Aberdeen mum-of-two delivering quirky take on tablet, fudge and marshmallows

By Rosemary Lowne

October 20 2022, 11:45 am

Sweet dreams: Katrina McLellan is bringing sugar, spice and all things nice to Aberdeen with her tasty new venture. Photos by Kath Flannery, DC Thomson.

Sweet random acts of kindness don’t happen often unless you live in Katrina McLellan’s neighbourhood.

Forever thinking about others, nothing brings the Aberdeen mum-of-two more joy than posting her homemade Belgian chocolate fudge, Scottish tablet and marshmallows through her neighbour’s letterboxes.

“During lockdown, I used to post packages of little treats through different doors to cheer people up,” says Katrina.

“I discovered that there was an older lady who lived at the bottom of our street so I posted tablet through her door.

“I just wanted to give something back to the community and seeing people’s reactions gave me a real boost.”

Katrina’s lemon meringue fudge passes the taste test.

Kindness, care and compassion are the key ingredients Katrina has sprinkled into her sweet start-up Pure Decadence by Loch Aurora.

Based out of her kitchen, the 44-year-old – whose children Lochlain, six, and four-year-old Aurora inspired her business name – is satisfying sweet teeth across the north-east with her quirky take on fudge, tablet and marshmallows (with vegan and allergen friendly ranges).

From rum and raisin fudge and lemon meringue Belgian chocolate fudge to salted caramel marshmallows and gin and raspberry marshmallows, there’s sweet treats to suit all tastes.

Society caught up with Katrina to get the lowdown on her moreish marshmallows and luxury fudge.

Katrina's gin and raspberry marshmallows are mouthwateringly moreish. — Katrina’s gin and raspberry marshmallows are mouthwateringly moreish.

Homemade marshmallows – what flavours do you make?

I make my marshmallows by hand and they have proved very popular as they’re lighter and fluffier than the marshmallows you get from the shop.

So I make 12 different flavours of marshmallow including salted caramel. I also make a passion fruit marshmallow which has a nice tang to it.

I also make a lemon meringue marshmallow which I make using lemon curd from the Aberdeen based company All About Lemons.

The gin and raspberry marshmallows are also very popular and I make that using gin from Ice and Fire in Caithness.

I also use Esker Gin which is based in Royal Deeside and Ellon Spirits too. I’m not a gin drinker so I usually ask my neighbours to test it for me.

Katrina makes melt in the mouth marshmallows.

What flavours of fudge do you make?

I have over 50 flavours of luxury Belgian chocolate fudge. The Kinder Bueno fudge always goes down well and so does the Malteaser fudge and the Crunchie fudge.

The red velvet fudge is also very popular as it’s so soft and creamy and catches the eyes with it’s red and white swirls. I also make Biscoff Belgium chocolate fudge. I only use very high end ingredients.

The mint Aero fudge is perfect with a good cuppa.

And you also make melt-in-the-mouth tablet too?

My tablet is one of my best sellers. I have a few tweaks to make it a little different while keeping it traditional.

The key thing is time and no rushing it. It takes me about two to three hours to make but it’s better quality tablet.

Katrina says the perfect tablet is all down to timing.

You also cater for vegans and those with allergies?

My little girl has milk, dairy and soya allergies so I’ve created alternative ranges to suit those with allergies.

I’ve got two types of vegan tablet, one is coconut based and the other is oat based. I’ve also created 12 vegan flavours of fudge.

The dark chocolate and raspberry fudge is always in demand.

Can customers request different flavours?

Yes, if people don’t see what they’re looking for then they should get in touch and I’ll see what I can do.

Recently, a little girl came up to me at one of the Farmer’s Markets and asked if I had coconut flavoured marshmallows.

I didn’t but I spoke to her mum and made some up specially for her.

Another little girl came up to me at the Chapelton Farmer’s market and asked if I had raspberry flavoured marshmallows.

Again, I didn’t have any so I spoke to her mum before making some up and dropping them off at her house.

The Oreo inspired fudge is a big hit with customers.

You also sell Christmas calendars and gift hampers?

I make advent calendars with fudges and I also make a vegan alternative one too. I also make Christmas hampers which include fudge, candles from Essence of Harris, Italian candied oranges and products from Thistle and Clay.

I also make marshmallow tasting and dipping kits too.

The magic all happens in Katrina's kitchen at home. — The magic all happens in Katrina’s kitchen at home.

Have you always been a keen baker?

I was brought up surrounded by my mum and my two grannies who were always cooking and baking so I loved doing that with them.

When I got married I did my own fudge favours and then one of my former work colleagues asked me to make fudge for her wedding too so that gave me the idea to do it as a business.

So in 2020, I left my job working as an offshore survival and first aid trainer and decided to set up my business.

I love it as I can fit my working hours around my children going to school and nursery.

The salted caramel marshmallows are very popular.

You’re also very passionate about being a sustainable business aren’t you?

From our very first day of trading we have always used plastic free packaging.

Better than that we scoured for packaging that is home compostable without any of the environmental consequences that can often be attached to the degradation process.

It has no harmful effects on marine life or plant regrowth. There are no arduous, industrial conditions required for it to break down.

We also try to use items, such as hampers and glass jars, that can be used again to avoid single use where we can.