Richard Dennison has been selling his home-made fudge on Exeter's High street for 17 years, writes Julia Bradshaw

To many people Richard Dennison is endearingly known as the Fudge Man. For the past 17 years he has been selling his home-made confection to hungry passers-by from his stall in Exeter.

From coconut to Belgian chocolate, Richard makes all sorts of delicious flavours. He produces his Devon Cottage Fudge from his home in the Teign Valley, and for him, quality is the most important element of his trade.

Using fresh, often locally sourced ingredients, Richard's traditional recipes take no short cuts. He never uses artificial additives or colourings, and next month, Richard has said that he will be using Fair Trade sugar.

"I emphasise the quality of what goes in to my fudge," he said. "It's wonderful to be aware and have a sense of where your food comes from and it's importantfor me to try and produce a quality product that is still affordable.

"Initially I just really wanted to do something myself - I wanted to be an artisan. I chose to make fudge because it is a popular product that is associated with Devon.

"I essentially wanted to cut out the middleman and give myself the satisfaction of two sides of the work: making the fudge and dealing with the customers. It makes the job more broad and more exciting."

When he first founded the company, Richard knew virtually nothing about fudge, and needed to learn little tricks of the trade, such as knowing when to stir the gooey batter and getting the temperature just right.

"Learning the trade was really a process of trial and error," he explained. "I have adapted my recipes over the years and I suppose it is just one of those things which is quite simple once you have learned how to do it.

fudge flavours

Photo of Richard from Express & Echo

Richard's fudge is a
story of sweet success

serving customers

"It's really nice to be able to build up a good relationship with your customers. It's good for them to see the same face ­ you don't get that in the High Street much these days."

The smell lingering around Richard's Castle Street cart is sweet and buttery. Attending to a constant stream of customers, he slices, weighs and wraps the fudge, pausing every now and then to have a chat with his regulars. He added: "As for quantity, I really haven't the faintest idea how much I sell. When I'm getting low I just make some more."

Although Richard says he would like to work on his website, which is currently up and, running, he does not want his business to grow too big. "I've got enough to contend with as it is," he said. "I don't want to complicate my life. I'm quite happy where I am!"

For details,
telephone 01647 252028
or visit    
www.devoncottagefudge.co.uk.

 

"The fudge is made in a very large copper pot which I stir by hand. It is allowed to cool, and as it cools, you have to beat it. Knowing when to do this is a very crucial aspect. If you get it wrong, it becomes the consistency of toffee.

"Being in charge of the whole process, from when the butter, cream, sugar and condensed milk go into the pot to when it reaches the customer, enables me to sell the fudge when fresh and give detailed information to my customers."

Devon Cottage Fudge comes in all sorts of mouth-watering, melt-in-your-mouth varieties: crumbly or chewy chocolate, crumbly or chewy vanilla, almond, clotted cream, Belgian chocolate coated, coconut, peppermint, ginger, coffee, banana, strawberry, orange, brandy pudding and more.

"I use natural vanilla and real brandy, and I use fresh fruit, top quality chocolate, flaked almonds and locally made clotted cream," said Richard.

Many regular customers have favourite flavours and over the years, Richard has come to learn which ones they prefer.

"I have people that have been coming for years, and I get to know them and their families. I think that contact with the customer is very important," he said. "I have served mothers with children who themselves came to me as children. It is wonderful to see the generations returning. I also have former university students who come to see me when they visit Exeter. I even had one couple who had met at university and for their wedding asked me to do fudge as little wedding favours.