With a reasonably light order book and no events this forthcoming weekend, I’ve been able to do a little R&D this week. I’ve been throwing some ideas around using the Panda’s Kitchen vodka samples I picked up earlier in the year, and with a little time on my hands I could start putting those ideas into action.

The flavours I’ve got to work with are: Chilli & Honey, Toast, Marshmallow, Mince Pie, and Cake. I felt they lent themselves to layered truffles, so that I could layer flavour combinations and textures. This is a very different technique to the moulded chocolates we’ve been producing so far. They are produced in a large tray and once set, are cut into squares and then dipped. The first batches worked reasonably well, although there are some issues and taste tweaks we need to make. I’m not yet ready to reveal the final flavours, but those of you in our monthly chocolate club will receive a test batch to try and give us feedback, and will also receive further iterations of each flavour over the coming months.

With no events this weekend, it’s a chance to relax and catch up, and very welcome it is too. As the sun’s heading towards the yard-arm, it’s time to mix up a jug of Sangria and enjoy a very lazy Sunday afternoon. Cheers!