Seven Days Of Chocolate Heaven With Divine (12 – 18 October) August 17, 2009

Chocolate Week 2009
12 – 18 October

Seven days of chocolate heaven

Divine Chocolate has hooked up with top chefs, hip hotels and leading restaurants, to make this the best Chocolate Week yet.

Chocolate Week (12-18 October) is going from strength to strength, and Divine Chocolate, the company co-owned by cocoa farmers, is once again delighted to be co-sponsoring this nationwide celebration of fine chocolate. Top chocolatiers and chocolate companies are creating a programme of total chocolate indulgence, and Divine, along with a host of lovely partners, has some really special experiences lined up and exclusive new recipes to share. For news of Divine’s new products out this autumn, and a continually updated list of Chocolate Week events and promotions visit www.divinechocolate.com.

Divine Chocolate has sponsored national Chocolate Week since it began six years ago when it was launched in collaboration with the Academy of Chocolate. For the full Chocolate Week programme visit www.chocolate-week.co.uk.

This year Divine has asked celebrities, top chefs and restaurateurs to come up with their perfect Divine chocolate pudding recipe exclusively for Chocolate Week. The list so far includes two-Michelin star chef Michael Caines; TV chef Alan Coxon who recently presented the BBC2 series Ever Wondered About Food; Ireland’s best known chef and food writer Clodagh McKenna; renowned baking & chocolate expert Linda Collister; young chef Sam Stern who’s fifth cookery book for students is due out early next year; Michelin-starred chef Rob Rees MBE; and bestselling children’s author Anne Fine.

With cupcakes being the hippest treat this year, we’re planning a bit of a chocolate cupcake fest. Couture cake-maker to the stars (everyone from Madonna to David Beckham to the Queen) Mich Turner, of Little Venice Cake Company, will be among the experts creating their tribute to this little baked chocolate icon.

Divine is joining forces with longstanding partner The Pudding Club in the Cotswolds. Made famous through Rick Stein’s BBC series Food Heroes, The Pudding Club at Three Ways House Hotel was set up to celebrate traditional British puddings like Spotted Dick and Jam Roly Poly!

• Divine’s resident chocolatier will be heading down to Gloucestershire to host Divine chocolate masterclasses for the Pudding Club’s Chocoholics Weekend on 17-18th October.
• An exclusive Divine Chocolate à la carte and set menu will be on offer to guests staying at the hotel throughout Chocolate Week, with chocolate featuring in every course. With lasts years menu featuring Pan seared scallops with white chocolate risotto; Partridge with bok choi, roasted walnuts & dark chocolate sauce; and White chocolate & vanilla cheesecake, guests are in store for some seriously decadent spoiling.
• Guests and non-guests alike can also visit the hotel each day during Chocolate Week for a Divine Guilty Pleasure Afternoon Tea featuring delights such as Chocolate & banana cake and Luxurious hot chocolate with cream & chocolate flakes.
• Free Divine chocolate bars will also be supplied in the hotel’s 48 rooms and guests will receive a free jute bag with chocolate shortbread, a bar of Divine chocolate and a chocolate pudding made on site making their stay a trip to remember.
• Please visit www.thepuddingclub.com or contact Jill at The Pudding Club on 01386 438429 for further information.

Restaurants across the country are teaming up with Divine to offer Divine-themed Chocolate Week menus – these include winner of the Observer Food Award’s Best Vegetarian Restaurant 2008 Terre à Terre in Brighton, Urban Angel in Edinburgh, and Fusion Brasserie in Worcester. Divine tasting sessions will be taking place at cafés, bookshops and stores across the country, including London’s most prestigious department store Liberty; the Eden Project in Cornwall, and at the launch of the John Lewis Foodhall at Bluewater in Kent with opportunities to sample
Divine’s two brand new flavours: Dark Chocolate with Raspberries and Butterscotch Milk Chocolate. Divine will be hosting a tasting workshop for families at Eco Age, the chic ethical shop owned by Colin Firth’s wife in London, on Saturday 17th October. The exclusive Divniitini cocktail inspired by and using Divine will be on offer at the chic Sanderson Hotel in London’s West End.

A full list of partners and programme of events will be available soon on www.divinechocolate.com.

Divine will also be hosting a chocolate debate on 15th October which will see some of the industry’s leading experts discuss the history, sociology and politics of the chocolate trade.

In association with Chocolate Week, Divine and other chocolate companies will again also be exhibiting at the Spirit of Christmas Fair at Kensington Olympia in London. Running from 4-8 November, the show is held in association with House & Garden Magazine and attracts in excess of 33,000 visitors.

Michael Caines, John Burton-Race, Giancarlo Caldesi, Jason Atherton And Atul Kochhar, Announced As Guest Chefs For Grand Designs Live, London (25th April – 4th May) April 7, 2009

Michael Caines, John Burton-Race, Giancarlo Caldesi, Jason Atherton, Jun Tanaka, Stuart Gillies, and Atul Kochhar, have today been unveiled as the Celebrity chefs turning up the heat in the LIVE Kitchen Experience sponsored by Miele at Grand Designs Live, London 2009, the 25thApril – 4th May, at the ExCeL Centre, in London’s Docklands.

