A BELGIAN chocolatier and a Meringue specialist are creating a business partnership made in heaven.

Lisa Morrissey of Cotswold Handmade Meringues and Matthieu de Gottal will be launching meringue bites dipped in dark and milk chocolate in April.

The Nailsworth-based businesses will also be launching ginger meringues half dipped in dark chocolate.

Lisa said: “Matthieu moved into the building last September. He suggested we tried dipping our meringues in his chocolate.

“We did and the results are truly scrumptious.”

Cotswold Meringues is a family business that started over 30 years ago in Lisa’s mum’s kitchen.

Muriel Morrissey’s home-grown company now sells hundreds of thousands of meringues each year with her daughter Lisa now at the helm.

The meringue recipe has been unchanged for 30 years.

Born in Belgium, renowned chocolatier Matthieu had his first experience baking with cocoa at the age of four.

He is now one of the UK’s top artisan chocolate producers.

Commenting on the partnership, Matthieu said: “I was amazed at how good the meringue-chocolate combination turned out.

“I’m really pleased to be partnering with Lisa because she always strives for high standards – the quality of her meringues is fantastic.”

He added: “Also her family-run business matches my working philosophy – all her products are handmade.”

At a special taster session, Lisa and Matthieu sold 80 bags of chocolate-covered meringues on Mothering Sunday to Minchinhampton children keen to sweeten up their mums for the year ahead.

Dobbies Garden Centre in Cirencester and restaurant chains Ask Italian and Zizzi all stock Cotswold Handmade Meringues.

When he’s not dipping meringues in chocolate, Matthieu is hand crafting alcohol-infused truffles and chocolate bars with his whisky coming from Scotland and Wales to Japan and India.

The chocolate-covered meringues will be available locally.