their Valentine’s range is ready to go, and they held a launch event for local bloggers & influencers to find out more.
Lizzie Woodman, my friend & fellow blogger, was heavily involved in getting this event together. It was held at Ely’s beautiful Poets House, where I had my birthday cocktail masterclass 🙂 We all met in the gorgeous Sonnet Bar & Lounge for gin cocktails and mocktails, and Kirstyn & Andrew told us about their vision for growing Gourmet Brownie.
Afterwards, we went upstairs to a private dining room. Oh, the smell as you walked in: a mix of chocolate, sweetness and floral scents. We were all taken aback at the sight of the dazzling table: the longest platter of brownies I’d ever seen and a centrepiece by Lizzy, owner of Farm Flowers, which wouldn’t look out of place at a red carpet event – my photo does not do it justice.
Zoe from Ely Gin was there, happily pouring us some raspberry gin with a variety of mixers throughout the evening. The founders, Nancy & James, have created some fantastic gins, but don’t just take my word for it. Prince Charles tried some when he visited Ely and thought their sloe & cherry gin was ‘absolutely irresistible’ 🙂
Right, back to the stars of the show! Using raspberries for their Valentine’s theme, Kirstyn & Andrew have created Raspberry & Rose, Raspberry Delight, Raspberry & Pistachio, Raspberry Gin Extreme and Vegan Coconut & Raspberry brownies, plus one with a difference: Nuts About You which has more than a passing resemblance to a Snickers bar! Which would you choose?
The brownies don’t contain any artificial flavourings, colourings or preservatives – it just gets better, right – only deliciously fresh ingredients, many locally sourced, are used.
Have you ever decorated a brownie? I hadn’t, and I must admit I struggle with this sort of creative task. It will either look great or rubbish. Not sure about this effort! There were so many decorating options (fresh & dried raspberries, edible glitter, flower petals, buttercream, dried fruit…) I felt the need to try a bit of everything. Less is more, Emma; less is more!
These guys certainly know how to make bloggers smile. They’d set up a photography light box in the corner with lots of props. I wish I’d had more time to experiment with it. Again, my creative spark was not ignited that evening, but I gave it a go.
I sat next to Tracey Harding from Visit Ely. They’ve been instrumental in getting the Ely Borrow Bag scheme going with Lesley from Sew Much To Do. It was great to meet Tracey in person, and nice to hear she’d enjoyed my Borrow Bag post 🙂 By the way, they did reach their target of 500 bags by Christmas. The next target is another 500 by Easter!
The end of a terrific evening came all too soon. We took home our brownie creations and some from the sample platter, and I can tell you this made The Smith house very happy. We also left with the most generous goody bag.
Inside were more brownies, a bottle of Raspberry Ely Gin, dried rose buds and a mini bouquet from Farm Flowers, a jar of salted caramel sauce from Joe & Seph’s and a birthday card from AV Typography – Amy designed our beautiful invitation too and is clearly a talented artist.
And now, I have a treat for you! Kirstyn & Andrew are generously offering a 15% discount on all UK orders placed between 25th January and 11th February 2019. Spread some Valentine’s love with a gift box containing four brownies and a personal message for the special person. It’ll be delivered straight to their door. You could treat yourself too – I’m sure you deserve it! 🙂
Make your selection on the Gourmet Brownie website and use code VAL19 for your discount!
Kirstyn & Andrew started Gourmet Brownie with £200, their own creativity, business experience and hard graft. I’m so pleased for them as they are genuinely lovely people. I hope their business continues to grow and that more people around the UK (and beyond) get to experience what I believe are some of the best brownies you’ll ever taste.
Bye for now!
#100DaysNoTV 
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