F is for……..Who gives a FUDGE if you’re single?

So it’s no coincidence that this “Alphabet Dating Me” blog post is going live on February the 15th. It’s National Singles Awareness Day here in the UK.  The proverbial “two fingers up.” The “we laugh in your face” retaliation to the pressure that St Valentine’s Day places on people to be a part of a “twosome” or “threesome”  – no judgement here. And even if you are, let’s face it, Valentine’s Day is kind of annoying. All the restaurants get booked up, everything is more expensive, my postman gets back ache from delivering all my cards………….. Ok, that last part isn’t true, but you get the gist. So in a bid to join hands with anyone out there who is perhaps celebrating their singledom today I teamed up with the Fudge Kitchen to bring you a killer Alphabet Dating F experience. Because if you’re single, who gives a fudge!!! No fudge given…… oh somebody stop me 🙂

Since 1983 Fudge Kitchen has been churning out the most unique and incredible slabs of fudge using an original mid 1800s recipe and traditional production methods, in full view. You can find their shops up and down the country (locate your nearest store here) where you’ll be greeted by the decadent smell of bubbling hot fudge and the delightfully charismatic staff. Not only will you get to try a free sample but you also actually get to see the fudge being made. I was invited down to the flagship store in Bath for one of their very special Fudge making “F date” experiences.

So let’s be clear. This isn’t just walking in to a store and settling down to watch the culinary theatricals. This is actually becoming a part of it all. And what’s the best way to put a slightly nervous novice at ease? Offer them fudge samples of course. The entire Fudge Kitchen range was presented to me. I got to try it all as I was getting geared up in my very cool fudge maker outfit. And after a quick safety briefing I was away – churning up a cauldron-esquge copper pot of chocolatey fudge. Imagine if the first Willy Wonka film and Hocus Pocus had a baby……. Those were the vibes. I was in my childhood movie, chocolate stirring element. And not only was this incredibly good fun, I also got an intense upper body workout – win win!

On completion of cauldron duties the steaming concoction was poured out expertly ( I wasn’t involved in this part lol) on to the cool marble slab where it would be creamed after thickening. I found it completely mesmerising to watch. The fudge seemed to glisten in the sunlight and before our eyes the texture completely transformed. And the smell….. nothing I say here will prepare you for just how good this smells. Fast forward maybe ten minutes and I had been promoted from stirrer to spatula wielder and I began to work the gooey loveliness in to what I can only describe as a giant fudgey baguette. I also probably should mention at this point that the process is not easy at all. The experts on hand act as wonderful guides and teachers but making fudge is bloody hard work. Still, we got there in the end and managed to avoid any serious spillage over the sides. I stood back and admired the fruits of our labour – 10kg of dark chocolate and sea salt fudge.

 

Because all of the fudge here at Fudge Kitchen is handmade in this way, no batch is ever the same. Each slice is cut individually, with the end result weighing between 5 and 6lbs. Yes I said lbs, 5 or 6 of em in the form of fudge. It’s like a dream come true right? Again, much harder than it sounds to cut that precisely, even with a trained eye, but of course as I was on the Fudge Making Experience, I got to have a go. With a solid 5.85 pounder, I reckon the customers would be more than happy with me being on slice duty for the foreseeable future.

All that was left to do now was the taste test. Perhaps I’m being overtly biased here but it was pretty spectacular. Or maybe it’s just the fact that I knew I’d played a part in creating it that added that little something extra. Who cares. It was yummy and had I not already been chock-full of the sweet stuff I would probably have eaten more. Luckily for me, a slab was wrapped up for me to take home, along with 6 other slices of my choice! Not only that but I was also presented with my very own skills kit to attempt fudge making at home.

I have to say that going in to this alphabet dating F experience I really wasn’t too sure what to expect. But it was seriously such a brilliant way to spend a couple of hours. And as for going it alone, trust me it is never going to be a problem with the Fudge Kitchen team on hand. Not only are they brilliant at their jobs but they are also bursting with character. They were absolutely lovely with me on the day and nothing was too much trouble. I just felt like I was hanging out with friends I’d known for years. If you fudging insist on taking someone along with you though (the fudge making experiences can include up to three people) that would work too. In fact I guess you could get all competitive about who has the best skills and then be all chocolatey together. Unless one of you has an aversion to being sticky…… and/or full 🙂

Fudge Making Experiences are available at all of the Fudge Kitchen stores and if you’d like to find out more about how you can book yours then you can do so right here. I for one am telling absolutely everyone who will listen about how unique and fabulous my Alphabet Dating F…udge making date was. And as with all of my Alphabet Dating Me posts…. the message here is the same. You can do anything, be anything and enjoy EVERYTHING. Even if it’s just YOU. You are enough.

So until next time….. Peace out Mother Fudgers (last one I swear)

Beth Anne xoxo