From Bean to Bar – A Chocolate Lover’s Guide to Britain
Andrew Baker will be joining us on Saturday 16th November at St Mary’s Church to talk about his new book and his love of chocolate. Andrew’s book will be available to buy on the day.
“There is a quiet revolution going on among food producers in Britain, and craft chocolate makers are leading the way…”
A chocolate lover’s dream, From Bean to Bar tells the story of the people and the places that have turned Britain into a world leader in artisan chocolate making. Along the way, author Andrew Baker explores the nation’s great chocolate hotspots, taking the reader on a journey through Britain’s chocolate making history.
Many people’s understanding of Britain’s chocolate output would be one of mass production, but From Bean to Bar unveils Britain’s hidden world of artisan bean-to-bar makers who are creating some of the world’s most highly revered and award-winning chocolate. Much like the artisan coffee and craft beer movement, bean-to-bar chocolate is the latest slow food movement to hit the UK.
The book takes its title from the bean to bar process, where chocolate makers sort the cocoa beans by hand and roast them in house, producing their artisan chocolate in the UK rather than importing it ready-made. It’s a much lengthier process and only a handful of places in the UK make chocolate this way.
From Manchester’s Dormouse milk chocolate bursting with fruity notes to Dorset’s Chococo vegan colada caramel, British bean-to-bar chocolatiers are few and far between, but they produce exquisite flavours where cocoa beans are the first ingredient.
Journalist and international chocolate judge Andrew Baker spent a year travelling the length and breadth of the UK, from the Scottish Highlands to Cornwall, meeting with artisan chocolate makers, discovering their secrets and tasting their wares. The book features the best bean-to-bar ateliers in the UK and gives an insight into other chocolatiers across the country.
From the UK’s biggest artisan chocolate maker and high street staple Hotel Chocolat in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire to Duffy’s which produce some of the UK’s most refined chocolate bars in a humble shed on the outskirts of Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, Britain is home to centres of excellence that use the bean to bar process.
The book is packed full of facts about Britain’s chocolate history, practical advice on where to find these chocolatiers, how to become a bean-to-bar maker, and how to take part in one of the most exciting slow food trends.