Milton Keynes shop freeze dries popular sweets so they taste scrumptious and last up to 25 years

An MK store set up to sell wax melts is branching out after enjoying the sweet smell of success.

The Melting Shack has always stocked a range of popular traditional pick and mix sweets as a side line. But last month they decided to splash out on a freeze dryer machine to produce something a bit different for local people.

The machine, which had to be shipped all the way from America, cost almost £5000 and was one of the store’s biggest investments as a small business.

Freeze drying is a scientific procedure known as lyophilisation. During the cycle process all water is removed from the sweets, causing them to swell to double the size but taste three times as good.

"They have a completely different texture afterwards but they are bursting with flavour. The freeze dried machine really brings out the sweetness in the sweets, whether it’s fruity of sour,” said Kirsten Wilson, who set up The Melting Shack with friend Danielle Neville almost two years ago.

"Freeze dried sweets can also last up to a total of 25 years. And it doesn’t affect the product in the slightest,” she said.

The freeze dried sweets, which are sometimes known as ‘space sweets’ now hold a proud space in the women’s newly refurbished shop in MK Business Centre at Linford Wood.

And so far they’re selling like crazy.

“We know everyone wanted to try them following on from a TikTok trend but we didn’t think it would blow up like it has,” said Kirsten.

"It’s a whole new experience for your favourite sweets. We like to think of it as double the size but triple the flavour. Light, fluffy and crunchy at the same time.”

The freeze dried sweets on offer include Skittles, gummy sweets, Fruit Salad and Black Jack chews, Drumstick chews, fizzy watermelon slices, jelly frogs, pinballs, marshmallows and even jelly filled brains.

Meanwhile the store’s selection of hand-made wax melts is proving as popular as ever.

The two women started experimenting by making the scented products at home. Soon they acquired a huge following on social media and became fully-fledged businesswomen by opening their own manufacturing unit, complete with The Melting Shack store attached.