These Michelin Star chefs will be joining this year’s Grand Designs Live, to host a series of Live kitchen demonstrations and workshops, bringing together a variety of different tastes and flavours from around the world, and cooking up some culinary delights in front of your eyes, in our amazingly designed kitchens.

TV favourite John Burton Race, awarded a Michelin star in 2005 and better known for his role as the head chef at The Landmark Hotel and more recently for his role in I’m a celebrity, will join Michael Caines the two star Michelin chef, and one of Britain’s most acclaimed chefs, Giancarlo Caldesi famous for their TV appearances and their Italian Cookery School, as well as Indian-born British chef Atul Kochhar, Jason Atherton of Maze, and Stuart Gillies of Boxwood Cafe, both Gordon Ramsey protege’s and Dominic Chapman of Sir Michael Pakinson’s restaurant Royal Oak, are just some of the many acclaimed chefs set to lead the way in demonstrating unique cooking techniques to an audience of thousands in our stunning show kitchens supplied by Poggenpohl and Stoneham with appliances by Miele.

Our kitchens will be road-tested by these top chefs in an attempt to encourage people to use their kitchens and start experimenting at home. A further 24 chefs from some of London and the Home Counties’ top restaurants will also be facing the public gallery for 2009 including;

London Chefs include: The OXO Tower’s Jeremy Bloor, Patrick Williams from The Terrace, Vivek Singh Head Chef at the Cinnamon Club, Malcolm John of Le Vacherin, Giancarlo Caldesi of Caldesi, Jun Tanaka of Pearl,Richard Robinson from the Prism, Jean Claude Vydelingum of Island, Jason Atherton of Maze, Stuart Gillies of Boxwood Cafe and Dominic Chapman of Sir Michael Parkinson’s restaurant Royay Oak, , Ian Pengelley of Gilgamesh, Anirudh Arora of Moti Mahal, , Gary Klaner from TwoTwentyTwo, Atul Kochhar of elite restaurant Benares, Lee Bennet from Le Pont de la Tour, and Taher Jabit from Bistro One Ninety, Peter Murray of The Ship and David George of The Gun.

UK-wide Chef’s include: Tom Kerridge of the Hand and Flowers Marlow, Buckinghamshire, Dominic Chapman of the Royal Oak in Berkshire, Richard Davies of Manor House in Wiltshire, Andy McKenzie Avenue Restaurant in Winchester, Michael Wignall the Latymer Restaurant in Surrey, Richard Bertinet at Bertinet Cookery School in Bath , Michael Caines of Abode in Manchester, as well as Internationally acclaimed chef Claire Clark from the French Laundry, and Australlian celebrities Rachael & Kim with their new book, 4 ingredients.

These dedicated workshops will offer visitors the chance to taste and experience home cooking at its best, as well as exclusive book signings by Claire Clark, Patrick Williams, Vivek Singh, Giancarlo Caldesi, and Atul Kochhar exclusively at this year’s show.

In addition, chefs, Atul Kochhar of Benares, Jason Atherton of Maze, Vivek Singh of The Cinnamon Club, Andy McKenzie of Avenue, Michael Caines of Abode and Richard Bertinet of the Bertinet Cookery School, Taheer Jabit of Bistro One Ninety, Stuart Gillies of Boxwood Cafe, Jeremy Bloor of OXO Tower, Patrick Williams The Terrace, Ian Pengelley of Gilgamesh, Malcom John La Vacherin, Matt Gillan of the Pass, Peter Murray of The Ship, and David George of the Gun,will demonstrate outdoor cooking techniques to show you how you can re-create that enjoy Al Fresco Dining and enjoy traditional outdoor cooking methods and flavours.

Our resident chefs will also give outdoor demonstrations using unique cooking materials including; clay ovens, the latest outdoor BBQ’s, and even the Orchard Oven as used by Jamie Oliver.
The Grand Food Hall at Grand Designs Live London will be the best place to visit to sample fine culinary delights and buy the perfect cooking utensils. Everything from sushi making kits, designer knives and relishes can be found in the Grand Food Hall. It is the ideal place to kit out your kitchen, as well as get tasters, tips and demonstrations to make sure you get the most out of the products.

Alternatively, come and dine at our Celebrity Restaurant within the signature Jean-Christophe Novelli restaurant, relax in an intimate environment and taste fine cooking at its best. Or learn all about how to mix some amazing cocktails with the city’s top mixologists as they share their passion and guide you through a series of master classes, as well as representatives from some of the top restaurants in the UK who will be running wine tasting sessions.

Grand Designs Live, London will open its doors for 10 days of Live cooking, Kitchen demonstrations and expert advice from some of the UK’s leading chefs, from 25th April – 4th May 2009, at London’s ExCeL Centre, in London’s Docklands.

Based on the hugely successful Channel 4 TV series – presented by design guru Kevin McCloud – Grand Designs Live brings together over 500 exhibitors and six separate shows from Interiors, Building, Kitchens, Bathrooms, Gardens and our awe-inspiring Grand Village, offering visitors the chance to see the latest in design, self build, and sustainable living – all under one roof. Each section is full of the UK’s biggest and best brands and offers you a range of features and advice from leading experts to assist you with every aspect of your home.

To book your tickets to this year’s show NOW and SAVE £5 visit www.granddesignslive.com or call the 24 hour box office on 0871 230 5577 + Kids go free.