Introducing our Sea Salted Caramels

Posted on January 12, 2012 by admin

Sea Salted Caramel - Our newest chocolate to join the collection

The newest Chocolate to join our collection is our Sea Salted Caramel.  Made using only the freshest finest ingredients it is going down a storm.  Recent feedback includes: 

◊ your salted caramel was an absolute winner! 

◊ We really enjoyed your chocolates and they vanished really quickly!  Everyone agreed that they were gorgeous – the caramels being the number one favourite.

To celebrate the introduction of this new ”choc in the box” we are offering boxes of 12 Sea Salted Caramels for the introductory price of £9.00.  To place your order simply email us at Indulge@sarajanechocolates.co.uk.

  Order by 8th February for Valentines Day ♥

Posted in NEWS, SEASONAL GIFTS, THE CHOCOLATES | Leave a comment

When in France…..visit Chocolate Shops!

Posted on January 6, 2012 by admin

I have always loved going to Europe and for me an extra special reason to pay our neighbours a visit is to also take in the fabulous local chocolate shops.  Why is it that France and Belgium have wonderful chocolate shops on every corner and as soon as you enter the shop you are greeted with the most amazing aroma.  I could never enter one of those shops and leave empty handed! 

On a recent trip to Normandy where we were enjoying a wonderful family holiday I persuaded (not much persuasion needed!) Mr C and juniors to accompany me to a visit of the Michel Cluizel factory and the uttterly fantastic shop.  

 

Michael Cluizel imports cocoa from Venezuela, Java, Ghana, Madagascar and Ecuador, and produces his chocolate in the plant in southern Normandy.  With cocoa percentages ranging from 33 to 99, there is something for everyone.  The problem is being able to resist the temptation of buying one of everything!

On arrival at the plant you can follow the exhibition which teaches you all about chocolate and even shows you some of the old equipment that was used.  You can then watch a short film about the creation of Cluizel’s chocolate and the family behind the brand.  It really is amazing and very enjoyable.  After that the tour takes you through the factory itself where you see some of the employees making huge quantities of chocolates by hand.  I watched through the perspex screen for ages until I really couldn’t expect my family to stay any longer!

Overall it was totally brilliant and if you are ever remotely near enough to justify a visit then you won’t be disappointed.  Michael Cluizel’s chocolate has got to be ranked within the best in the world.

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Gift Vouchers are now available for our Chocolate Workshops

Posted on November 14, 2011 by admin

The perfect Christmas present

If you are looking for a gift for someone special then we think we can help.  No we are not going to simply suggest that you buy that special person a box of delicious handmade chocolates, much more than that – we are going to suggest you give them the gift of a Sara Jane Chocolates CHOCOLATE WORKSHOP GIFT VOUCHER. 

This fabby present not only gives them a box of gorgeous chocolates to take home with them at the end of the workshop, but they get to make and decorate the chocolates themselves.

Each gift voucher will be valid for a period of 12 months from purchase and can be used for any of our open workshops.  The voucher can be purchased for a monetary value specified by you which can be used as part payment towards the cost of the chocolate workshop, or the voucher can be for an individuals place at the workshop.   Just let us know which you would like.

During 2012 we will be hosting 6 open workshops all of which are being held in Epsom, Surrey.  The first one is booked for Saturday 3rd March 2012 and it is our PURE INDULGENCE workshop.    During the workshop the participants will: 

♥ Enjoy a fascinating talk about the cocoa bean, its origins & history, and how it becomes a chocolate bar from a bean

 ♥ Learn how to temper chocolate

 ♥ Create a delicious Champagne Truffle filling

 ♥ Fill, dip and decorate 18 Champagne Truffles

 ♥ Chocolate tasting of 3 different chocolates from the Sara Jane Chocolates Collection

 ♥ enjoy tasting some of  the finest single origin chocolate from around the world

This workshop is priced at £40 per person and lasts for approx. 2.5 hours.

The remaining workshops will be held in April, May, October, November and December. 

So to give a gift of a Chocolate Workshop simply call us on 07794 584 608 or email: Indulge@sarajanechocolates.co.uk  We look forward to hearing from you!

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CHOCOLATE WORKSHOP SATURDAY 3RD MARCH 2012

Posted on November 5, 2011 by admin

Up until recently we have focused on providing private Chocolate workshops for groups of individuals.  However such is the demand and the requests in our mailbox(!) that we are now delighted to be hosting a number of Chocolate workshops throughout 2012 which are open to everyone. 

