Champagne and Chocolate!!!

Last week, my son and daughter took my husband and myself to a chocolate and champagne workshop in Holborn.  This was our present for our  respective birthdays in September and November of last year.  Why wait so long?  Well who says that old people have a lot of time on their hands?  We certainly don't!  Trying to find free dates in our diary proved to be nearly impossible.

When this workshop was first mooted we were a little sceptical.  We did think maybe this wasn't our sort of thing and didn't know what to expect.........................still as they were paying...... :-)

We met Ben and Alex at Holborn tube station. It was a perishingly cold evening and we made our way through the backstreets of Holborn until we came across  another couple of other would be chocolatiers loitering outside an unlikely venue for this event. So strength in numbers we were let in to a lobby and asked to wait until the others arrived.

In total there were eventually  20+ people, variety of ages and personalities.  Some displayed the usual signs of being chocoholics   ( oooh, ahhhh, wow chocolate) and others like me just eager for the champagne!  We were escorted to the bowels of the building into a room with white painted brick walls.  Three tables were laid out with bits and pieces of chocolate and glassware.  We were greeted by an attractive, articulate chocolatier who gave us a talk on good and poor chocolate and their properties while we mixed our own chocolate martinis.  With this heady start we were given demonstrations of making truffles and fudge with various combinations of tastes and textures. Edible decorations were used to enhance the choccies and reflect artistic talent!

An added dimension was introduced that there would be a competition for the most effective display of chocolates. So fuelled with generous provision of champagne the now suddenly highly competitive bunch of people got to work creating their masterpieces.  Lots of fun and laughter and lots of very creative products.

At the end of the 3 hour workshop (which passed so quickly), a winner was declared and presented with a bag of chocolate goodies.  The rest of us packaged up our efforts ready for the homeward journey.

I don't think I will ever forget the overwhelming smell of chocolate
which had permeated our clothing!

We said our goodbyes and then the door opened and released our flushed faces to the elements again and we all happily made our way home.

It does show that an old dog can learn new tricks.....................and can enjoy them too!!!