Chocolate lovers across the North-East are
now learning how to make their own Belgian
truffles. Ruth Addicott finds out about the
new trend for chocolate workshops

IF you’re a chocoholic and have always wanted to have a go at creating handcrafted Belgian truffles, a chocolatemaking workshop is definitely a good place to start.

Darlington-based chocolatiers at the Red Chocolate Company have been handing out truffles at special events for some time and have now expanded their service to run workshops and show guests how to make their own bespoke treats.

Co-founder and self-confessed chocoholic Chrissie Currie says: “Everyone loves chocolate. The workshops are a great way of bringing people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities together, they get to learn a new skill and have a lot of fun at the same time.”

“We have music playing and a chocolate fountain with marshmallows, so everyone gets to taste the chocolate while they are making it.”

The workshops last two-and-a-half hours and Chrissie begins with a brief talk on the history of chocolate. It is believed to go back to 1500BC and the Olmec Indians in South America, who were the first to grow cacao as a domestic crop. Years later, in 1502, Columbus encountered cacao beans being used as currency and in 1519, Spanish explorer Hernando Cortez established a plantation believing he could “grow” money. It wasn’t until 1657 that the first chocolate house opened in London and became a trendy haunt for the elite.

After learning about the background, the workshop group is taught the art of piping, cutting, dipping and rolling the chocolate, before taking their truffles home (approx 30 to 40 each) in a personalised box.

“Anyone can do it and it’s something you can have a lot of fun with,” says Chrissie.

“One guy decided he was going to make two massive truffles, they were like two mini footballs.

We also did a christening, where the children were in awe watching us make chocolate lollipops. I make sure everyone knows what they’re doing and are mixing it properly, but everyone has done well so far.”

The workshops have attracted a range of customers, from an 80-year-old woman to a ten-year-old boy, and are available for all sorts of events, from spa weekends to birthday parties, hen parties, weddings and christenings.

There needs to be group of ten or more and the venue has to have a kitchen and a relatively cool temperature so the chocolate doesn’t melt. (A country retreat, church hall or golf or cricket club is ideal.) “We provide everything, even the flooring, so the venue is as immaculate when we leave as it is when we arrive,” says Chrissie.

Red Chocolate are also targeting companies such as HSBC, where the workshops have been used a team building exercise.

ONE thing Chrissie is keen to stress is that – in small doses – chocolate can be good for you. It is now considered a superfood by scientists and has been found to have more healthy plant compounds than many fruit juices.

It has long been a cure for a broken heart and, in moderate amounts, it can also protect against high blood pressure, heart disease and dementia. The key ingredient is the cocoa, so before you go reaching for a king-sized Mars, check the content. According to health experts, it’s the darker, slightly posher varieties that are good for you (they tend to contain at least 70 per cent of cocoa butter as opposed to the 20 per cent in the more mass-produced bars). “We use 64 per cent cocoa solid truffles – it’s beautiful chocolate, which is important if you’re a chocoholic,” says Chrissie.

Chrissie has also discovered a raft of other benefits. “You can also use it in cooking, we hand out recipes at the end of each workshop.

It’s lovely with spaghetti bolognaise and in beef dishes such as chilli. Add a few chunks in and it’s delicious,” she says.

“Cocoa butter is also very good for your hair. I melt the chocolate and put it on my hair, then shampoo it off with warm water. It feels lovely afterwards.”

The Red Chocolate Company is a completely new venture for Chrissie and her partner, Red Hughes. Chrissie was a PA and had a secretarial background, before moving to Spain and running a cafe in Majorca for seven years.

When the recession hit, she came back to the UK and retrained as a chocolatier. “It’s so tough out there at the minute with the recession and everything, so it’s nice to do something fun,” she says.

  • For further information, email theredchocolatecompany@gmail.com or visit redchocolate.co.uk