City aims to be first town of chocolate bar none

The Romans named it “Eboracum” and the Vikings dubbed it “Jorvik”.

Now tourism chiefs are looking to brand the ancient city of York as “Britain’s Home of Chocolate” as part of a major drive to showcase its proud confectionary history which stretches back more than 100 years.

Yesterday the launch of a new Chocolate Trail marked the start of a new marketing campaign which is set to put York on the map as the nation’s capital of chocolate.

Spearheaded by Visit York, “Indulge Yourself in the Home of Chocolate” will see a series of new chocolate events and attractions launched across the city, which the tourism group’s chief executive, Gillian Cruddas, believes will deliver a sweet success in boosting York’s already flourishing tourism sector.

She said: “The city is claiming its rightful status as Home of Chocolate. Throughout its history, York has been awarded many different titles from the Romans, who chose Eboracum, meaning ‘place of the yew trees’, to the Vikings who named it Jorvik, meaning ‘horse bay’, and now we are claiming the city’s rightful association with chocolate.

“For centuries, the confectionery industry has shaped the city and it continues to satisfy the nation’s undiminished appetite for one of our favourite indulgences. Now is the right time to tell York’s chocolate story to the world.”



The new trail, which visitors can follow on their smart phones, will see walkers embark on a tour around all the buildings in the city that have a chocolate connection, as well as chocolatiers and restaurants that specialise in all things sweet.

Also planned is the opening of a new £2m visitor attraction on March 31 branded Chocolate: York’s Sweet Story, which will celebrate the past and future of the confectionery industry.

Last September the Yorkshire Post revealed work had started on the 6,400 sq ft site in King’s Square at the end of the city’s famous Shambles. The project is being overseen by York-based firm Continuum, which helped to establish one of the city’s other leading attractions, the Jorvik Viking Centre.

York’s first ever Chocolate Festival is also set to take place on April 6–9, which has been organised by chocolatier, Sophie Jewett from York Cocoa House.

Miss Jewett, who has previously created chocolate-themed programmes for the York Food and Drink Festival, said: “It has grown and grown and we decided that it was the perfect time to create a chocolate festival for the city.

“We have got a lot of fantastic events planned at different locations and attractions around York, including a chocolate party at the top of York Minster, which will allow people to see how the city was shaped by chocolate from a very special view.

“The new campaign is absolutely wonderful and I think it will be a huge success. There’s such a strong story here in York and it’s a story that people are so passionate about.”

York is the birthplace of some of the world’s biggest confectionary dynasties including Terry’s and Rowntrees, which is currently celebrating its 150th anniversary.

The industry continues to flourish in the city and 80,000 tonnes of confectionery are produced in York each year at one of the largest chocolate factories in the world, including the world’s most successful chocolate bar, Kit Kat. A surge in the number of independent chocolatiers opening in the city and a global research centre dedicated to confectionery innovation helps York to stake its claim as the ‘Home of Chocolate”.

Mrs Cruddas said: “There has never been a better time for us to stake this claim and I think it will give us marketers even more reason for encouraging people to come to the city. It would be quite interesting if Bournville questions that claim, that would be quite nice in itself. George Cadbury Junior and Lewis Fry started their apprenticeships in York at Joseph Rowntree’s family grocery shop in York, which proves it all started here in the city. Hopefully people will want to come to York to find out more about it.”

Chocolate maker and philanthropist Joseph Rowntree developed the family’s chocolate firm to become an international success that lives on today.

His great-greatgrandson, and York Nestlé Confectionery employee Giles Naish, said: “It is fantastic York is celebrating being a chocolate city.

“Confectionery has been integral in shaping the city for generations. Not only a proud heritage but a bright future as York continues to be a confectionery centre of excellence globally.”


Source and Photo: Yorkshire Post

Chocolate egg vies to smash record

Willam Curley, who has been named Britain's best chocolatier by the Academy of Chocolate five times, is creating the giant egg using materials such as expensive Tuscan Amedei dark chocolate and Japanese Wasabi chocolate. The finished product will be auctioned in London on March 20.

The auctioneers hope to break the current Guinness World Record price for a non-jewelled chocolate egg of £1,000.

The sale is part of The Faberge Big Egg Hunt, a charity event which is trying to break a world record for having the most participants in an Easter egg hunt.

The Big Egg Hunt has seen celebrities such as film director Sir Ridley Scott and jeweller Theo Fennell design and decorate giant fibreglass eggs. Over 200 eggs will be hidden in secret locations thoughout London from tomorrow [TUESDAY] as part of the event. People will be able to bid for the eggs online.

The proceeds will go to Action for Children and Elephant Family, the charities.

Source and Photo: The Telegraph

Berry big business boom

WHAT started as a fun sideline for brides and grooms with their wedding cakes has unexpectedly taken off with a bang.

Wicked Berries, which normally produces between 10 and 15 boxes of chocolate-coated strawberries and cake bombs a week, with peaks at Christmas and on Valentine's Day, last week found itself filling an order for 700 boxes of the yummy fruits.

Owner Kerry Sullivan, who is already well known for his award-winning wedding cakes with Modern Cake Creations, said the order from one of Australia's top 10 companies came completely out of the blue.

"They have contracted us to ship this massive order out Australia-wide to their branches," Mr Sullivan said.

"It's crazy - we've been working 16 hours a day to achieve this plus I am still creating the cakes I already had on order."



Mr Sullivan said it was certainly exciting seeing the business taking on a life of its own.

"This little business is starting to show huge potential - not only on a general scale but also for the corporate world."

He said he was particularly pleased that feedback repeatedly mistook the business for a big city one rather than a small business in Coffs Harbour.

"It's a huge compliment to us and we are really happy we can highlight that Coffs Harbour produces products of the quality people expect in the cities."

Meanwhile at the Northside Shopping Centre last week strawberry after strawberry was being dipped in chocolate and packed into boxes with the final count a staggering 8304 cake bombs and 'wicked strawberries'.

All 700 boxes left town, on time, via Startrack Express on Monday.


Source and Photo: Coff's Advocate