What a fabulous way to spend a rainy day in February… making our very own original flavoured chocolates with master chocolatier Barry Colenso!!!
Barry is a talented chocolatier with a prestigious career which includes creating the Chocolate Wedding cake for Prince William and Catherine’s Wedding in 2011.
So a weekend away with some girlfriends at Darley House was the perfect opportunity to try out Barry’s chocolate making experience. We had all been to talks about the different varieties of chocolate and tasting sessions but we had never made our own chocolates before, so were very excited.
Good quality chocolate makes a crisp snap when broken and has a nice shine. You know that horrible waxy white texture you get if you accidentally leave your chocolate bar in the sun? Well, that’s what happens naturally when the cocoa fat separates. To avoid this, the chocolate is heated to 45 degrees then allowed to cool to 27 and then raised slightly by 2 degrees, before being poured into the moulds.
Barry did this tricky part of heating and cooling the chocolate buttons and lining our moulds, whilst talking us through it. Then we set to work raiding the cupboards for ingredients to inspire our fillings.
Our creative juices were flowing as we designed our unique winning combinations: Marmalade and glenfiddich; Lime and basil; Mango, kiwi and tequila; Rosemary, salt and lime zest; Lemon curd, mango and basil.
We had to be careful not to have any of the filling sitting above the top of the mould as this would break the seal of the top chocolate coating.
Once sealed, we had the stress of being temporarily separated from our precious creations while they were placed in the fridge. We then watched expectantly as one by one our moulds were smartly rapped on a chopping board and our glorious, shiny gems glided effortlessly out to our rapturous applause – I kid you not!
Next came the designer accessories as we topped them with fine glitter dust in a variety of tempting colours.
So just look at us, although we pretended to be generous and allowed them to be sampled, we are holding on to that platter very tightly!
Darley House in the Peak District with its spacious kitchen is perfect for Barry’s chocolate making experiences. You can find out more about Barry’s courses at barrycolenso.com.
And for information about a stay at Darley House (luxury self-catering accommodation, sleeping 14), visit our website, or call Lucy on 07719 894663.
