MORE ABOUT... THE PIG
The journey to this point has been many years in the making, I always knew when it came to the time I could retire (at the age of 50), I wanted to do something with food. I cook or bake or make something pretty much every day. I'm always keen to learn, improve and develop new skills - as well any I already have, particularly relevant to food.
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So, why the Chocolate Pig? The name came from a walk back from the pub with the dog... It was one of those half joke, unthinking ideas - perhaps fuelled by local ale, perhaps not!
Until very recently, I was a Police Officer. I was posted to Thanet - Margate specifically in 1992 and spent the next 15 years working in uniform and CID until moving into the world of Counter Terrorism Intelligence until I retired in early 2022. The work took me all over the UK and Europe (including Belgium and all those amazing chocolate shops - the Chocolate Line is amazing in Bruges!).
So - the name is essentially a bad pun, but it stuck and it works!
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Making chocolate bon-bons became a new interest, then a focus and now something of an obsession since I first I bought a simple bar mould to try it out around Christmas 2019. From doing a little research online initially about how to work with and temper the chocolate, I started to get hooked!
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Chocolate making demands precise and specific processes requiring concentration on time, temperature and technique. It can be very unforgiving if any of those elements are overlooked - trust me! The learning is and will always be key for me - every day is a school day. I have been extremely lucky so far to have contact with some amazing and very experienced chocolatiers who are willing to share their expertise, support and knowledge.
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I love to experiment with flavours and fillings, they are always carefully considered and researched as well as being hand made by me, a fresh batch each time. This way I'm able to to give the texture and flavour you and I want in a luxury, artisan product.
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The majority of my equipment and packaging is either re-useable, recyclable or compostable. Wherever possible I source locally to Kent, taking advantage of the amazing fruit grown in the county, making purees, vacuum sealing and freezing to ensure the best quality possible.