With Easter Sunday just over a week away, those who gave up sweets for Lent must be chomping at the bit to get their taste buds on a big bar of Cadbury's Milk, or Fruit and Nut, chocolate. Anything more than 10 days would have been cruel to me, but the anticipation of being rewarded for your 'sacrificial fasting' is half the pleasure, surely!

A few months ago, I visited an old cocoa estate in Trinidad and Tobago called Avondale, which has recently been bought by Bernard Long and his wife Katherine. They are currently bringing the 99 acres back into production, with an aim to make their own chocolate. Bernard a chef, runs a very successful catering company on the island. With Katherine's devotion to the property, Bernie's knowledge of food and its chemistry, and the fact that the cocoa plants are already imbedded into the fertile land, there is little doubt that they will turn the beans inside these bright red cocoa pods into fabulous chocolate.

Trinitaro cacao

It was the Spanish who first brought a variety of cacao, called Criollo, to Trinidad and Tobago in the early 16th century, but most of this was destroyed 100 years later. As a result, a Venezuelan variety, Forastero, was brought in and interbred with the remaining Criollo. The hybrid cacao, Trinitario, was the result. The late 19th and early 20th centuries witnessed great prosperity for the business as the demand for cocoa in Europe soared. Unfortunately, overproduction, and the great depression of the 1920s, caused a major decline in price, so many fields were abandoned. The industry has never fully recovered.

Trinidad has one of the finest quality cocoas, and it is called 'fine' or 'flavour' cocoa around the world. It will usually be found only in speciality products. As a result, the cost of processing and materials used in the production of these Trinitario beans, is very high. This, and other aspects, is very discouraging to farmers, who simply do not have the capital to get the ball rolling.

Emma's Chocolate Menu:

The best hot chocolate ever

Chocolate fudge

Chocolate truffle cake with chocolate toffee icing

Mini chocolate orange cakes with chocolate frosting

The Best Hot Chocolate Ever

(Serves 1 large mug)

2oz dark chocolate, broken into pieces

2fl oz heavy cream

10fl oz milk

Pinch of cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg or orange zest

Method

1. Pour the cream into a small pot and heat gently.

2. Add the chocolate and stir into the cream until smooth.

3. Add the milk, continue stirring, and bring the mixture to just before boiling point.

4. Remove from heat and add one of the flavourings suggested, or leave it plain.

5. Pour into a large mug and enjoy!

Mini orange cupcakes with chocolate frosting.

Chocolate Fudge

(Makes a pan of about 100 pieces)

Ingredients

4 cups brown sugar

12fl oz milk

4tbs honey

8tbs cocoa powder

¹/_⁴ cup butter

2tsp vanilla essence

Greaseproof paper to line an 8 x 12-inch pan

Method

1. Place the sugar, milk, honey and cocoa powder into a large pot. Heat gently, stirring constantly, until dissolved and mixed together.

2. Bring to boil until a candy thermometer reads 240F. Remove from heat.

3. Stir in the butter and vanilla.

4. Line the pan with the greaseproof paper, and pour in fudge mixture.

5. Leave to set for a few hours.

6. Turn the fudge out onto a large chopping board, peel the paper off, and cut the fudge into squares (roughly 1 inch x 1 inch). Keep in an airtight container in the fridge.

(Information about Trinidad's cocoa industry has been gathered from Frances L. Bekele's paper 'The History of Cocoa Production in Trinidad & Tobago'.)