Chester - Sweet Elements Pâtisserie

Every now and then I find somewhere which is exceptionally good - and that's exactly how I'd describe this amazing café and pâtisserie shop in Chester.

It's run by Faye Palmqvist, with her partner Robert Richards. In case you're wondering, Faye is half Maltese and half Swedish. She was born in Portugal, and grew up in Greece and was influenced by some of the wonderful flavours from those diverse countries.

I was drooling over these Cinnamon and Cardamon Rolls:

 and these Almond and Orange Cakes

on display in the window, before the shop had even opened. Once inside, things just got even better! 

Which of these wonderful entremets and pâtisserie should I choose? Their Paris-Brest looks (and tastes) wonderful:

Faye perfected her pastry skills at the Cordon Bleu Culinary School in London, followed by working in the Savoy hotel. My own mother trained at Cordon Bleu, and told me how passionate the chefs were. Sweet Elements is definitely a place where the second best would be a failure.  

I had a excellent espresso (their coffee comes from Owen & Edwards in Ruthin) with a Pistachio Rose and Raspberry Fashion Eclair:

The pretty flower decoration came five yards away from Francis Thomas next door. Faye and Robert are very fussy about where they buy their carefully selected ingredients from, and buy local whenever they can. Apparently Fashion Eclairs don't contain choux pastry, but use the classic pastry shape revisited in a modern way.   

All of the items seemed to have many complicated elements. Whilst I enjoyed my coffee and eclair, Faye told me more about her works of art.  

For instance the Coffee & Chocolate Fashion Eclair was made with a coffee Bavarian mousse, a Genoise sponge with their espresso syrup, chocolate feuilletine crisp, and has a white chocolate glaze. It sits on a chocolate sablé biscuit and is topped with an espresso jelly. I wonder how long it takes to create such a masterpiece?

The name Raspberry Roly Poly makes me think of stodgy school dinners. Here it's a delicate confection made with a Swiss roll sponge cake, with house made raspberry jam. This is then put in to a raspberry Bavarian mousse and given a white chocolate mirror glaze. The dish is finished with vanilla Chantilly cream and an edible flower.

If you're taking items home, they are carefully packaged so that you can enjoy the beauty and taste at home. Will I be returning? Of course! They're continually changing what they do and can't wait to try other items.

Sweet Elements Pâtisserie
70-72 Northgate Street
Chester
Cheshire
CH1 2HT

Web: www.sweetelements.co.uk