The latest Staple Inn Actuarial Society (SIAS) social outing on 27 June to a chocolate boutique in Londons Notting Hill was a real treat for all involved.
The latest Staple Inn Actuarial Society (SIAS) social outing on 27 June to a chocolate boutique in London's Notting Hill was a real treat for all involved.
The Artisan du Chocolat team greeted our group of 25 with a glass of champagne, and then invited us to sit at individual tasting stations. There, we learnt about chocolate production, from the growing, harvesting and fermenting of cocoa beans to the mixing, refining and moulding processes. The ceiling of the boutique was designed to give a 360-degree view of a real-life cocoa plantation.
There was also was plenty of tasting - cacao nibs and pulp; cocoa powder and butter; chocolate made with cow, buffalo, goat and almond milk; chocolate flavoured with caramel, mint, mascarpone, pistachio, raspberry and even tobacco; and chocolate ice-cream - and complementary alcohol pairings.
We ended the night in high spirits, giddy from all the sugar and laden with goodie bags.
