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How is chocolate made? If your mind conjures up a chocolate factory
of Willy Wonka-size proportions, you couldn't be more wrong!
In Leyburn, nestled in an unlikely spot on a business park, sits
the Little Chocolate Shop, where proprietor Claire Gardiner and
her team make hand-made chocolates.
The 'factory' is no bigger than a tiny tea-shop, where visitors
can watch chocolates being made.
» Watch
Claire making chocolates
Claire admits she didn't set out to be a chocolatier, but rather
fell into the role by accident.
She moved into North Yorkshire to run a tea shop, but the combination
of heavy rain, flooding and foot and mouth forced her to investigate
how she could diversify.
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| A
moulded chocolate cow |
"My teashop had no trade. We had a basement which had a tiled
floor, it was very cool and I did some research into what I could
do in a space like that.
"The result was that I went to Belgium to learn how to make
chocolate."
As will become apparent from the demonstration, making chocolate
is a highly scientific process, as Claire explains...
"You can't just use melted chocolate because chocolate is
a very complex product.
"The oil that comes from the cocoa bean is called cocoa butter,
it's a very complex oil that contains poly-morphic crystals.
"That means that the crystals morph from one type to another
as the chocolate cools from its melting to setting point. We need
to get the right crystal structure into the chocolate before we
use."
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| Piping
caramel |
If the science was getting too much for you, Claire emphasises
how important this crystal structure is.
"The chocolate will be dull, covered in white lines, streaks
spots and blemishes. It will also be chalky and grainy in your mouth."
Well that's certainly convinced us ofthe importance of getting
those crystals right!
But surely making chocolate day in, day out surely Claire is fed
up with constantly smelling and tasting chocolate?
"Not at all - when you eat pure chocolate it leaves this wonderful
flavour in your mouth, so we all still LOVE chocolate!"
» Watch
Claire making chocolates
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