Chocolate Master Class at Fareham College

Earlier in the year, I had the pleasure of teaching chocolate-making to the students at Fareham College. As a former hospitality student of Brockenhurst and Southampton College, I felt completely at home in the training kitchen. I remember being eager to listen and learn from the experts, just like these students were. Each of the three sessions started with tasting cacao pulp from my fresh cacao pod from Ecuador.

Learning about Chocolate. A selection of different chocolate to taste and the cacao pod.

The students were surprised by the fruity flavour of the pulp, which reminded them of mangoes, bananas, and lychees. We then had a chocolate tasting, from white chocolate to 100% dark chocolate, learning about how terroir affects the flavour of chocolate. I demonstrated how to make sea salt caramel bonbons and temper chocolate.

The students recreated the steps carefully, making the caramel from glucose and sugar, and taking it to an amber colour by stirring continuously. They then added the cream slowly and filled the moulds with the caramel.

Learning about Chocolate with British chocolatier, Kerry Witt.

One of the students casting her chocolate shells to make the bonbons is always such a Wow moment!

Guiding the students to make their caramels to pipe into the chocolate shells

All the students did a great job at tempering the chocolate, as they released the bonbons from the moulds with a brilliant shine, which is a sign of well-tempered chocolate and polished moulds.

I was so proud of their work, and some of the chocolates were going to be served in the college restaurant for everyone to enjoy. It was a wonderful experience to share my passion and knowledge with these talented and enthusiastic students. Thank you, Fareham College, for having me!

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The brilliant level 2 students.

‘Miss Witt delivered 3 fantastic Chocolate Workshops for our Hospitality Students. The students loved tasting the different varieties of chocolate and even got the opportunity to see and taste a fresh cocoa pod. 

Miss Witt had a great rapport with our students and expertly talked them through how to make chocolate Bon Bons. Miss Witt is an extremely knowledgeable, experienced and engaging chocolatier, and we hope to work with her again in the near future’.

Leanne Russell , Food & Beverage Lecturer, Fareham College, South Hampshire College Group, February 2024