The chocolate shop at Bennetts of Mangawhai. Photo / Babiche Martens
The chocolate shop at Bennetts of Mangawhai. Photo / Babiche Martens
Lynn Van Dommelen is a chocolatier at Bennetts of Mangawhai. Originally from the Netherlands, this Easter she leads us into the heavenly world of chocolate-making.
Bennetts is a destination where you can enjoy chocolate from the shop, tea or coffee from the cafe, you can relax in our Mediterranean courtyard, and during the week you can see the factory in full operation through our viewing gallery.
Enjoy chocolate from the shop or a coffee from the cafe at Bennetts of Mangawhai.
Photo / Supplied
A key feature that always leaves me breathless is the immediate immersion into a French-inspired building. There is a surreal harmony in the design of Bennetts that leaves me questioning whether I am still in Mangawhai or back in my favourite French village.
Lynn Van Dommelen is a chocolatier at Bennetts of Mangawhai. Photo / Bennetts of Mangawhai
Bennetts has been creating handmade NZ chocolates for 25 years. It’s sustainably sourced and we have always focused on using local and seasonal ingredients. This business is family-owned and there is a touch of every Bennett involved in the process, from the creation of our chocolates to the care behind our gardens to the warm friendly atmosphere.
Brodie Bennett has just spent six months in Ireland working at Ballymaloe Cookery School, learning to bake bread, cakes and pastries. In the future, we plan on opening a bakery at Bennetts but in the meantime, Brodie is baking sourdough and focaccia bread every day for the cafe.
Relax in the Mediterranean courtyard at Bennetts of Mangawhai. Photo / Supplied
The creativity of combining flavours and decorations is definitely one thing that makes me very passionate about making chocolate. The science behind it is so interesting. I enjoy being a chocolatier because you challenge yourself to perfection and the goal is to put a smile on people’s faces. When we achieve that, it’s the best compliment we can get.
Easter chocolates from Bennetts of Mangawhai. Photo / Bennetts of Mangawhai
It’s hard to pick one specific Bennetts’ chocolate that is my favourite but I like anything with macadamia. They’re so full of flavour in NZ and they come from a local orchard. One of the chocolates that I created recently is a passion fruit guava chocolate in a shell of caramel amber chocolate; the perfect combination of sweet and sour.
While in Mangawhai, I’d also suggest undertaking the Tanekaha walking tracks through the Brynderwyn mountain range, or if you’re up over the weekend, the Saturday markets in Mangawhai village. Aotearoa Surf is a great surf school for anyone keen; Tara Iti is the top private golf course, and for ornithologists, we share our home with New Zealand’s most endangered bird, the fairy tern. This spirited bird has enormous support from our community and with only nine breeding pairs left, needs all the help it can get.
