Nicole the cocolatier

On Friday Nicole went to Manchester to attend a chocolatier course, which was a birthday present. She left with the 07.00 flight from London to Manchester, being slightly nervous about what to expect.

I didn't hear a thing from her the entire day and only when I met up her in Manchester in the evening did I get to see what she had been up to...

The course was scheduled from 9.30 in the morning to 15.30 in the afternoon. Initially they went through the history and the theory behind chocolate. Apperantly the chocolate beans grow on trees and when they are ripe they are plucked and barried underground until they ferment.

Apparently the Venezuelan 47% chocolate is the best type (according to Nicole's taste that is).

Thereafter they started on making pralines with all sorts of filings. Some where with a nougat type, some with coconut.

After having done those they went on to make truffles which I think Nicole had a hard time with because the cream and the chocolate started curdling when she added the hot coffee for flavour. The second batch went a little better. She teamed up with another guy, who instead of coffee used brandy for flavouring. The coffee flavoured where the best...

Later in the afternoon they went on to make a coating for a cake and chocolate lollipops.

All in all she came home with more chocolate than we could possibly eat during our continued stay over the weekend in Windermere in the Lake District.