Tania Harcourt-Cooze, wife of chocolatier Willie Harcourt-Cooze, gives us a behind-the-scenes look at Willie’s new Christmas show…
Deep in the rolling hills of Devon we were warming up for the imminent arrival of Christmas with snow, mince pies, turkey, a trip to the Christmas tree forest…. and a film crew!
Punctuated by the delivery of fridges, cherry pickers, Christmas lights and more, the house was filling up with all things Christmassy. The only thing missing was Willie…
Blue Peter preparation
The kids and I set about preparing the house. Being so far from the jungle and still wanting to have that Caribbean festive feel we started by covering the banisters in miles and miles of red, green and yellow ribbon. While the children cut ribbon and tied themselves up, in fits of giggles, I set about making an advent calendar and wreath for the door.
The advent calendar became a Blue Peter nightmare. It involved a spice rack and large piece of card, and then drawing, painting and glittering a twinkling town with Santa on his sleigh. Behind each door was a drawer with goodies inside. Late into the wee hours of the morning I worked… loving it, but fraught with its demand.
Willie, between the usual lengthy shifts at the factory, was busy organising his favourite thing – food glorious food.
Where’s Willie?
Over the week leading up to filming the house became stuffed to the brim with goodies but there was still no real sign of Willie… The Christmas crew were due to arrive early in the morning so we went to bed.
At 6.45am the alarm went off and just as the coffee was brewing the headlights of some eight large vehicles pulled into the driveway. The sound of familiar voices was a comfort, but as I was running late, I pelted upstairs in my dressing gown to wake the children. They were not amused. It was the first day of half term and they were having to get up earlier than on a school day. Fortunately the excitement of seeing the crew sustained them and they headed downstairs for a makeshift breakfast in the sitting room while the set up of lights, cameras and general rushing around ensued.
Before we knew it we were changing from one outfit to another, looking for lost shoes and boots (usually the dog’s department), monitoring the heat loss of the house as doors seemed to be constantly wide open, moving furniture, tidying as we went, and trying to keep an eye on three very over excited children. But where was Willie?
Suddenly he arrived from the factory and leapt onto the set to begin the making of various chocolate recipes.
Feeling sheepish
On the second day a whole sheep arrived – dead thankfully – and ready to be prepared by Willie and cooked for all our friends at our Christmas party. Little did the guests know when they arrived that their dinner was going to be dug up from the pit outside in which it had been cooking for 16 hours! The children all stood around in amazement as Willie and our friend Rob started digging and revealed this culinary delight which went down well amongst the ravenous party-goers with a glass of mulled wine. To add to the excitement it began to snow a little which was all that we had been hoping for to make it a truly Christmassy experience.
Programmes based on cooking always mean there is plenty of food about. But imagine my surprise when I went into the catering kitchen and saw four robust turkeys for the five of us! In order to have the shots run seamlessly, most dishes are shot in varying degrees of readiness. So there was one turkey to be prepared, one being cooked, one for the pack shot, and one for the next day to cook and actually eat at the Christmas dinner! Not wanting anything to go to waste the crew plus family, ate more turkey, Brussel’s sprouts and mince pies than is usually required…
Christmas trees, stockings… and hotdogs
Great winds and some freak weather meant that every morning when we came downstairs the 18-foot Christmas tree outside had blown down! It was quite an ordeal to get it back up. For the party we decorated it with stockings made from the hessian cacao sacks and stuffed them with nuts, tangerines and chocolate, chocolate, chocolate.
To wrap it up, Willie’s chocolatey Christmas was perfect. In between the shooting we all had a wonderful time, with snowball fights, a Christmas party and Christmas dinner with the family. The highlight was probably a visit to the Bath Christmas Fair where we rode the Carousel and ate hotdogs… and more chocolate, naturally!
Catch up on all the goings on during Willie’s Perfect Chocolate Christmas
For a list of Willie’s chocolate stockists, please see www.venezuelanblack.com
Comments
Like your Xmas program but for someone who is using such fine chocolate I noticed the spices your using aren’t top quality!!! You should check out The Spice Shop 1 Blenheim Crescent London W11 2EE
What a refreshing change to see a family having fun with no i pod, computer or television in sight not forgetting an X box. Willie truely is mad and the best of luck to him.
It was a pleasure to watch your lovely family enjoying themselves. I love chocolate (and your husband is a bit dishy as well!!) – the perfect programme.
If I thought I was a chocoholic I had to reconsider after watching Willie put the curcao in the Turkey Stuffing! you beat me hands down. Thank you for making a whole hour of television totally mouthwatering. Happy Holidays!
I watched your great continuing story last night, it was great.
I would just love to have the recipe for the breakfast dish which Willie made with Choritzo it looked delicious. He made it so quickly I can’t remember all the ingredients.
Hope there will be more episodes as your business starts to develop.
Merry Christmas.
I watched your programme and it was great fun, but where can you actually buy your chocolate and also the recipe for the breakfast dish would be nice to have…
merry xmas
Great to see things are really happening and coming together for your Chocolate enterprise – a real feel good story in the current economic environment.
I would love a have your Christmas day stuffing recipe – really unique and no doubt tastes fantastic.
Looking forward to hearing further developments through 2009.
Merry Christmas
I am confused as to which of the four varieties of chocolate to use for the cloud chocolate forest dessert. Can anyone help please?
Forgot to say, does anyone know the recipe for the Philladelphia cheescake?
Great program. No swearing…..makes a wonderful change.
My daugther is busy making the hessian stockings, but we missed the recipe for the cholcate sweets you put inside. Can you help please. Happy Christmas
I would really love to have the classic chocolate tart recipie. I was ill in bed when the programe was broadcast and could not get the ingredients writen down please help.
