Nom, nom...Nutpatch Nougat...here I come!

You know how you go into a shop: to browse or maybe to buy something you want? You get served. The person serving you does their job. You walk out of the business and don’t give it another thought. You got what you wanted. End of transaction.

Then there’s the alternative…..you go into a shop, you’re not quite sure whether you’ll buy something or not but your reason tells you you’ll see how it goes and you’re going in with an open mind.

Rita, on Sunday, went into a sleazy-looking room tucked into the side of a service station in Kettering, which boasted, via a nondescript, hand-printed sign tied with string to the bottom of one of the petrol bowsers outside, in capital letters, proclaiming they sold the best chocolates, or words to that effect! “Probably they are selling out their cache of outdated Cadburys chokkies” Rita thought to herself, cynically!

Well, was SHE deserving of a slap in the face, or on the bottom, for such unkind thoughts!

Enter the true Kingdom of Chocolate Heaven, one and all!

In this remote little setting resides, finally, the outlet for John Zito’s Nutpatch Nougat products, which include THE most beautiful chocolates in the world! John has invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in this tiny outlet, and the results are there for all to see, hear, smell, taste and buy.

He has 3 chocolate tempering machines there, working their little automated butts off most of the time. He sells nougat, chocolates and his own hazelnut version (which is of WAY better quality) of Nutella, given that he grows the hazelnuts himself on his farm.

John Zito has been plying his Nutpatch trade for many years, but only opened the outlet at Kettering 7 weeks ago, just in time to get the local Christmas trade. He told me on Sunday that he had had three customers into the shop that day already who had received a box of his chocolates as Xmas presents, and had come to check out the shop for themselves! The minute you enter and see the huge selection of magnificent Belgian-style chocolates, you’ll never buy chocolates anywhere else again! They are absolute works of art, and capitalize on using as much local product as they can – for instance he has a Bruny Island strawberry chocolate range. Stunning to look at, and even better to taste!

And John is SO enthusiastic and keen about what he is doing, and how he does it, that he’ll take the time to demonstrate how his tempering machines work, and how he makes his truffles. He provides samples of the latest filling he is experimenting with in the kitchen there (I could taste a Baileys Irish Cream-flavour in one that I sampled). The experience of going to that shop will live with me forever, and I will always drive all the way from Hobart to Kettering to buy that special box of chocolates for those nearest and dearest to me, every time. Cadburys could well take a leaf out of his book and go back to their previous method of taking people round the factory to observe the chocolate-making process – but then again, when you have such a guy as John Zito at Kettering, don’t bother!

To shop there is an enlightened experience and I wholeheartedly recommend anyone who is remotely interested in a valuable and true experience of country-style generosity of spirit, and passionate enthusiasm for a product, and lifestyle, to head on down to Kettering. He opens all days except Wednesdays, at 10.00, but I would check that before I went. His mobile number is 0428 870 891.