Chocolate Factory’s ‘Eggstraordinary’ Commission
The Blackburn BID has commissioned a local chocolatier to create a dozen supersize chocolate eggs huge enough to satisfy the biggest chocoholics for a large-scale Easter event.
Proprietor of The Chocolate House, Susie Bristow, has been tasked with producing twelve chocolate eggs weighing 15 kilograms each, 100 times heavier than a standard Easter egg.
Each egg, takes around three days to make and will be uniquely designed for each business participating in the Blackburn BID’s ‘Big Easter Egg Hunt’ which runs from Saturday, 12th March until Saturday, 2nd April across Blackburn town centre.
Chocolatier Susie, has been working on this project for four weeks and makes each egg by herself in the chocolate factory based at Glenfield Park.
To create one of the monster eggs, Susie fills a rare metal mould, which very few chocolatiers in the country own, with chocolate before leaving it to set for the rest of the day.
She then sticks two halves together with melted chocolate, which is always a risky process. Susie explains: “The chocolate egg tends to shrink in the mould making it easier to remove, especially in this cold weather. However, it’s chocolate and there’s always a risk of it breaking when being handled.
“Making the eggs is a very challenging yet enjoyable process. Although this is busy time of the year for the factory, it’s a large project and it gives me something to get stuck into. This is one of the largest most demanding orders I have had due to the time constraints but I am loving every moment.”
The Chocolate House, which boasts a spacious chocolate shop filled with handmade goodies, offers live demonstrations to visitors and is firmly on the tourist trail. The small business attracts thousands of visitors each year from coach trips to visits from local Brownie groups.
The ‘eggstra’ large order has been causing a stir with visitors. Susie added: “The eggs, made from a range of chocolate, are awaiting their individual décor but they have been catching the attention of visitors already. Children were lost for words as soon as they came in to the workshop and I have been getting a great reaction due to the sheer size!”
Upon completion, each egg will be available to view at a number of destinations across the town centre including Blackburn Market, The Mall and a whole host of independent businesses.
Harriet Roberts, Manager of the Blackburn BID, said: “We thought of having the eggs made of polystyrene or as inflatables. However, it made sense to have them as real chocolate versions when we discovered that they could be manufactured locally. It's great to support a Blackburn business.”
For more information about the ‘Big Easter Egg Hunt’ visit www.blackburnbid.co.uk