Somerset boasts some of the finest artisan food producers, being based in the heart of rural Somerset our chocolatiers have drawn on these producers and have been inspired by their work. This August we celebrate some of the great flavours and foods of Somerset.
With this months box of the month we travel on a journey. Our journey begins in Frome at Ivy House Farm, a family run dairy farm milking 120 Jersey cows, Somerset is perfect for the production of milk and has a long heritage as diary country thanks to its rich pastures. We've used ivy house cream as it's extra rich and creamy to create the ultimate salted caramel.
From Frome we travel to the 160 acres of cider apple orchards in Martock where the Somerset Cider Brandy Co. have been distilling cider brandy since 1989. It has long been known that certain areas in England boast the ideal conditions for growing cider apples, that being the climate and the soil condition and all these areas are in Somerset! Inspired by the fruits of Somerset's orchards, our chocolatiers have used Somerset Cider Company's double distilled Eau de Vie Cider Brandy to create a smooth, fruity ganache.
Next we visit our friends at Roundhill Roastery just outside of Bath. We use Roundhill Roastery in our Award Winning Espresso Caramel as well as our Milk and Blonde Chocolate Bars with Crushed Coffee. We thought this was another perfect opportunity to play homage to their great work roasting coffee beans from farmers all over the world with who they have built great relationships with. Their coffee beans have been used this August to create the perfect Flat White Double Layer Ganache. A contrasting combination of creamy ganache and deep espresso to form a perfectly complimentary chocolate.
Whilst in North Somerset, a nostalgic trip takes us to the beach of Western-Super-Mare, to experience the Great British Sea Side. Enjoy the delights of an ice-cream with our Ice Cream Cone Praline, reminiscent of summer days.
Heading back closer to home we stop off in Bruton to visit At The Chapel a Grade II Listed former chapel, with a fantastic on site artisan bakery. Their bakers produce the finest sourdough which we have toasted with a peanut butter infused Gianduja topped with a strawberry jam pate du fruit to create the ultimate childhood treat. Our At The Bakery Peanut Butter Gianduja, Toasted Sourdough & Strawberry Jam Chocolate.
Where finally we return to Higher Holton and the home to The Chocolate Society HQ. This month we have chosen an extra special single origin chocolate to produce the ultimate deep ganache. Lomo Sotavento is a plantation located in the north of the Dominican Republic and was acquired by Valrhona in 2011. This 62% dark chocolate has a distinct character that combines powerful fruitiness with an invigorating armour of camphor, a large evergreen found in Asia. Our chocolatiers have blended this with a the slightest hint of Marc De Champagne and vanilla.