These workshops will take place in Epsom, Surrey and the first date we are offering is Saturday 3rd March 2012 where we will be hosting a Pure Indulgence Chocolate Workshop.  During this workshop you will:

 ♥ Enjoy a fascinating talk about the cocoa bean, its origins & history, and how it becomes a chocolate bar from a bean

 ♥ Learn how to temper chocolate

 ♥ Create a delicious Champagne Truffle filling

 ♥ Fill, dip and decorate 18 Champagne Truffles

 ♥ Chocolate tasting of 3 different chocolates from the Sara Jane Chocolates Collection

 ♥ enjoy tasting some of  the finest single origin chocolate from around the world

So, if you would like to come along on your own or with a friend or two we would love to see you.  We are confident that you will have a great time but don’t just take our word for it.  Some of our recent testimonials include: 

* Thoroughly enjoyed the workshop – highlight of my half term.  Tutor was really friendly, helpful and encouraging – Rosie

* Workshop was excellent, professional, accessible and clear – a perfect anniversary present.  – James

 * Workshop was fantastic – the most fun I’ve had in ages! – Lianne

The workshop will last for approx 2.5 hours and the cost per person is £40. 

At the end of the workshop you will be delighted with your finished Champagne Truffles which you can gift wrap and take home.

How to book your place on our Pure Indulgence Chocolate Workshop……. simply call us on 07794 584 608 or email: Indulge@sarajanechocolates.co.uk   We look forward to meeting you!

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Chocolate Hen Party

Posted on August 28, 2011 by admin

“Hi Sara, I just wanted to say a MASSIVE thank you for all of your hard work yesterday. Everyone absolutely loved it and was still talking about after layers of tapas and sangria.  It was absolutely brilliant.  The day was fab and felt so much more personal than some of the other chocolate making courses out there. Thank you for your support and patience.  Many many thanks”  This was the feedback I was delighted to receive last week after hosting a great fun chocolate hen party for a really lovely group of friends. 

The ladies requested the Pure Indulgence Chocolate Making workshop which involved them learning how to temper chocolate, discovering how chocolate is made and then making their own Champagne Truffles.  As well as cake and refreshments being available during the afternoon the ladies brought with them a number of bottles of bubbly….I can definately see a trend here! 

They also sampled 3 chocolates from our collection: Pacific Spice, Nutcrunch and Apricot and Aniseed.  One of the comments I received about these was “I know where to look for some special chocolates now – I am struggling to describe the gorgeousness of the pacific and apricot and aniseed”.

After making the truffles the ladies hand dipped them and decorated them using a variety of different finishes to create a fabulous extravagant appearance – some of the truffles were decorated with gold dust which gave the chocolates a real WOW factor.

If you would like to book a Chocolate Hen Party or any other Chocolate event contact us today.  We would love to help!  Email: Indulge@sarajanechocolates.co.uk or telephone 07794 584608

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Chocolate Making Hen Parties

Posted on August 28, 2011 by admin

I was delighted to host another Chocolate Making Hen Party for a small group of four ladies.  We kicked off at 2pm on a Sunday afternoon and the fun began.

The agenda for the afternoon was to make Champagne Truffles.  The girls came armed with two bottles of bubbly – it was a hen party after all!

On arrival I greeted them with a glass of pink bubbly and talked them through what we would be achieving during the 2.5 hour party.  We then kicked off and started to make the filling for our truffles.  We discussed chocolate facts, the girls sampled 3 different chocolates from the Sara Jane Chocolates collection as well as sampling single origin chocolate from around the world.  As if the calorie intake wasn’t enough already there was also chocolate tiffin’s and fruit cake  during the afternoon.

After making the Champagne filling the girls piped this into the chocolate shells before sealing the shell and then decorating the truffles using wonderfully indulgent melted chocolate.

The afternoon came to an end before we knew it.  The girls had had a great time and had learnt a new skill.  They were delighted with their Champagne Truffles and loved the very bright pink girly chocolate boxes.

Feedback from the hen party included:  “Thank You, I had a lovely time.  The best bit was learning about chocolate and rolling the truffles“. 

So if you love Chocolate and you would like to hold a Chocolate party for a Hen Party or any other occasion we can help.  Call us on 07784 584608 to discuss your requirements.  We can cater the party around you and even create a bespoke agenda.  We would love to hear from you!

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White (Chocolate) Wedding

Posted on June 15, 2011 by admin

I recently had the pleasure of making chocolates for a bride and groom who were getting married in Surrey.  They had seen us at the Epsom Racecourse Wedding Fair and loved our chocolates and beautiful favour boxes.

Their wedding was held at Woodlands Park Hotel,  Stoke D’abernon. 

For favour’s they had requested pink handbags for the ladies and cream top hats for the gents.  Inside the favour boxes we placed 1 white chocolate raspberry ganache and a white chocolate champagne truffle. 

For the children I was asked to make my monkey lolly but in white chocolate.  This is the first time I have been asked to do this but I was really pleased with the result, it looked great.  It was a huge hit with the children too!

I’m delighted to say that the couple had a wonderful day and were so pleased with our chocolates and favour boxes. 

The bride gave us this feedback  “We were absolustely delighted with all of them.  I woke up and went down to the room where the table was laid and they looked so pretty. The childrens lollies were gorgeous. In fact the kids ate them and would not eat their dinners. It was funny.  I have kept a couple of the boxes in with the other memories of the day, in fact i ate 2 of them today.  So thank you so much for doing them for us. We couldn’t have wished for anything more”.

