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How often have you been told not to play with your food? These experience days fly in the face of that advice, and actively encourage you to get hands-on by making your own chocolates.
Experience days are gift vouchers that you buy to give to someone as a birthday or Christmas present. They follow much the same concept as the high street gift cards we're all familiar with, only these ones buy fun activities and events. The recipient then redeems the voucher for a place on the activity and turns up at the agreed date and time to partake in the session.
These are easy-to-buy, time-saving, and convenient gifts, and they cover a wide range of experiences and activities, from thrilling adrenaline-inducing experiences, to delicious meals, overnight stays, and educational experiences. I've both bought and received experience day vouchers, and have been indoor-skydiving, digger racing°, segway racing, truck driving, flown in a realistic flight simulator, and enjoyed hotel stays over the years.
But on Chocolatier.co.uk, I'm interested in the tasty side of experience days that deal with chocolate. Chocolate making experiences blend a little bit of chocolate history with the opportunity to get hands-on.
These experience days make great last-minute gifts for friends and family who might not appreciate the effort and skill that goes into making chocolate confectionery. These aren't dull, intensive courses with exams and qualifications, but instead they are fun, hands-on sessions where you may learn a skill or two to take back home. And you get to eat chocolate too! It's a win-win!
TIP: You don't need to give these as a gift either - you can buy yourself a treat. If you fancy making chocolate with a friend, buy a voucher for two people and book yourself and your friend onto the session.
I've scoured the experience day websites and put together a list of experiences and locations, along with guide prices.
Be aware that prices of experience days change rapidly. The prices below were correct at the time of writing, but may change depending upon the availability of seasonal offers and promotional discounts.
Chocolate Making Workshops
Learn the art of chocolate making and decorating on a fun, practical, hands-on session. Chocolate making classes take place in selected locations around the country on selected dates.
There's normally a bit of history of how chocolate came to be, followed by a hands-on lesson where you'll create your own personalised chocolate treats. These usually tasty samples throughout the event, and you'll get to take your creation home with you at the end.
The minimum age is normally 14 years, but some start at 6 years while others impose a minimum age of 18 years. Classes normally take place in professional kitchens or hotels, depending upon the location. Classes are run as groups, normally around 20 to 40 participants, and last between 1 and 7 hours, depending upon the organiser and location. Check the experiences below for exact details of each experience.
For one person...
Ideal as a birthday or Christmas present for a friend:
- £17 for one° taster in York at Experience Days.
- £39 for one° in Lambeth (London) at Buyagift.
- £49 for one° in Kensington & Chelsea (London), Bournemouth, Manchester, Birmingham, and Leeds at Buyagift.
- £49 for one° in Hackney (London), Brighton, and Manchester at Buyagift.
- £50 for one° in Gloucester at Experience Days.
- £50 for one° on Melt Chocolates' Bean-to-Bar course in Notting Hill (London) at Red Letter Days.
- £52 for one° in York at Experience Days.
- £54 for one° in Glasgow at Experience Days.
- £55 for one° in Congresbury (Bristol) at Experience Days.
- £55 for one° at Melt Chocolates in Notting Hill (London) at Buyagift.
- £59 for one° in Winchester (Hampshire) at Experience Days.
- £64 for one° at Chocolat Chocolat in Cambridge at Buyagift.
- £65 for one° in Covent Garden (London) or Leeds at Hotel Chocolat.
- £69 for one° in Hackney (London) at Buyagift.
- £80 for one° for a half-day course in Congresbury (Bristol) at Experience Days.
- £98 for one° for a full day course at R&M Fine Chocolate in Salford at Buyagift.
- £119 for one° for a full day course at L'Auberge du Chocolat in Chesham at Buyagift.
- £155 for one° for a full day chocolate cookery course in Exeter at Experience Days.
- £195 for one° for a full day course at The Novelli Academy Cookery School in Luton at Red Letter Days.
For two people...
Ideal as a birthday, Christmas, or anniversary gift for a couple, or an excuse to spend time with a friend:
- £68 for two° at Melt Chocolates in Notting Hill (London) at Buyagift.
- £70 for two° in Hackney (London), Brighton, or Manchester at Buyagift.
- £78 for two° in Lambeth (London) at Buyagift.
- £85 for two° at Melt Chocolates in Notting Hill (London) at Red Letter Days.
- £98 for two° in Kensington (London), Bournemouth, Birmingham, Leeds, or Manchester at Buyagift.
- £99 for two° in Basingstoke (Hampshire) at Experience Days.
- £130 for two° on Hotel Chocolat's Bean-to-Bar Course in Notting Hill (London) at Red Letter Days.
Chocolate Making & Cocktails Workshops
Take a chocolate making experience and add booze! This adults-only experience day combines a chocolate making session with a cocktail making experience.
There's normally a bit of history of how chocolate came to be, followed by a hands-on lesson where you'll create your own personalised chocolate treats. These usually tasty samples throughout the event, and you'll get to take your creation home with you at the end.
You'll also get to learn how to blend your very own chocolate Martini. And, some include a glass of prosecco too. Check the experiences below for exact details of each experience.
For two people...
Grab a friend and enjoy making chocolate and 'choctails' in this fun session:
- £72 for two° in Hackney (London) at Buyagift.
- £105 for two° in Hackney (London) at Buyagift.
Chocolate Making & Laughter Workshops
This experience day might need to be seen to be believed, as it combines chocolate making with a Laughter Yoga session.
You'll begin with an interactive Laughter Yoga session that will involve laughing exercises and meditation that works on your breathing, aiding relaxation. Then, it's time for chocolate creativity where you'll taste and make your own chocolates.
This three-hour session combines two seemingly-unrelated experiences into one fun filled half day. Check the experiences below for exact details of each experience.
For two people...
Grab a friend and have a giggle making chocolate:
- £98 for two° in Brighton at Red Letter Days.
Chocolate Making Experiences for Kids
Which child can resist the opportunity to play with - and eat - chocolate? My son loves every opportunity he has to make chocolate bars with his chocolate bar maker toy set.
Child-friendly chocolate making sessions give them the opportunity to learn more about this wonder ingredient, while expressing their creative artistic talents by decorating their chocolates.
Expect a lot of mess and a lot of fun. Children take their individually decorated chocolate creations home with them at the end.
The minimum age is normally 5 to 7 years and children need to be accompanied by an adult. There's normally a cut-off age of around 13 for the children's events and 17 for the teenage events. The child-friendly experience normally lasts an hour. Check the experiences below for exact details of each experience.
For one child...
A great birthday gift or Christmas present from Santa:
- £20 for one° in Covent Garden (London) or Leeds at Hotel Chocolat.
- £28 for one° in York at Experience Days.
- £49 for one° on Melt Chocolates' Teenager Experience in Notting Hill (London) at Buyagift.
For two kids...
Ideal as birthday or Christmas presents for brothers and sisters, or best friends:
- £40 for two° by Hotel Chocolat in Covent Garden (London) at Red Letter Days.
- £70 for two° by Melt Chocolates in Notting Hill (London) at Buyagift.
- £75 for two° on Melt Chocolates' Teenager Experience in Notting Hill (London) at Buyagift.
Discount Codes
Occasionally, there are voucher codes available for experience day retailers, often with discounts of up to 20% off the purchase price. You'll find all the voucher code deals I'm aware of for such companies below. If nothing shows, I haven't been able to find anything that works (beware of the discount code websites that waste your time by showing you old or invalid voucher codes).
Have you taken part in a chocolate making experience day? What did you think of the event? Let me know in the comments below.
