Craft indulgent delights at The Chocolate Manor

If you’ve ever fancied trying your hand at being a chocolatier, a visit to The Chocolate Manor in Castlerock on Northern Ireland’s famous Causeway Coastal Route is a must.

The artisan chocolate makers are passionate about their products and about sharing their expertise with others. So as well as producing a range of delectable chocolate products, they run several workshops where you can learn to make your own chocolate delights.

The Taste Causeway Chocolate Experience teaches you how to make chocolate and ganache using an exclusive selection of local artisan products.

You’ll be introduced to Causeway Coffee, locally roasted award-winning coffee blends, to incorporate into a fabulous coffee milk truffle and you’ll make a toffee apple truffle inspired by the apple orchard at Dundarave Estate, just a stone’s throw from the Giant’s Causeway.

Other local ingredients used to infuse the chocolate include Broighter Gold Rapeseed Chilli Oil, which adds the heat to a dark chocolate and chilli truffle, and Mussenden Sea Salt harvested off Castlerock Beach, used in a salted caramel truffle.

Spirits old and new also join the mix with Northern Ireland’s famous Bushmills Whiskey and gin from new distillery Giants Basalt Gin adding a kick, while mint and lemon leaves from microgreen farmers Greenhouse Brothers give a final finesse to the taste.

All of the ingredients used by The Chocolate Manor are ethically sourced and available to buy in their artisan shop.

The Chocolate Manor began life as a kitchen enterprise and has grown to become a supplier to five-star restaurants, multiple large corporations and even the UK royal family.

It also operates as an économusée meaning that visitors can see the artisans at work. At The Chocolate Manor, storyboards are dotted throughout the workshop that tell the history of the chocolate making process and introduce the Chief Chocolatier, Geri Martin.

After a visit to The Chocolate Manor, spend a while in Castlerock, a picturesque seaside village known for its golden beach which sits on the edge of Binevagh nature reserve, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Near the village is the much-photographed Mussenden Temple, built in 1785 and perched dramatically on a 120ft clifftop. This is also Game of Thrones country, with many of the iconic filming locations nearby including Cushendun Caves (where Melisandre gave birth), the Dark Hedges (Kingsroad), Ballintoy Harbour (Iron Islands) and Downhill Strand (Dragonstone).

www.ireland.com