How is chocolate made? If your mind conjures up a chocolate factory of Willy Wonka-size proportions, you couldn't be more wrong! In Leyburn, nestled in an unlikely spot on a business park, sits the Little Chocolate Shop, where proprietor Claire Gardiner and her team make hand-made chocolates. The 'factory' is no bigger than a tiny tea-shop, where visitors can watch chocolates being made.
 | | A moulded chocolate cow |
"My teashop had no trade. We had a basement which had a tiled floor, it was very cool and I did some research into what I could do in a space like that. "The result was that I went to Belgium to learn how to make chocolate." As will become apparent from the demonstration, making chocolate is a highly scientific process, as Claire explains... "You can't just use melted chocolate because chocolate is a very complex product. "The oil that comes from the cocoa bean is called cocoa butter, it's a very complex oil that contains poly-morphic crystals. "That means that the crystals morph from one type to another as the chocolate cools from its melting to setting point. We need to get the right crystal structure into the chocolate before we use." Claire admits she didn't set out to be a chocolatier, but rather fell into the role by accident.
 | | Piping the chocolate filling |
She moved into North Yorkshire to run a tea shop, but the combination of heavy rain, flooding and foot and mouth forced her to investigate how she could diversify. If the science was getting too much for you, Claire emphasises how important this crystal structure is. "The chocolate will be dull, covered in white lines, streaks spots and blemishes. It will also be chalky and grainy in your mouth." Well that's certainly convinced us ofthe importance of getting those crystals right! But surely making chocolate day in, day out surely Claire is fed up with constantly smelling and tasting chocolate? "Not at all - when you eat pure chocolate it leaves this wonderful flavour in your mouth, so we all still LOVE chocolate!" | 
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