Mum's marshmallow side hustle makes £10k in months

Emily Roberts, who founded The Welsh Mallow Company, said her entire house is now a "candy shop"

A mum-of-two says she has made nearly £10,000 in six months by making marshmallows in the kitchen of her family home.

Emily Roberts, 25, from Swansea, started making the treats while on maternity leave from her retail job as something to do with her eldest daughter.

But after the sweets went down well with family and friends, Ms Roberts started selling them at local markets - which she said were "sell-out upon sell-out".

Ms Roberts, who has now left her retail job to focus on her new venture, said she "never imagined" that her hobby could be turned into a business.

"My daughter was literally three weeks old when we made our first batch," said Ms Roberts, who lives with her partner and two children.

"We never started it to sell, it was just because we loved marshmallows and wanted something to do.

"And then we just fell down a rabbit hole of getting the recipe right.

"We started attending community centre events and small little markets really to see if there was any other interest. And every single market was sell out upon sell out.

"It’s just blown up."

Ms Roberts, who is registered as a sole trader but wants to soon convert her business into a limited company, said setting up was not as challenging as she thought it would be.

"I had to register with the local council, so they came to the house and they did an inspection and gave me a four-star hygiene rating, and we’re now working up towards five-star," she said.

She also had to ensure labelling and allergen information passed trading standards regulations.

Emily Roberts started making marshmallows as "something to do" while on maternity leave

Ms Roberts said she was not yet taking a wage, but had made just under £10,000 since March 2024.

She sells her marshmallows at four events each week, either at markets or food festivals.

"I’m travelling the UK to do markets and the online website is going up soon," she said.

"The entire house at the moment is a candy shop."

Ms Roberts said she felt fortunate that her partner, who works for a wholesaler, earned enough to keep the family's finances ticking over.

"We haven’t got the stress of making every penny count," she said.

"But not having to get childcare is a massive relief – I can be home when I want to be home."

She also said she "never imagined" that her hobby could be turned into a business.

"We were just doing it for fun," she said.

"I feel like one of those ducks on the surface - they look really calm but underneath they are paddling really fast."

Her advice to anyone considering setting up their own small business was to "go into it with all the passion that you've got".

"It’s pointless doing something if you haven’t got your whole heart in it," she said.

"I fully love marshmallows. If it was anything else I don’t think I’d have pushed it this hard.

"If you’re not into it it’s never going to work."