What do you think?
Rate this book
From Bean to Bar: A Chocolate Lover’s Guide to Britain
Chocolate arouses greater passion in its fans than any other food, and chocolate-making is one of the most exciting and dynamic areas in Britain’s burgeoning artisan food scene. This book is a celebration of chocolate-making, designed to locate and bring to a wider audience the fascinating people making good chocolate in the right way. Arranged geographically in a dozen regional chapters, each one is centered on a local hero but also casts light on other chocolatiers and bean-to-bar makers in their area. A profile of the area and its most characterful artisans is backed up in each chapter by a locator map and data on transport links, supplier websites, and other foodie points of interest. Part travelogue and part biography, always informative and entertaining, there will be practical information that readers can use to make their way around Britain, tasting as they go, or to order lovely chocolate from their armchair while reading about the people who make it. Among the people and places to be included are Duffy Sheardown, a former Formula One racing engineer who makes bars of chocolate in a shed in Cleethorpes that are prized by chocolate connoisseurs all over the world; Willie Harcourt-Cooze, a glamorous globetrotter who grows cocoa in Venezuala and makes chocolate in Uffculme, Devon (sold in Waitrose); and the passionate young women of Dormouse, who from tiny premises in Manchester are winning international accolades.
272 pages, Hardcover
Published March 1, 2020
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 8, 2021
A wonderful journey through the world of been-to-bar chocolate artistry. Andrew Baker obviously loves his chocolate and brings the characters and their skills to life with great humour and elegant writing. If you love good chocolate, this book is a must!
June 5, 2021
A fabulous tour of Great British chocolate makers!
I think this book has changed how I think about chocolate- as a chocoholic, I have learned so much about the chocolate I had been eating and the chocolate I’ll be eating from now one.
I loved the spotlights on the suppliers, and really enjoyed getting the recommendations on what to try at the end of each chapter.
This book is for anyone who wants to learn more about chocolate, is keen to have each taste be memorable, and wants to support small and sustainable suppliers.
All readers will need to have some (bean to bar) chocolate close to hand to read this book, it certainly makes you hungry!
I think this book has changed how I think about chocolate- as a chocoholic, I have learned so much about the chocolate I had been eating and the chocolate I’ll be eating from now one.
I loved the spotlights on the suppliers, and really enjoyed getting the recommendations on what to try at the end of each chapter.
This book is for anyone who wants to learn more about chocolate, is keen to have each taste be memorable, and wants to support small and sustainable suppliers.
All readers will need to have some (bean to bar) chocolate close to hand to read this book, it certainly makes you hungry!
August 5, 2019
A chocolate lover’s delight!
Until I attuned myself to the author’s style in From Bean to Bar, I initially felt quite affronted by his somewhat derogatory attitude to what he calls the ‘mass-produced rubbish’ so many of us consume and can afford. Much as I loved the descriptions of all of the chocolates Andrew Baker recommended, when I looked some of them up online I’m afraid the prices of some products made my eyes water, never mind my taste buds! To be fair, there is a range of prices but many were, sadly, beyond my purse. However, Andrew Baker redeemed himself at a stroke when he referred to his ‘fussy, elitist eye’ and because of his frequently tongue in cheek, self-deprecating and often hilarious style, I quickly forgave him; especially when he referred to a town not far from where I live as ‘a combination of the picturesque and the bland’ because if he had described that perfectly, he was probably right about other elements too! In fact, once I realised that even if chocolate is a weighty subject for him, he doesn’t take himself too seriously I found myself laughing aloud at Andrew Baker’s comments and quips so that I was royally entertained.
Consequently, from a slightly uncertain start, I thoroughly, thoroughly enjoyed From Bean to Bar. It’s a super book filled with everything a chocolate lover, a traveller, an historian, a sociologist and a general reader could wish for. The glorious colour images had me almost weeping with desire. It was as much as I could do on occasion to restrain from licking the pages. Turn to page 174 if you get your hands on a copy of From Bean to Bar where a box of Chococo chocolates fills the page, for example, and I defy you not to want to rip out the images and stuff them in your mouth.
