Cobden and Brown a well-heeled chocolatier

Cobden and Brown, the Northern Irish luxury chocolatier, is developing a range of novelty hand crafted chocolates for retailers on the island of Ireland.

The artisan company, based at Moira in county Antrim, has introduced a chocolate high-heeled shoe product that has just gone on sale (RRP £15) at retailers across Northern Ireland.

The small company, founded and owned by Caroline McArdle, a graphic designer turned full-time chocolatier, also has business in the Republic of Ireland for her range of chocolate bars.

"We've been approached by a number of customers for original chocolate designs over the past few months and decided to create the shoe design to help showcase the quality products that I currently have in my range," Mrs McArdle says.

"Feedback from retailers in Northern Ireland has been very positive and have used it as show piece. It's been selling well too," she adds. She recently launched a 100 percent cocoa bar.

She launched the chocolate business in 2011 to provide a range of gluten-free products for coeliacs. In addition to being gluten free, the chocolates are free from wheat and eggs. The company's dark chocolate is also dairy-free.

"I decided to start making chocolates and desserts when my son was diagnosed with coeliac disease. I was keen that he should be able to enjoy chocolate like his friends and classmates.

"This led me to begin researching and developing my own recipes particularly for chocolate. The end result is a range of chocolates from quality ingredients including cocoa sourced directly from farms in Ghana.

"I looked at chocolates currently available in confectioners and supermarkets and found that they all contained gluten. It seemed to me that the only course was to start creating my own recipes for ingredients I could trust. I also consulted leading chocolatiers about how to develop a range of luxury products," she adds.

A key feature of the chocolates is that they don't use any processed ingredients. The chocolates are handmade in small batches to recipes she has developed and are fully tested as being gluten free by a fully accredited laboratory.

The smll business has grown steadily since 2011 and expects further growth in the year ahead. "The prospects for the next 12 months look good especially if sterling continues to remain weaker than the Euro. I am especially keen to expand into the Republic," she says.