Our rhubarb and rose candle is the thing people ask about most when they walk into the shop. So, on a grey October morning, we drove to Malton to watch one being made.
A very small workshop
The workshop is a converted garage behind the maker's house, with a long bench, two pouring kettles and shelves of glazed pots waiting to be filled. Every candle is poured by one person, in batches of about forty.
Soy wax melts at a lower temperature than paraffin, so the room smells faintly of whatever was poured last, rather than of hot wax. That morning, it was rhubarb.
Why the pots are stoneware
The pots come from a potter a few miles away. They are heavier than glass and take a little longer to make, but they are meant to be kept. Plenty of our customers come back to tell us their old candle pot is now a plant pot, a pen holder or a home for teaspoons.
Slow on purpose
Each candle rests for two weeks before it is sold, which lets the scent settle into the wax. It is the reason the candles smell as strong in the last hour as in the first. It also means that when they sell out before Christmas, there is no rushing them.
Looking after a candle
The maker gave us three tips to pass on:
- Let the wax melt right to the edge the first time you light it, so it does not tunnel.
- Trim the wick to about 5 mm before every burn.
- Never burn it for more than four hours at a time.
The rhubarb and rose candle is on the shelf by the window, and in our host gift guide.
