NI chocolatier Lawri is a real Willy Wonka after winning four Academy of Chocolate Awards

The latest boost for the developing fine chocolate industry here comes as artisan chocolatiers are gearing up for the annual business opportunity provided by St.Valentine’s Day.

Ten Watch Chocolates, which is based at Randalstown, gained four bronze awards for its richly flavoured bonbons in the global Academy of Chocolate competition, the world’s most influential for fine chocolate makers.

The Antrim enterprise gained bronzes for four milk chocolate flavours – Irish Coffee, Beurre Noisette, Hazelnut, and Salted Caramel.

The gourmet chocolates are handcrafted by Lawri Dowie (31), an experienced chef and sourdough bread baker, who set up the small enterprise at the family home in Randalstown in late 2019. Lawri has been selling his range of bonbons successfully at food markets here, especially at the immensely popular The Inns monthly event on Saintfield Road in Belfast, here ever since.

Lawri’s delicious and attractively packaged chocolates won recognition at last year’s Academy of Chocolate, held in London, and also at the Blas na hEireann, the annual Irish National Food Awards in Dingle, Co Kerry, and in the UK Great Taste Awards.

Lawri says: “I am delighted to have gained the four awards in such an influential international chocolate challenge. The awards are a marvellous endorsement of the quality and taste of my milk chocolate bonbons that I’ve been creating over the past three years. I am now aiming to build on this success by winning golds for my chocolates in this year’s competition.”

His decision to start making the bonbons was driven by a passion for the rich flavours of fine chocolates. He had gained experience as a chef in local cafes and restaurants before joining a successful craft bakery in Co Antrim.

Lawri’s choice of the quirky Ten Watch brand came from another passion - his love of Casablanca, the classic Humphrey Bogart/Lauren Bacall movie, which featured a reference to 10 watch.

Lawri awards in the competition follow the trail blazed by Deirdre McCanny of CoCouture in Belfast, Northern Ireland’s first artisan chocolatier and also the first to win an Academy of Chocolate award. Deirdre has been successful in the awards with her luxury drinking chocolate.

Launched in 2005, the influential awards seek to identify, recognise and showcase “the world’s most talented producers and the finest chocolates. They have gone from strength over the years in line with the growth of the fine chocolate sector. In its first year, there were just 12 entries to the awards. By 2019, entries had grown to a record-breaking 1,600 from more than 45 countries. Winning any award against such intense competition is therefore an outstanding achievement.

The awards are judged by a panel of chocolatiers, producers, journalists, bloggers, food writers and other chocolate experts across the industry. Held annually in London, the judges choose the best entries in categories such as Bean to Bar, Tree to Bar, Flavoured, Milk and White Bars, Filled Chocolates, Spreads and Packaging.

The academy, also founded in 2005, is focused on increasing awareness of the difference between fine chocolate and the mass produced confectionery. It seeks to achieve this objective by encouraging chocolate lovers to look beyond the label to recognise ‘real chocolate’ and the massed produced varieties. It also aims to improve the standard and knowledge of chocolate across the globe by promoting ingredients of chocolate through the supply chain, from bean to bar and other varieties. In addition, the academy seeks to encourage “the transparency of cocoa beans from the plantations and their production in socially fair and environmentally undamaging conditions”.

Ten Watch is among eight artisan chocolatiers now in Northern Ireland. The others are: Chocolate Manor in Castlerock; Dolci Delizie in Ballynahinch; Cobden and Brown in Moira; Monto Chocolates in Londonderry; CoCouture, Belfast; NearyNogs, Rostrevor; and North Coast Chocolates, Ballymoney. NearyNogs is the only local company producing chocolate from cocoa beans stoneground in its factory and visitor centre in the iconic Mournes. It counts London’s Fortnum and Mason among its customers.

Two other companies here specialise in luxury drinking chocolate. They are Hotties in Comber and Belfast-based Refuge Chocolates, a social enterprise which donates to a local charity for people who have been trafficked.

Launching special artisan chocolates for St Valentine’s was Geri Martin of Chocolate Manor who has a successful factory shop and also runs a programme chocolate making courses.

Geri explains: “Our adventure has seen us grow from modest beginnings in a home kitchen on the North Coast of Ireland to working with five-star restaurants and some of the biggest names in commercial life. We have even had several commissions for members of the Royal Family.”

She’s launched unique ‘Art on a Tin’ colourful box of chocolate truffles for Valentine’s.

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