| User |
Post |
|
8:29 pm
June 30, 2006
|
|
boycie
|
|
|
|
|
|
Member
|
|
posts 18
|
|
|
|
|
Hello
I’m new! Hi! But I’ve been visiting the site for a while and am so impressed at the generosity and knowledge of all you users.
I, like a lot of you have already been through it seems, am at the very first stages of setting up my chocolate business, and right now I am wanting to get some really good training on actually making chocolates. My research suggests Slattery’s in Manchester is a good bet, but I wondered if any of you have any experience of their courses or any alternative suggestions. It doesn’t have to be in this country, but would have to be in English!
Any comments very welcome!
Thanks very much
Thank you!
|
|
|
|
|
6:14 pm
July 4, 2006
|
|
patsikes
|
|
|
Tampa Bay Area, FL, USA
|
|
|
|
|
Member
|
|
posts 67
|
|
|
|
|
Welcome to the site.
I have been interested in attending some of the classes at Notter’s School in Orlando, FL. I have not yet, but have heard some good things.
http://www.notterschool.com
Patrick Sikes
P.S. I Love You Fine Chocolates
http://www.psiloveyouchocolates.com
|
Patrick Sikes
www.MyChocolateJournal.com
|
|
|
9:32 pm
July 4, 2006
|
|
Bala C
|
|
|
United Kingdom
|
|
|
|
|
Member
|
|
posts 45
|
|
|
|
|
Hello – yes I’ve been to Slattery’s.
They are very good and there is a lot of practical stuff that you can learn about working with chocolate.
Depends how much experience you have as to which course you should go on.
I would say some are probably too basic if you have some knowledge of chocolate.
Bala
Bala :)
http://www.thechocolatecellar.co.uk
|
Bala :)
www.thechocolatecellar.co.uk
|
|
|
10:41 pm
July 6, 2006
|
|
boycie
|
|
|
|
|
|
Member
|
|
posts 18
|
|
|
|
|
Hi
Great, thanks for your comments. At the moment my knowledge is pretty much zero, and so am thinking of the 5 day ‘Chocolate Experience’ course – but don’t have much interest in the Cakes side of it and some time is spent on that I think. Given that I want to go on a course soonish, rather than next year, looks like I may just have to go for the 5 dayer and just focus more on the chocs.
I also wonder if there’s a more professional chocolate-making qualification I should be going for instead…[?]
I’ve bought the book ‘Belgian Chocolates’ by Roger Geerts so after the course I will get some basic ingredients (anywhere especially I should get them from[?]) and have a go at making some too.
It’s all very exciting! Thanks for your help guys!
Thank you!
|
|
|
|
|
9:47 am
July 7, 2006
|
|
emmabutcheruk
|
|
|
Gloucester, United Kingdom
|
|
|
|
|
Member
|
|
posts 8
|
|
|
|
|
Hi Boycie
I like yourself am looking into starting my own chocolate business. The two main places I have been buying couverture from are (although they sell many other useful items such as packaging and larger equipment):
http://www.vantagehouse.com
http://www.homechocolatefactory.co.uk
Also I have purchased molds and transfer sheets from
http://www.chocolateworld.be
Again they sell much more than this.
Good luck
Emma
|
|
|
7:25 pm
July 10, 2006
|
|
boycie
|
|
|
|
|
|
Member
|
|
posts 18
|
|
|
|
|
Hi
Thanks Emma for the feedback – those websites look great.
Good luck to you too in your venture!
Hopefully speak again.
Emma
Thank you!
|
|
|
|
|
10:17 pm
July 15, 2006
|
|
ThomasFrancis Chocolatier
|
|
|
Hull, East Yorks, United Kingdom
|
|
|
|
|
Member
|
|
posts 18
|
|
|
|
|
hi, my name is jon and ive done all the chocolate courses at slatterys, the basic two day and the artizan one day course too. both were great and very useful, ive got some great contacts for all the main stuff you need. i opened my chocolate shop about 5 weeks ago and if you want to know about anything just reply. hopefully i can help, i found it hard to find anyone who had just started there shop and it was great to speck to them about ideas and basic stuff.
email : jonathanbriancollins21@yahoo.co.uk.
really busy at the mo but will do my best
|
|
|
10:49 am
July 16, 2006
|
|
boycie
|
|
|
|
|
|
Member
|
|
posts 18
|
|
|
|
|
Hi Jon
Thank you so much for your message! I’ve booked on the 5 day course and its the week after next – I’m very excited, sounds like it will be worth it. After that hopefully I’ll have a better idea of scale – it’s the stuff like how much can I produce, how long will it last, do I need to fork out on large scale equipment straight away? I’ve been trying to see if I can hire equipment, or hire-to-buy – have you bought all your stuff outright?
