Food Week:
Creamy Chocolates
Happy memories of the wonderful tasting and beautifully coloured milk and butter in Guernsey where he grew up and cozy afternoon teas with his grandparents, have inspired Paul Hargreaves of Coccoa and Cream (spelt with two ‘c’s) to become a maker of exquisite chocolates, cakes and sugar sculptures.
Paul, who is based in Bledlow, just loves being in a kitchen. It is where he feels at home. He is extremely modest but very passionate about his desire to create wonderful sweet food including chocolates using fresh Guernsey cream and inspiringly different flavours. He was thrilled to find a local dairy, Lacey’s in Bourne End, that sells Guernsey cream. His ultimate ambition is to own a tea shop and serve high quality afternoon teas.
Sweet Things
Paul trained as a farrier and practised locally. He considers it to be a great profession and has no regrets, but his heart is in food preparation. “I can’t explain where the desire comes from” he tells me, “but I’ve always been fascinated by cook books and loved sweet things as a child. It is my calling. Perhaps my Grandmother is to blame!” he says with a glint in his eye. “She made lovely flapjacks and cakes.”
I asked him where the inspiration comes from for his flavours. “I live on a farm. The woman who owns it is really lovely and offers me part time work to pay the bills. There is beautiful lavender growing in the garden that I can smell and keep bumping into. I just had to make it a flavour, which I call Summer Truffle.” Very nice it is too!
Paul challenged himself to a job pot washing in Amersham for three nights a week on the basis that if he survived that he would know he wanted to spend his life working in food. After time as a patisserie sous chef at Hartwell House and taking an apprenticeship at Harrods, Paul decided to set up Coccoa and Cream. “Harrods was fantastic training. Everything is made in house. There is no compromise on quality and fantastic attention to detail. I really enjoyed my life there.”
Valentines
In addition to his delicious chocolates, Paul makes cakes and specializes in hand blown sugar decorations for functions. His largest creation was nearly two metres high! The Coccoa and Cream website http://www.coccoaandcream.co.uk/shows you his amazing work and if you feel like treating someone to a very special gift (oh, gosh if only there was a romantic celebration coming up in February!) you can order some of the award winning truffles and mouth watering mousses on line. The quality that Paul brings to everything that he does carries through to the packaging. There is a special heart shaped box for Valentines Day.
Keep a look out for this chocolatier on the move. He is determined to make a success of Coccoa and Cream and I wish him all the very best.
Did You Know?
Cream gets its yellow colour from natural carotenoid pigments in the pasture that cows graze on.