Category

Chocolate Making

24/06/2022
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How to Temper Chocolate | Friars

How to temper chocolate is not about making your favourite box of confectionery angry as you probably already know. No, to temper is a very necessary process undertaken in the manufacturing of our chocolate. More widely known for it’s use in metal working, most of us will have heard of tempered steel, tempering is an important part of the product making cycle. Essentially to temper something is to bring it to a workable state and in the case of chocolate the tempering is the final part of the process. Because... Read More

20/11/2021
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What is bloomed chocolate? | Friars

So, is Bloomed Chocolate a flowery confection with delightful scents and petal formations? Not quite. Simply put, “Bloomed” is the term given to describe chocolate that has undergone a change in one of two respects, giving the chocolate a whitish / grey appearance on its surface.The two types of change we’re looking at are Fat Bloom, caused not unsurprisingly by changes to the fats in the chocolate and Sugar Bloom, again not unsurprisingly caused by changes to the sugar content becoming subject to moisture and crystallising on the chocolates surface.... Read More

18/10/2021

British Chocolatier | Friars

So firstly we might like to know, just what is a ‘British Chocolatier’. Some might be conjuring an image of a swashbuckling gentleman wearing a large plumed hat with breeches, boots and wielding a rapier style sword. That is of course a somewhat different matter and refers to a ‘French Musketeer’. A light hearted play on the teer/tier aspect then but designed only to draw attention to the fact that both Chocolatier and Musketeer are derived from the French. As is often the case the language seems to imply something... Read More

24/08/2021
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Committed to Making our Vegan Chocolates Soya Free | Friars Vegan Chocolate

At Friars, when it comes to looking at chocolate for people with special diets, we’re always researching pioneering techniques to help to ensure our chocolate treats are more accessible to more people. Starting with our Kakoa Vegan Chocolate collections (previously called Vegan Chocolatier) we’ve improved and enhanced recipes to ensure our products are better for you, and better for the planet. That’s why we’re one of the first chocolate manufacturers to create ‘soya free’ chocolates that have been designed for people on soya free diets. Moreover, by swapping out soya... Read More

02/07/2021
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British Chocolatiers Setting Trends in 2021 | Friars

Throughout our growth and expansion here at Friars, we’re always focused on ensuring that the quality of our products (chocolates and sweets) is as good as it can be, that taste is the very top of it’s game and that our products are made using sustainable processes, to help us ensure the longevity of our planet. Because let’s face it, no planet means no customers, and that’s bad for business! We’re passionate about ensuring that our operations are as eco-friendly as possible, that’s why we source low carbon ingredients and... Read More

11/09/2020
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What Exactly is a Cocoa Bean? | Friars

If you’re reading this, the chances are you enjoy good chocolates. We all do, which is exactly why we have devoted our lives to ensuring our customers have access to the very best chocolate in the world, all handmade by our team of expert chocolatiers based in the North of England. See our classics, our wonderful creations and more! Chocolate is our life, and has been since Friars first opened its doors in 1927, we’ve been making chocolate in the same way ever since. None of it would be possible... Read More

02/08/2020
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How We Make Our Chocolates

Not all chocolates are born equal. As with all fine food it begins with the raw material, in our case – the cocoa. We import the finest Belgian chocolate; this may cost more but it is worth it as it makes a superior chocolate. The kind of chocolate that connects beautifully with your senses, where you savour every bite. We have an idea, that’s how it starts. The spark may be a delicious meal or cocktail, sometimes that is all it needs. Our master chocolatier will then start experimenting with... Read More