SELF-TAUGHT chef James Close - who has helped place the region firmly on the foodie map - is savouring the sweet taste of success with his own range of innovative and unusual chocolates.

The former professional golfer is the man behind the acclaimed Raby Hunt Restaurant near Darlington, one of just 20 UK restaurants awarded two Michelin stars and the first in the North-East to be given the double honour.

Mr Close and fellow Raby Hunt chef Maria Guseva have developed their limited edition 'Chocolate with Attitude' range, which will only be available at Newcastle's Fenwick Food Hall until May 21 - or until they've all been eaten.

The pair have produced just 1,000 chocolates - starting at £1.30 each - with a range of rather unconventional flavours.

They are also visually unconventional too, inspired by the trademark Gothic skull and Buddha pieces which are part of the creative tasting menu at the Summerhouse restaurant.

The chocolates are part of Fenwick’s Meet the Artisans event and are among a host of premium North-East and British foods being showcased to the public over the next four weeks.

The Chocolate with Attitude range comprises:

  • Skull: honey, rosemary ganache and yuzu (Japanese citrus fruit) gel
  • Buddha: white chocolate, pine nut, Gianduju, crispy Dacquoise and smoked Maldon salt
  • Almond praline and caramelised cocoa nibs
  • Raspberry gel and Sichuan pepper ganache
  • Black truffle caramel, with hazelnut and crispy Feuilletine
  • Milk chocolate Earl Grey ganache with bergamot gel
  • Black truffle caramel chocolate bar
  • White chocolate, mango and passion fruit bar

The bite-sized chocolates cost £1.30 each with the tropical mango and passion fruit bar £3.50, and the black truffle caramel block, £4.

Each chocolate is individually made by 29-year-old Miss Guseva, who originally hails from Moscow, and has worked at The Raby Hunt for the past four years.

"The Buddha chocolate especially always surprises everyone," she said. "People think of pine nuts as a savoury rather than sweet ingredient. But once the nuts are blended with the salt and white chocolate, it just works."

Mr Close, 37, who didn't start cooking until he was almost 30, said: "The dark chocolate skull and white chocolate Buddha have become an iconic part of The Raby Hunt dining experience.

“They are the final curtain call, the encore if you like, of what is a 15 course tasting menu. Diners are enchanted by them, and we are regularly asked if we sell them to take home.

“We are a very creative team at The Raby Hunt that likes to think outside the box. The chocolate collection is allowing us to bring some of those unconventional and offbeat ideas to the wider public.”

"We are delighted that such a renowned store has chosen to work with us and that we have been given this opportunity to exclusively showcase our rule-breaking chocolates for the next month."