Hoping your shop is a great success already and that you are really enjoying it.
Good luck and thanks again
Emma
Thank you!
|
|
|
|
|
9:53 pm
July 18, 2006
|
|
ThomasFrancis Chocolatier
|
|
|
Hull, East Yorks, United Kingdom
|
|
|
|
|
Member
|
|
posts 18
|
|
|
|
|
hi, i poduce about 800 – 1200 chocolates a week and about 150 rustic chocolate bars all by hand with a micowave and basic hand tools. shelf life for chocolats about 6 weeks max using fresh cream, and bars about 3-6 months. try keylink for second hand equipment, and packaging, and H B ingreants for all chocolate, fruits and nuts. when you do your course at slatterys thay should give you all the numbers and contacts. hope you enjoy it, good luck.
p.s where abouts you openning your buisness/shop
jon
|
|
|
9:08 pm
July 19, 2006
|
|
boycie
|
|
|
|
|
|
Member
|
|
posts 18
|
|
|
|
|
Hi Jon
OK cool – they last for ages. Are you finding it easy balancing how many you produce and how many you sell?
I’m on the Hertfordshire/Bedfordshire border so will be setting up shop round here. I still need to do some market research to work out exactly where. Prob send you an email soon – thanks for all your help so far mate!
Emma
Thank you!
|
|
|
|
|
10:12 pm
July 31, 2006
|
|
boycie
|
|
|
|
|
|
Member
|
|
posts 18
|
|
|
|
|
Hi
just come back off the Slattery course – it was brill!
Emma
Thank you!
|
|
|
|
|
10:51 pm
July 31, 2006
|
|
ellie
|
|
|
london, United Kingdom
|
|
|
|
|
Member
|
|
posts 308
|
|
|
|
|
What did it cover? Was the practical side good? What did you find most helpful?
|
|
|
11:28 am
August 1, 2006
|
|
confiseur
|
|
|
Switzerland
|
|
|
|
|
Member
|
|
posts 51
|
|
|
|
|
Hi Boycie….
What did you find so good about Slatterys? Is it more for beginners/enthusiastic amateurs, suitable for career changers or slanted towards professional chcolatiers?
|
|
|
4:48 am
August 11, 2006
|
|
Rio
|
|
|
hayward, USA
|
|
|
|
|
Member
|
|
posts 7
|
|
|
|
|
If you are looking to learn about chocolate check out the online course I took http://www.ecolechocolat.net
Hope the spelling is right. It’s a 3 month course and it’s cost about 500.00 us dollars. You learn everything about chocolate and you get a certificate at the end. If my spelling is wrong then go to google and type in ‘chocolate schools’. It’s a very informative course.
Sometimes chocolate really can solve all your problems
|
Sometimes chocolate really can solve all your problems
|
|
|
7:16 pm
August 11, 2006
|
|
chocogal
|
|
|
|
|
|
Member
|
|
posts 3
|
|
|
|
|
Isn’t this funny? I’ve just posted a thread on ecolechocolat.com and now I’ve noticed this topic. Please see the info about the Free Chocolatier Program I’ve posted in a different thread, and I hope you are the lucky winner:) Good luck!
|
|
|
9:36 pm
August 17, 2006
|
|
boycie
|
|
|
|
|
|
Member
|
|
posts 18
|
|
|
|
|
hi
The course was pretty much perfect for me; that is someone with virtually no chocolate-making exerience, but more than a course just for someone who’s doing it just for fun.
There was a fair bit of time to put the demos into practise, I thought the balance between watching the tutor and trying it out ourselves was about right.
Some time was spent on shelflife and we learnt a lot of skills. It was pretty itense and I was shattered by the end, but It was very fun and helped me realise it’s definitely for me!
oh, and most people on it were career changers!
Thank you!
|
|
|
|
Search 
Print this Topic 
Topic RSS 
