Burgh Bakes ..... Review and Giveaway!!

A huge thank you to Lydia for getting me started on these delicious treats!

She sent me an email stating she had put my name forward as a foodie blog to do a review of some homemade gourmet marshmallows - made in Edinburgh!

I sent an email to the owner, Nicole, and boy am I thankful to Lydia!! The marshmallows arrived this morning, each flavour individually packaged in kraft bags (you know everything tastes better when they come in brown packaging!!) with a little see through window to tempt the first of your senses.....boy did they look delicious!The next sense to be put to the test was smell....when you open each bag you get a distinctive scent of whats in store. Key Lime actually smelt like fresh Key Lime Pie....Millionaires Shortbread smelt exactly like...you get the idea! lol

Next came the tasting! Now, ever the professional I decided to take the photographs first to make sure I didnt 'accidentally' eat a whole packet and have nothing to show...do you know how hard it is to position these delicious treats and NOT lick your camera screen!

These are the flavours Nicole sent and I am declining to answer how many are left!

Millionaire Shortbread... just like the real thing, crumbly base, caramel centre and topped with dreamy chocolate...(even my non marshmallow eating hubby loved these!)
Key Lime Pie...A tangy marshmallow with real lime bits held up by a crumbly sweet base.Morello Cherry...A light and oh so subtle cherry flavour with a kick of dark chocolate for topping.
Lemon Meringue Pie...So moorish!! These are huge and almost melt in the mouth, so soft and tangy...perfect as a treat or dessert!
HOWEVER I do have my hands on an extra bag of the Lemon Meringue Pie Marshmallows which one of you can get hold of just by liking Burgh Bakes on Facebook and coming back to leave me a message to confirm you have done so :)

Competition open until Thursday 12pm

I asked Nicole to answer a couple of questions so that any entrepreneurs out there would be inspired to start their own business' too :)

How did you get started?

Basically I graduated from University with a degree in ‘English Literature’ which turned out to be amazingly useless when it came to getting a so called “proper” job, so after a year of pub jobs, café jobs and a number of awful bosses I decided I’d had enough of waiting for a job to happen and make one happen for myself! I started off baking traybakes, cupcakes and loaf cakes and selling my wares wherever I could, even car boot sales! Around March I wanted to do something different, after seeing cupcake shops springing up in Edinburgh I knew I couldn’t compete with them so I wanted to do something different. I spent one sleepless night researching the internet looking for an idea and came across Gourmet Marshmallows, both incredibly popular in America and Paris! Two very different places! The American Marshmallows were very articificially coloured and look like a taste explosion on a plate, whereas the Parisian Marshmallows were very subtle, grand and, well… Parisian! I wanted to strike a balance inbetween and hence, “Burgh Bakes” – ‘The Marshmallow Lady’ was born! I made my debut in the middle of April and have gone from strength to strength since!

How do you not eat every batch!!??

Well.. who says I don’t? haha. No, but I have to try each batch just to make sure they’re as delicious as they can be, but apart from that I don’t really indulge in them that often, I’d rather sell them to keep the dream going!

What makes you think up new flavours - are they your own favourites or suggestions etc?

Mainly friends and family provide me with inspiration. The ‘Millionaires’ Shortbread’ was my mother’s idea, she came to me one day and asked if it was possible and two days later I delivered her a wee bag of the delicious treats. I also keep track of what’s ‘in’ with all the chefs. I’ve noticed that Elderflower seems to be everywhere right now, so I’m currently working on a flavour incorporating the yummy syrup! I’m also working on ‘Maple Syrup & Candied Pecans’, ‘Summer Fruits Crumble’ and ‘Reverse Rocky Road’!

Thank you so much Nicole, I wish you all the luck in the world on your adventure and I will certainly be back for more! :)