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LITTLER ' S ÉCLAIRS
Mersey Life talk to Lucy Littler of Littler ' s Éclairs about her exquisite new creations .
Tell us about Litter ’ s Éclairs Litters Éclairs is the only dedicated éclair Shop in the North West with the desire to create some interestingly beautiful éclairs . In our charmingly small shop , we have an open style kitchen where our handcrafted éclairs are baked with precision , generously filled and decorated with an intricate finish .
Was there a particular moment when you decided to become a chef ? I was 22 when I got my first kitchen job , and I instantly knew it was the right career path for me . I loved the fast-paced environment , working with a team of chefs and being creative with cooking . I remember loving it so much that I changed my dining room into a second kitchen , it was like walking into a restaurant kitchen ... stainless steel tables , commercial fridge and freezer , Vac Pac machine , pasta machine and pastry oven - I had it all . On my days off I would be making big pans of jus from the beef bones I got from the butchers . I treated it like I was a head chef at home but really , I was still a commis in the workplace it was great haha . I was just consumed with cooking and learning .
What qualities do you think you need to be a pastry chef ? Passion is a definite . If you don ’ t have love for what you do then you ' re not able to keep pushing forward . Patience would be another , success comes from failing and this is something I had to do many of times so I had to be very patient throughout the learning curves .
Why just Éclairs ? I get asked this a lot . I had previously put my hand to making celebratory cakes , boxes of chocolates and other desserts but it wasn ’ t until I started making choux pastries and witnessing the challenges that came with it - it just woke my soul up haha . They fascinated me with how they baked to be hollow on the inside , the crisp outer shell and the clean lines running over the éclair , they just looked pretty to me even in their basic form .
I knew I wanted to master them to this degree , so I put all my focus into it . The aim was to master them to the point I could make 1 or 100 éclairs which all looked uniform in size and shape , hollow on the inside and evenly risen with clean lines . This wasn ’ t as simple to achieve as I first thought , and I quickly realised the challenges I would face . It has taken a lot of failed attempts for me to learn how to get them right and I mean a lot .
I didn ’ t move onto the glazes until I had mastered the choux first but when I got the chance to see the éclair dipped , they became even more beautiful . Having 5 different coloured éclairs lined up together was like art to me . I also realised if I hadn ’ t spent all my time mastering the choux to be crack free and evenly risen , they would not have had that elegant appearance they did . The glaze can hide a multitude of sins , but I knew I didn ’ t want to hide behind any of it . So , it was such a fist pumping moment that the hard work was paying off .
Next came the filling choices I could use and suddenly , I had all these beautiful éclairs in front of me with endless possibilities of what else I could do with them . That was when I had the eureka moment
of wanting to open a business making éclairs . I also knew there was nothing like this in the North West- a shop that ’ s just solely focused on éclairs and I thought it would be something great to bring to Merseyside . I know there are a lot of pastry lovers around and I wanted customers to experience the new creative twist I had given the éclair .
What is the most rewarding part of having an éclair shop ? There is nothing more rewarding than knowing a customer enjoys eating the work you have created . When I hear the door clang and I know it ’ s a customer coming into the shop , it ’ s a great feeling knowing someone has chosen to come and try a Littlers Éclair . A few times a customer has asked if it ' s OK if they can take a photo of inside the display fridge , and I ’ m like yes sure you can . That made me smile .
Do you have a favourite Éclair ? I probably enjoy one of my éclairs most Friday and Saturdays when I ’ m open haha . I have such a sweet tooth , but I always tend to go for the Lemon Meringue Éclair . The sharp , tangy citrus gets my taste buds going and the balance of the sweet meringue just does it for me . The customers favourite tends to be the Strawberry éclair and secondly , the Hazelnut Crunch .
Does it take along time to make the éclairs ? Yes , it does . I am open two days a week at the moment , and I spend the other 5 days preparing recipes some of which can take up to two days to make .
You have had the shop open for 6 months now , how has it been ? At the beginning it was quite overwhelming , but I do feel I have settled into it more . I am the only chef at the moment so having 7 different flavoured éclairs , some with 4 components on each to prepare , I had to be very strict in how I manage my time . I also work on the till when I ’ m open , so I don ’ t get much room to make mistakes - I have to be extremely organised .
Do you have any inspirational role models ? If there was a chef I would like to meet it would be Marco Pierre White or Heston Blumenthal .
What are the most important considerations when crafting your éclairs ? I tend to consider the éclair from a customer ’ s buying perspective . I ask myself , what would they want from each éclair and why would they buy one . I focus equally on presentation and flavour as a lot of people buy with their eyes first then I have to make sure I meet the expectations of flavour and mouth feel . I like to think my éclairs are seen as a full dessert that you could get from any restaurant menu .
Lucy Littler ' s Éclairs 15-17 Wallasey Road Liscard Tel : 07897 032929 littlerseclairs . co . uk
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