Regrettably, we were so disappointed by this workshop. We were two adults and a 9 year old child. The class started late and in the meantime we were left to linger awkwardly in the corner of the cafe with barely an acknowledgement from the cafe barista. The class demonstrator was appropriately apologetic - but by this point we'd been stood in a corner waiting 10-15mins without acknowledgement (and without anything really to even look at!) The class itself was - essentially - tasting 3 small squares of chocolate and a cocoa nib, watching the man weigh some pieces of a chocolate bar (white, milk or dark, depending on which your preferred), and then melting the chocolate with a hairdryer. There was a brief educational talk at the start, but it was *very* brief: A picture of a cocoa plant and an explanation as to how the bean is extracted. No information as to how it's processed, or where it's processed. No explanation as to what cocoa butter is just that "that's white chocolate. Dark has nibs". No human story... no real origin story. We weren't even clear where their beans were from. My later question (in private, while hair-drying chocolate, as I hadn't wanted to slow down the class) was made to feel unwelcome. I just really wanted to feel that I was learning and taking home _something_ from this class. Once we'd melted our chocolate (using the hair drier to do this was the majority of the class - no over-exaggeration), we had 5minutes to make our "bar". The choice of moulds consisted of two easter options (bearing in mind Easter was weeks ago), one Yorkshire rose ("but we don't have enough of these to go round") or a square slab. The flavour-additives/options were run-through so quickly that we couldn't catch/remember half of them. There was no opportunity to taste them and we were told "pick carefully and don't put too much because if you ruin it, tough luck". Myself and my partner both chose ginger and within 1 drop of the flavour realised it was a bad choice. We wished we'd been given the opportunity to try - or at least smell - them first. It all felt so rushed. Ours did not taste good. In the meantime, my partner's 9 year old asked for extra marshmallow to add to his bar (we were sharing) and was told "this is plenty for 2 people". The person running the class just seemed a little rushed and harassed throughout. Sadly, of the 3 bars, only one tasted nice. We didn't feel that there had been any real educational value in the class, and even my partner's 9 year old said "I feel like we could have plugged in a hair dryer and melted some chocolate at home. Sorry dad". At over £60 it felt like an expensive lesson to learn, without any real educational value or welcome. I can't remember the last time I gave a bad review, but this was so overwhelmingly disappointing.
This was a great adventure. The staff was funny and welcoming. They provided a funny class and nice chocolate making experience. I attended with my teenager. The other two pairs in our class where couples. It was an upbeat atmosphere. And the instructor was extremely knowledgeable. Would recommend.
We really enjoyed our workshop. We’re a family of four ,with a seven and two year old. We was abit worried it would be hard work with our littlest however the teacher made us feel very comfortable by seating us at the back . She was really lovely , full of information and generally very sweet. The class was just enough for families . We all really enjoyed our time at the work shop and would recommend to other families. The kiddos also really enjoyed trying all our chocolate bars when we got home 🍫👌💛
Really good day out, really enjoyed it. Also Knowledgable guide. Lovely look around York waiting for our chocolate👍
Chocolate is lovely. They taught us how to make Chocolate is cool. Highly recommended. There is cafe too