I thought the way From Bean to Bar was set out was a triumph. It’s perfectly possible to read it in the order presented, though you might prefer to head straight to your local area to see what is on offer. Or maybe you would prefer to travel from Scotland and travel south meandering across areas that take your fancy? What ever route through the book you choose, each section reveals background information both about the area and its links to chocolate, directing you to places where you can buy, get involved with, taste or simply drool over chocolate, but more importantly, it introduces the people who are passionate about chocolate, working as ethically and authentically as they can, to provide the highest quality products possible. It’s in amongst these people where the real joy of the book lies. Often it was as if I were reading about a cast of characters from Dickens, whether I was encountering a mention of Bob who keeps the bees whose honey goes into some of the featured products, or the ‘curly-mopped, bespectacled’ Mikey or the ex-car fettler Duffy, each one of these vivid, almost obsessed, individuals added interest at every level. I loved seeing their photos and reading their stories. That said, the person I enjoyed meeting most was the author himself. There are so many aspects of From Bean to Bar that reveal the man behind the book that I ended my read feeling I’d discovered a man I would like very much indeed in real life. Andrew Baker has a wicked sense of humour and an appealing, lively writing style.
There’s so much to learn, as well as be entertained by, in From Bean to Bar. Web addresses lead the reader to online shops and the excellent geographical descriptions enable a traveler to visit the UK and beyond without ever leaving their armchairs. I really liked tasting notes in each section and the dedicated notes explaining how to taste chocolate properly – normally being of the type Andrew Baker describes at the start of this section – but you’ll have to read the book to see what that is!
From Bean to Bar feels for me as if Andrew Baker has written it how Paddington Bear would have written a book about marmalade – with true passion and joy in his subject. From Bean to Bar is quirky, witty, individual, thoroughly entertaining and a true celebration of chocolate. I really enjoyed reading it and Andrew Baker has inspired me to broaden my chocolate horizons and visit some of shops and places described to try as many new types of chocolate as I can. Chocolate, a book and travel – what could be better than that?
Until I attuned myself to the author’s style in From Bean to Bar, I initially felt quite affronted by his somewhat derogatory attitude to what he calls the ‘mass-produced rubbish’ so many of us consume and can afford. Much as I loved the descriptions of all of the chocolates Andrew Baker recommended, when I looked some of them up online I’m afraid the prices of some products made my eyes water, never mind my taste buds! To be fair, there is a range of prices but many were, sadly, beyond my purse. However, Andrew Baker redeemed himself at a stroke when he referred to his ‘fussy, elitist eye’ and because of his frequently tongue in cheek, self-deprecating and often hilarious style, I quickly forgave him; especially when he referred to a town not far from where I live as ‘a combination of the picturesque and the bland’ because if he had described that perfectly, he was probably right about other elements too! In fact, once I realised that even if chocolate is a weighty subject for him, he doesn’t take himself too seriously I found myself laughing aloud at Andrew Baker’s comments and quips so that I was royally entertained.
Consequently, from a slightly uncertain start, I thoroughly, thoroughly enjoyed From Bean to Bar. It’s a super book filled with everything a chocolate lover, a traveller, an historian, a sociologist and a general reader could wish for. The glorious colour images had me almost weeping with desire. It was as much as I could do on occasion to restrain from licking the pages. Turn to page 174 if you get your hands on a copy of From Bean to Bar where a box of Chococo chocolates fills the page, for example, and I defy you not to want to rip out the images and stuff them in your mouth.
I thought the way From Bean to Bar was set out was a triumph. It’s perfectly possible to read it in the order presented, though you might prefer to head straight to your local area to see what is on offer. Or maybe you would prefer to travel from Scotland and travel south meandering across areas that take your fancy? What ever route through the book you choose, each section reveals background information both about the area and its links to chocolate, directing you to places where you can buy, get involved with, taste or simply drool over chocolate, but more importantly, it introduces the people who are passionate about chocolate, working as ethically and authentically as they can, to provide the highest quality products possible. It’s in amongst these people where the real joy of the book lies. Often it was as if I were reading about a cast of characters from Dickens, whether I was encountering a mention of Bob who keeps the bees whose honey goes into some of the featured products, or the ‘curly-mopped, bespectacled’ Mikey or the ex-car fettler Duffy, each one of these vivid, almost obsessed, individuals added interest at every level. I loved seeing their photos and reading their stories. That said, the person I enjoyed meeting most was the author himself. There are so many aspects of From Bean to Bar that reveal the man behind the book that I ended my read feeling I’d discovered a man I would like very much indeed in real life. Andrew Baker has a wicked sense of humour and an appealing, lively writing style.