If you would like to talk to us about making chocolates for your special occasion please call on 07794 584608 – we would love to help make your occasion truly special.

 

 

Posted in WEDDING FAVOURS | Leave a comment

Round Table Ladies Evening at Kingswood Golf Club

Posted on May 2, 2011 by admin

We were recently asked to provide some of our Champagne Truffles for a branch of the Round Table who were holding a Ladies Evening at Kingswood Golf Club in Surrey. 

We were delighted to be involved in the event and below are some of the photographs of the chocolates we provided.

The colour theme for the evening was Black and Orange.  Hannah (the organiser) chose the black handbags with the broad burnt orange ribbon and I think the overall effect was very striking.

The chocolates chosen were Milk and White Champagne Truffles.  

We received the following feedback:

Re the Chocolates –  They were fantastic!  The champagne centre was beautiful! Everyone loved the handbags and I don’t think there were any left on the tables at the end of the night.  The organisers were so pleased with them and how they looked. 

 At Sara Jane Chocolates we would be delighted to provide chocolates for your event or party so please contact us for further information.

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Wedding Favours

Posted on March 1, 2011 by admin

With the main Wedding Season not far away it is understandable that brides-to-be are now looking at the finishing touches to make their big day truly memorable.

One of the finishing touches requested by many brides is the Wedding Favour.  Here at Sara Jane Chocolates we provide delicious handmade Chocolate Wedding Favours that not only compliment your Wedding Theme or Colour but which also taste truly delicious.  One of our recent customers gave us the following feedback:

 Thank you very much for the very yummy chocolates and the beautiful boxes to keep them……. The boxes matched my colour theme perfectly.  

 Thanks again for your help, we really appreciate it.

Sara Jane Chocolates Favour Boxes

We communicate with our suppliers on a regular basis to ensure that we can provide you with the most beautiful and newly available favour boxes and decorations.  So whether your colour theme is Tiffany Blue, Chocolate & Cream or Hot Pink we can help you to have beautiful looking favour boxes holding scrummy handmade fresh chocolates – a winning combination to mark your truly wonderful day. 

Sara Jane Chocolates – Handmade Chocolates

With a choice of 12 truly delicious freshly handmade chocolates to choose from it is often difficult for brides and grooms-to-be to make a choice on the chocolates they would like to give their guests!  Simply choose 2, 3 or 4 chocolates from our range to fill your individual favour boxes.   Some of our chocolates can be made in either Dark, Milk or White chocolate – just let us know your requirements.  All of our chocolates are especially made to order and are made from fresh, excellent quality ingredients. 

Contact us now to discuss your requirements by either telephoning 07794 584 608 or emailing us at Indulge@sarajanechocolates.co.uk 

We would love to help!

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Ever wanted to make your own Chocolate Truffles? – part 2

Posted on February 24, 2011 by admin

Recipe No 2 – Amaretto Truffles

If you liked my first recipe for chocolate truffles rolled in flaked wafer you will love these Amaretto Truffles!

Ingredients to make approx 8 large truffles:

90g chocolate (I used our 66% min cocoa solids Madagascar dark chocolate – a great Milk chocolate alternative is the Ghana 40.5% min cocoa solids).

75g single fresh cream

200g good quality chocolate for dipping the truffles.  (I used our Belgian Dark Chocolate callets with min cocoa solids of 58%) but a good quality chocolate from your supermarket would also work. 

2 – 3 tablespoons of Amaretto (depending on your personal preference!)

Icing sugar for rolling the truffles

Method:

- Boil cream and allow to cool to 80 degrees

 - pour the cream over the chocolate drops and allow to soak into the chocolate for a few moments before stirring well to achieve a smooth paste, ensuring all of the chocolate drops have melted.  (if some chocolate drops remain place all of the contents in the microwave for 10 seconds at a time and stir well). 

- allow to cool to approx 25 degrees and then fold in the Amaretto

-  place in the fridge for approx 30 mins – until firmer to the touch

- roll the slightly hardened mixture into the required size balls and place onto greaseproof paper

- In preparation of dipping and rolling the truffles place some sifted icing sugar into a bowl/rimmed plate

How to temper chocolate

- place the 200g of chocolate drops in a microwaveable bowl

- place on full power for 30 seconds and then remove from the microwave and stir well

- put back into the microwave and microwave for 20 second blasts and keep removing and stirring after each blast

When the chocolate starts to melt it will melt very quickly and it can overheat.  Therefore it is important to only heat the chocolate drops for these small amounts of time.

When the chocolate has all melted you can dip and roll the chocolate truffles  

- Take each individual chocolate truffle and place it into the melted chocolate.  Cover it with melted chocolate and then place a fork underneath the chocolate truffle and lift it and place it into the sifted icing sugar.  Cover the whole of the truffle with the icing sugar.  Gently lift the coated truffle and place onto greaseproof paper and allow it to set.  Repeat the process until all of the truffles are dipped in tempered chocolate and rolled icing sugar.  These are my personal favourite and are sooooo moreish!

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