Unique Fudge Fondue joins Melting Pot gourmet portfolio


Blackthorn Foods, the award-winning gourmet fudge maker, is moving into sauces with the launch of a unique Fudge Fondue under its successful Melting Pot brand.



The company, based in Belfast, Northern Ireland, has created the handmade Fudge Fondue product, a butter fudge in a Cazuela, a tapas-style earthenware dish, for cooking in a microwave, oven or on a barbecue as a deliciously different sauce. The dish contains 140gms of handmade fudge. Heating softens the fudge which can then be used as a fondue dip, sauce or dessert accompaniment.



Fudge Fondue is the first sauce developed by Blackthorn Foods, which currently supplies its range of Melting Pot fudge flavoured fudge bars to retailers throughout the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. Existing products are listed with Whole Foods and Cotswold Fayre, Hider Foods, Dobbies in GB and Donnybrook Fair in Dublin. It has also won business in the US for the products.



Dorothy Bittles, one of the three sisters who founded Blackthorn Foods in 2003, says Fudge Fondue is the outcome of extensive market research in Britain.



"The study, part of our longstanding focus on new product development, highlighted an opportunity for a fine sauce based on our reputation as producer of gourmet fudge using only the best natural ingredients.



"Our test marketing produced extremely positive feedback and encouraged to push ahead with the fondue. It's obviously an important decision for us to diversify into the sauce market.



"A crucially important decision for us was to identify the right packaging. We settled on the Cazuela format because it's extremely versatile and also very attractive.



"We've carried into Fudge Fondue our commitment to provide a natural sauce that doesn't use any chemicals or additives to preserve the product," she adds.



The new fondue is based on the company's successful Melting Pot 100g fudge bars which have won a string of UK Great Taste Awards over the past two years.



The company has also added to the existing 11-strong range of handmade fudge bars such as Honeycomb, and Chocolate, Baileys and White Chocolate, Rum and Raisin and Stem Ginger and Dark Chocolate.



The new 100g fudge bar is Rocky Road, a richly flavoured and crunchy blend of cherries, marshmallows and raisins.



The fudge continues to be produced by hand and in small batches to ensure consistently high quality. Each batch is hand beaten, hand cut and hand wrapped for the authentic homemade taste.