Name: Elizabeth Syrett.
Business Name: Bonne Bouche.
What does your shop sell? We sell handmade Belgian and English chocolates, homemade ice creams and a range of other confectionary from my shop in St Martins Lane (the narrow lane virtually opposite the castle on the High St).
How long have you been running the business? It will be twenty years this coming Christmas.
What was on the premises before? Prior to us, it was a Greek Orthodox Bookshop.
Where do you get your stock from? Our handmade English chocolates come from Audrey’s of Hove (who also stock Fortnum and Mason), whilst Charbonnel & Walker supply our truffles, including their illustrious Champagne truffles.
What’s the most expensive thing you sell? Nothing on its own is expensive. However, we do offer a variety of selection boxes and our 800-gram selection retails at £23.50.
And the cheapest? You can have a single chocolate from 35 pence.
And the most unusual? We currently sell chilli truffles, and I’m looking forward to receiving a new range of French chocolates, which will include green tea, cardamom and a variety of other spices.
What sort of people use the business? We’ve built up a large number of regulars over the years. Some come in every week, others for a variety of special occasions. At the moment, end of term presents for are proving popular, and the tourist trade is also starting to pick up.
Is their anything that irritates you about your business? Only that perhaps after twenty years in the business it seems like time for a change. The shop itself, thanks to help from my husband John, runs very smoothly.