🌲 Finding Inspiration in the Forest: A Magical Team Escape 🌲

🍫✨ Catherine’s Originals goes to Center Parcs 🌳🦌

Leaving Center Parcs, got me thinking. Imagine our real-life Chocolate Factory in the Forest, with tours, tastings and making—a wonderland of chocolate rivers, lollipop tree lanes, rescued animals, nature trails, and endless adventures! Stay in gingerbread cabins scattered throughout, even soak in a chocolatey bath in a sweet spa sanctuary! Here, every corner bursts with delicious treats, quirky streets, and outdoor fun. Think chocolate-making workshops, treetop zip-lines, marshmallow roasting under starlit skies, and hidden candy stations waiting to be discovered!

Would you want to visit this sweet, enchanted wilderness? Sustainably run, community led, family friendly and powered by plants 🍭🌲

This is all I could think about when going down the outside rapids for the hundredth time last week…

You know that old cliché about the journey being as important as the destination? Well, in our case, it actually was, but not in a cringe “it’s all about the journey” way. More like: we had a car stuffed with snacks, coffee breaks galore, groovy tunes, and even a cat passenger 🐈 (I'll keep quiet on that for now!).

Last year, our team braved the winds of Iceland together. But this time, with busy production schedules and new family commitments, we kept it closer to home and headed to Center Parcs! The last time I went to Center Parcs, I was maybe seven years old, parading around in a pink fairy costume while my brothers and cousin crashed my nan’s electric scooter into a bush. Good times!

As we rolled into the forested paradise, I had a few fuzzy but magical memories: the whoosh of the outdoor rapids (even more thrilling now as an adult!), the ducks that would waddle right up to our cabin window, and, of course, the holy grail of childhood memories... the sweet shop.

This year, I wandered back in, expecting shelves loaded with treats, only to find a slightly underwhelming selection for us vegans and gluten-free folks. But I did snag a vegan Tony’s chocolate bar, which was delicious. Though it left me craving a little more variety. You bet I’ve already sent an email to Center Parcs HQ about it—I’m eagerly awaiting their response and fingers crossed for a future vegan candy cornucopia.

So, did Center Parcs live up to the nostalgia? Absolutely. There’s something a little magical about revisiting childhood spots, but with a bit of adventure (and better chocolate choices) sprinkled in!

There’s something truly magical about sleeping in the middle of a forest, surrounded by towering redwoods and all the wild beauty that nature brings. I’d forgotten how much inspiration flows when you step back from the daily hustle. Running Catherine’s Originals has been my full focus this past year, and while I love every bit of it, I didn’t realise how much I needed this time away to recharge and reconnect with the creative spark. I walked away with fresh ideas for new products and a renewed sense of purpose.

Catherine’s Originals wouldn’t be what it is today without our incredible team (and of course, you—our amazing readers!). Sure, our monthly board check-ins keep Jamie and me on track and help us hit our growth goals. But our hands-on team—the people in the trenches—deserve every ounce of appreciation we can give. And what better way to celebrate them than a team getaway filled with pizza-making nights, chalk portraits, a few well-deserved glasses of bubbly, long wilderness walks, racing down water slides, and freezing our buts, on an outdoor court playing badminton.

A shout-out to Will, Scott, Joe 1, Joe 2, and Frankie—this past year wouldn’t have been possible without each one of you. We still have our busiest season ahead, but these four days allowed us all to reflect, connect, and come back ready to make this the best Christmas ever at Catherine’s Originals.