A High Wycombe woman has brought a slab of history back to the town after opening her homemade chocolate business.

Pippa Witcher, 28, and her husband Aaron have just launched their mail order confectionery company The Big Yum, within a stone's throw of the former Stewart and Arnold chocolate factory.

The factory was torn down in the 90's but Pippa has fond memories of its sweet smelling products as she walked past the building in Newlands on her way to school each day.

Pippa, a former Wycombe High student who grew up in Desborough Avenue, said: “I used to love going into the centre town round the bus station.

“I just remember the smell of melted chocolate being amazing. I could smell it in my garden halfway up Desborough Avenue.”

The town has links to one of the most famous confectionery connoisseurs, Willy Wonka – one of the main characters in Roald Dahl's best selling book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Scenes for the 2005 film starring Johnny Depp were filmed at the former CompAir factory and further down the road at Pinewood Studios in Iver.

The Big Yum, which was launched last Monday, sells a unique line of sweet treats including chocolate covered pretzels and popcorn – products sparked by Pippa's honeymoon to America with Aaron.

She said: “I brought back things for my friends to try and the chocolate pretzels and popcorn went down really well.

“I think with the salty sweet combination you a get a bit of the best of both worlds.

“We want to do something a bit unique and a bit different.”

She added: “I have always wanted to run my own business and I have always had a real interest in food. I have worked in food all my career.

“I was in food PR. From working with small, niche producers I have seen a lot of their products and thought, these are really nice I want to do it myself, so I have sort of jumped the fence and gone to the other side.”

The couple are currently making all of The Big Yum's products in the kitchen of their Cumbrain Way base, but Pippa says they will soon have to start branching out and using manufacturers as bigger orders come in.

Austin's sandwich shop in Marlow are one of the first retailers to sell Big Yum's range of sweets and treats, and Pippa says others are lining up to place their orders.

“It's all very new and exciting,” she added, “I have been to see a couple of distributors who instantly said we want to buy a huge amount. It's looking positive.”