‘I've loved chocolate my whole life – it’s always been part of my daily ritual,’ said Noor Freiha, founder of a new London chocolatier Makers. The ‘healthy chocolate’ shop, located on a corner plot at the intersection of Fulham Road and Old Church Street in London’s Chelsea, offers chocolates free of refined sugar, seed oils, wheat and dairy.
Inside Makers, London’s new ‘healthy chocolate’ shop
The Lebanese chemical engineering graduate taught herself how to make chocolate at home and infuses her creations with her love of wellness and ‘clean’ eating without compromise. ‘I grew up in Lebanon in a family that believed in cooking from scratch and eating clean, long before it was called that. If we wanted dessert, my mum made sure we baked it ourselves. That’s where I learned that flavour and nutrition don’t have to be at odds,’ Freiha tells Wallpaper*.
‘That mindset never left me. When I started teaching myself how to make chocolate, I realised how much conventional chocolate relies on ingredients that aren’t great for you: refined sugar, seed oils, wheat, dairy, artificial additives and preservatives.
‘So I wanted to challenge the status quo and push the boundaries of the artisan luxury chocolate world using “better for you”, health-conscious and clean ingredients, without ever compromising on incredible taste. If you're going to eat it every day, it should be guilt-free.’
The Makers kitchen is led by the Belgian chocolatier and patissier Alexandre Vandale, who comes from a traditional luxury chocolate background. The chocolates look as good as they taste, as he unites his savoir-faire with a contemporary take on indulgence. Products include sphere bonbons, square bonbons, candy bars, tablettes, paleo baked goods, spreads, hot chocolate on tap and seasonal soft-serve ice cream.
The flavours are unique, with ingredients including ancient Chinese herbs and Peruvian plants. Achieving a tasty result, Freiha confesses, wasn’t an easy ride. ‘Everything had to be rethought. Our executive chef, Alexandre Vandale, built every single recipe from scratch: praliné, ganache, feuilletine, and jams. We weren’t using the conventional ingredients most luxury chocolatiers use, so it became a technical challenge in the truest sense. But that was the fun part. Working within strict limitations pushed us into real invention. It’s a scientific process – the timings, temperatures, textures – and we thrive on that level of precision.’
To recommend a favourite flavour is difficult for Freiha, but she says the coconut praliné candy bar with astragalus really caught her off guard. Astragalus is an ancient Chinese herb known for supporting cell regeneration and vitality. Other offerings include soba cha crunch sphere bonbons (a particular hit in the Wallpaper* office, although everything we tasted was delicious); almond orange blossom marzipan square bonbons; hazelnut wafer and maca candy bar; caramel popcorn covered in dark chocolate; paleo marble bundt; and a secret off-menu iced chocolate.
The shop interior is inspired by the origin of cacao and boasts a maximalist colour palette, including blue tones that nod to the western coast of Africa. However, Makers’ interior also nods to Freiha’s heritage. ‘Hospitality is such a big part of Lebanese culture. It’s not just about service, it’s about making people feel seen, remembered, cared for,’ she says. ‘The space includes personal touches, copperware handmade by a Lebanese workshop, hand-painted tiles with the Lebanese flag, lemons and wild strawberries, and motifs from my childhood. Even the rhythm of the boutique, with its layered textures and interior design, mirrors an old Lebanese house. It’s important to me that Makers feels like an extension of that world, warm, generous, and intentional.’
‘Some of our bonbon flavours nod to that heritage too: pistachio marzipan, tahini black sesame, and coffee cardamom. They’ve become quiet favourites, and I’m always dreaming up more. It’s my way of bringing a little bit of home into each bite.’
Makers is located at 2-4 Queen's Elm Parade, Old Church Street, London makerslondon
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