Mmmm, chocolate. If it be a god, then Kent be Mecca.
Michael got me a tour of the Artisan du Chocolat factory in Ashford for my birthday, and last Saturday I made my pilgrimage. Oh my chocolate god what a place.
It wasn’t exactly a selfless act on his part. We’re both a bit obsessed with AduC. We have a box of their sea-salted caramels in our cupboard at all times (peppercorn ones at the moment, amazing). We covet them so much that we only allow ourselves one per night. In fact we recently had friends for dinner and are still kicking ourselves for bringing out the little brown tub after dinner. I still remember trying to concentrate on polite conversation as we watched one friend throw one after the other into his mouth like they were smarties. Needless to say that’s the last dinner we’ll be inviting him to. I also buy them for my family in Dublin at almost every birthday and Christmas – even my granny likes them.
Meeting Ann Weyns (who founded AduC with her partner Gerard Coleman) was a bit like meeting the Wizard of Oz. Behind the glossy packaging and magical flavours lies a very humble person and really quite a small factory. I couldn’t believe how modest and open she was. Instead of the slick marketing machine I expected, I found an incredibly honest, passionate person who wasn’t shy about telling us juicy gossip about Gordon Ramsay, Heston Blumenthal and the supplier relationship they now have with MandS. Fascinating stuff.
The tour itself was amazing. We didn’t get to see the velvety stuff being moulded or shaped or anything. But it didn’t matter, because Anne was so interesting to listen to. You could watch like eight series of the Apprentice and not learn as much as a few hours going round their little factory with Ann. They have an incredible ethos. “People ask us to put up our prices. They say why not, people will pay it. But I think if I wouldn’t pay that much for something, then why should anyone else?” Both her and Gerard still work tirelessly on the factory floor pretty much every day of the week. Even the marketing is done at a surprisingly low level. I asked her who does her packaging and marketing, she said they got a huge quote from an agency and so found a freelance designer online instead. They'd rather spend the money on the product. Someone said the salted caramel boxes look like cosmetic tubs and she said, “They are. It’s amazing what you can find online.” It just goes to show that if you have enough passion and a clear vision, you can easily do these things yourself, and make it look just as professional.
She let us taste raw cocoa beans and even cocoa pulp (nice, never even knew it was a fruit) and broke open countless bars of chocolate. I couldn’t believe the difference in taste from Vietnam to Java to Bali. They’re all single source beans so they can get really clear flavours. She told us 90% of the world’s chocolate is made from a mix of many different beans and that manufacturers usually import readymade chocolate and all they do is shape it. They are one of only three manufacturers in the UK that make their chocolate from scratch. It shows.
Then onto more chocolate tasting. Oh, alright then. Round a long table with a napkin, a menu, a glass plate and a glass of water, we were served a 25-course chocolate extravaganza. I don’t like mint chocolates much but theirs actually tasted like chomping on a mint leaf. I don’t think my mouth will let me put an After Eight in it ever again after that. She even proudly brought out new sea-salted caramel ‘iScream’ and cocoa pulp sorbet. Still in testing phase. So good, even if I did wonder was I going to turn into a giant blueberry and have to be rolled out of there later.
It’s a shame there are so many roundabouts around Ashford because the combination of them with my cocoa butter filled stomach was not good on the way home. Gluttons. But so worth it.
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