• Recipes

From huge slabs of French and Belgian chocolate and boxes of heavenly Swiss delicacies, to Easter eggs and chocolate coins which melt in the mouth, for the last five years Cardiff-bred food retail market expert Sara has been buying chocolate for some of Britain’s biggest companies and retailers.

She has been responsible for all aspects of product development, from the original concept to the final packaging, ensuring that there are sweets and chocolates to suit all tastes all year round. She’s involved in the research, tasting, marketing and the packaging and has travelled world-wide in search of new ideas.

In a recent survey, it was revealed that 715.9 million kilograms of chocolate was consumed in the UK last year, a total which represents 30% of the European market. And Sara, like most of the population, has a sweet tooth.

"Instinctively, I like sweet things," she admits. "I always tend to go for the dessert. But if you work with chocolate week in week out, you do get tired of sweet things. You have to learn to withstand temptation! In my job, I receive dozens of chocolate samples every day and I’d be ill if I ate everything!"

In this Dudley special, Sara will take the Ynys-y-bwl chef to New York, Belgium and various locations in the UK, in search of the godly food. In her view, the USA and Canada come up with the best chocolate ideas and packaging, but you can’t beat Europe for taste.

"Belgium is probably top, but Switzerland and Italy also produce very special chocolate," she explains. "In Britain, Cadbury dominates the market and people here are used to its sweet, milky taste."