There’s so much to learn, as well as be entertained by, in From Bean to Bar. Web addresses lead the reader to online shops and the excellent geographical descriptions enable a traveler to visit the UK and beyond without ever leaving their armchairs. I really liked tasting notes in each section and the dedicated notes explaining how to taste chocolate properly – normally being of the type Andrew Baker describes at the start of this section – but you’ll have to read the book to see what that is!
From Bean to Bar feels for me as if Andrew Baker has written it how Paddington Bear would have written a book about marmalade – with true passion and joy in his subject. From Bean to Bar is quirky, witty, individual, thoroughly entertaining and a true celebration of chocolate. I really enjoyed reading it and Andrew Baker has inspired me to broaden my chocolate horizons and visit some of shops and places described to try as many new types of chocolate as I can. Chocolate, a book and travel – what could be better than that?
September 29, 2019
Artisan chocolate is one of life's little luxuries and whilst mass produced chocolate still makes out supermarket shelves groan, working quietly in the background are a growing number of artisans and chocolatiers who are working with cocoa producing countries in order to bring high quality chocolate to more discerning palettes.
This lovely glossy book is divided geographically, starting with Cadbury's in Birmingham, the home of the iconic brand, in search of the sweet taste of childhood. The author's favourite childhood sweet treat was Cadbury's Bournville, mine was Cadbury's Dairy Milk, stuffed full of milky goodness, or so the adverts would have us believe, but which is now so freakishly high in fat and sugar content that I have had to ban it from my diet!
In From Bean to Bar the author, Andrew Baker, has undertaken a trip around Britain searching out the independent food producers and craft chocolate makers, people who are making chocolate in their kitchens, sheds and small factories, and who are making amazing chocolate, quite literally, from Bean to Bar.
As well as an interesting trip around Britain the author shares fascinating facts about chocolate, from how cocoa beans are grown and harvested, to those artisans who acquire cacao beans from small producers, roasting, winnowing, conching and then tempering the chocolate themselves so that each chocolate bar is uniquely made with traceable and sustainable ingredients. It's a fascinating process and is explained in such perfect detail that I will never look at a bar of chocolate in a nonchalant way again.
From Bean to Bar is beautifully photographed and sumptuously produced so that it can't fail to appeal to chocolate lovers everywhere. From Bournville in Birmingham, to the Bonnie Bars and Bon Bons of Scotland, the book is crammed full of interesting facts and snippets of information you never knew you needed to know about small Bean to Bar chocolate producers who are working so tirelessly to bring good quality chocolate to our attention.
This lovely glossy book is divided geographically, starting with Cadbury's in Birmingham, the home of the iconic brand, in search of the sweet taste of childhood. The author's favourite childhood sweet treat was Cadbury's Bournville, mine was Cadbury's Dairy Milk, stuffed full of milky goodness, or so the adverts would have us believe, but which is now so freakishly high in fat and sugar content that I have had to ban it from my diet!
In From Bean to Bar the author, Andrew Baker, has undertaken a trip around Britain searching out the independent food producers and craft chocolate makers, people who are making chocolate in their kitchens, sheds and small factories, and who are making amazing chocolate, quite literally, from Bean to Bar.
As well as an interesting trip around Britain the author shares fascinating facts about chocolate, from how cocoa beans are grown and harvested, to those artisans who acquire cacao beans from small producers, roasting, winnowing, conching and then tempering the chocolate themselves so that each chocolate bar is uniquely made with traceable and sustainable ingredients. It's a fascinating process and is explained in such perfect detail that I will never look at a bar of chocolate in a nonchalant way again.
From Bean to Bar is beautifully photographed and sumptuously produced so that it can't fail to appeal to chocolate lovers everywhere. From Bournville in Birmingham, to the Bonnie Bars and Bon Bons of Scotland, the book is crammed full of interesting facts and snippets of information you never knew you needed to know about small Bean to Bar chocolate producers who are working so tirelessly to bring good quality chocolate to our attention.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews