Pierre Hermé arrives in London
Thursday 28th January
Exciting news! The World famous patissier and chocolatier Pierre Hermé is to open up in London. It’s wonderful for London’s chocolate lovers and foodies as Hermé is extremely highly regarded, probably most known for his wonderful macarons. A collection of his macarons and chocolates will be available in Selfridges from 5th February with plans to open a boutique later on this year. We’ve heard a few rumours about where the shop is going to be with SW1 being the most persistent. Pierre Hermé will be a wonderful addition to the London chocolate scene and it’s a testament to our growing sophisticated tastes that one of France’s finest chocolatiers has chosen to open here. Hermé says of the step across the channel – “It has always been a dream of mine to open in London, many of our devotees in Paris are from the UK. I am looking forward to finally work in such an exciting city for cuisine and gastronomy. The energy of London is recognized throughout the world, I am simply delighted to be here at last.”
It certainly sounds as though Hermé has the right strategy in launching into the UK. We were very sorry to hear that Mary Chocolatier had recently closed their outlet but have to question whether opening a kiosk in Westfield was the right move for a respected chocolate company.
We’re very much looking forward to Hermé being in London and Selfridges is becoming a must visit chocolate destination with Artisan du Chocolat’s boutique and Melt having a good presence there.
Chocolatier Marc Demarquette shows Kirstie Allsopp how to make the perfect truffle on C4
Monday 25th January
Back in December, crafty Kirstie Allsopp was back for a spectacular 3-part special that saw her create the perfect homemade Christmas.
She joined British Chocolatier Marc Demarquette at his Chocolate Atelier to learn the art of chocolate making true artisan style. First up was an introduction to quality chocolate and some tips on what to look out for when buying good chocolate.
Marc then showed Kirstie how to temper chocolate, roll truffles and make a crispy Christmas tree. Truffles of course are perfect for all occasions, so find the recipe on the Demarquette facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/#/pages/Demarquette-Fine-Chocolates-London/59216399416?ref=mf or visit http://www.demarquette.com.
If you didn’t catch the show you can still watch it on Channel 4 On Demand at http://www.channel4.com/programmes/kirsties-homemade-home/4od.
Marc and Kirstie get all chocolaty in Episode 3 of Kirstie’s Homemade Christmas.
Kraft Foods to take over Cadbury
Tuesday 19th January
After much speculation and to-ing and fro-ing over the last few months Kraft’s bid for Cadbury’s is being finalised. The move ends one of the City’s most fiercely contested bid battles, and Cadbury’s decision comes after Kraft raised its offer from £10.5 billion to about £11.7 billion, or roughly 761p per Cadbury share to 840p a share, plus a 10p a share dividend to Cadbury shareholders. The deal ends a proud heritage for Cadbury as an independent company and their role in the history of chocolate is key. The chocolate maker dates back to 1824 when John Cadbury, a Birmingham Quaker, began selling cocoa-based drinks in his tea and coffee emporium. Kraft bought Terry’s, another iconic British chocolate company, in 1993 and closed its York factory two years later. Kraft owns confectionery brands such as Milka and Toblerone but has a poor reputation among many in the food industry because it makes most of its money from processed cheese and meat. The deal isn’t finalised, Hershey’s have until the weekend to put in a rival offer but whatever happens it’s almost certain that Cadbury’s will cease to be a British company which is such a shame as one of the nation’s favourite brands.