I have tried the channel4 website but it does not give this recipie. Happy New year 2009
Fantastic Show. I’m just popping off to get some more chocolate.
BUT I’m disappointed only the mince pie receipe made it to the web site. Hurry up with the cook book.
Loved the programme and really wanted to try the chocolate tart recipe but it was all done so fast with no measurements given and the Channel 4 website does not have any further details. Please can this recipe be posted somewhere.
I would love the recipie for the classic choclate tart. I have tried the channel 4 website. But can’t find it. Does anybody have it please. Happy Christmas.
I have loved watching your story – even managed to get some of your delicous cacao from Selfridges when it was launched….
Hope Channel 4 continue the journey with you as it is a brilliant programme – hats off to you and you wife think she deserves a medal…
I too would like the classic chocolate tart recipe, please, on the website.
Many thanks and Merry Christmas
i would also really like the classic chocolate tart recipie it looked so good.
After reading a lot of the comments, it is clear that many people want the receipes. I also wanted the chocolate tart receipe to do on New Years Eve. Is it the case that there is to be a book in the New Year, it is a shame there was not one before Christmas, because it would definitely have been on my wish list. If not is it possible to have the receipes?
I really enjoyed the Christmas programme and hearing of your progress over the last year and would really appreciate the recipe for the classic choclate tart,as I would love to make it for Christmas day.
Many thanks and happy Christmas to you all,
Helen.
Please could I have the classic choclate tart recipe; i would love to make it for Christmas day and have already bought the choclate.
Happy Christmas to you all,
Best wishes, Helen.
As the last bride at Chanters House, I just wanted to say I am thrilled you and Willie are doing so well. It has been brilliant being able to watch your business grow and grow and hear how much people enjoy watching you on television and know that I was able to experience how great you both are first hand. Keep up the good work! Looking forward to the book.
I loved the programme, but the recipe I REALLY liked the sound of is the one that you did with I think had apricots and pistachios and chocoalte. Can you send it to me?!
can you please tell me where i can buy some of Willies fab looking chocolate! As i would love to try some of your recipes. With much thanks x
I am just about to try making those apricot/ pistachio chocs. Wondering how much sugar and cream to add. Assume they had some for childrens taste buds. Will just have to guess. Also have som apricots soaked in brandy which Im going to choc coat..
I enjoyed the programme but agree with the other bloggers – where are the recipes for all the dishes made? Would love the chocolate sweet recipe used in hessian sacks. Please provide! Merry Christmas.
In the same vein as the programme editors; it might make a more engaging blog if you confessed to some of the less than ideal moments during your day! As well as the good ones of course. I suppose it depends upon how much you want the public to see warts and all. From my own veiwpoint it is always the way we overcome problems that makes the most interesting reading.
We absolutely love your concept and have enjoyed watching it grow. Your christmas special was wonderful. I won’t erase it and show it to as many people as I can. I also like to keep the recipes.I am anxious to try your cacao and I have the stockists. Can you tell me the difference in the cacaos and which one is for what?
Best of luck to you and your family
Tania, marry me
All your series was great, enjoyed the christmas special the best though.
I also enjoyed cooking the stuffing that you did, and me and the wife also baked a cheese cake and chocolate torte,hers was the best though,lol.
just wondering where do i get your cocoa from? kind regards Alan
We are watching your show on the dutch broadcast but are wondering where we can buy your product in the Nethterlands.May there is an internetshop.
with regards Fred
The best British show I have ever seen. It’s fun, personal and useful. Finally!!! Something different, refreshing and far from usual boring TV that is not worth switching TV on.
What a nice family best of luck to you!
Please would you tell me if there is a recipe book yet and if so where I could get it. Thankyou,
Heather
i really enjoyed filming with willie and family over the past six months. cookery book is great
yet again great program only dissapointment i have is that even now i still cant find any of your chocolate
Loved the programme last night on C4. I’m converted where can I buy the chocolate from locally – I live in Newcastle upon thne
I first watched Willie’s christmas special and now the 3 part raising the bar; thanks for great receipes.Willie deserves to achieve all the success that he works so hard toward. I bought the cacoa chocolate at Waitrose supermarket in the ingredients section, and just bought the cook book online at Amazon (hope the book lives up to the personality of the chocalatier).
Really liked Willie’s Wonky chocolate factory, saw the three part Raising The Bar Program and thought it was even better, now all I need to do is try the bar, but there’s no Waitrose in the town I live in, guess i’ll have to wait until the bars become more widely available.
Great programe i hope willy and his family get all the succsess they deserve they have not had it easy and work very hard to get where he is im looking forward to buying some of his chocolate i think all chocolate lovers should get together to support him and encourage his succsess. teresa
Have so enjoyed watching all the programmes and are wishing you all the success you deserve! My husband is in the dog house cos he failed to get me any of your chocolate or recipe book for Easter! Waitrose was all sold out…I’m now on a mission to get it myself and start cooking! p.s. totally agree with your hubby being ‘dishy’ comment!
I am in awe of what you guys have done!
I too am a chocolatier and am making small steps in comparison but have had talks with Waitrose and John Lewis
where it is soon to be sold. Any tips?
Just watched Ep 1 Willie’s Choc Factory – my 5 year old and I really enjoyed it. What a great experience for your children. Please give us an update on how things are going for you now, in the middle of the economic downturn for your (new) fans downunder. Will be buying some chocolate when in the UK in October! We think you are both dishy!
Last May a Waitrose opened where i live. On my first visit I bought Wille`s chocolate, but theyt don`t seem to have it any more. What`s happened? I want some more !!
Hi. I understand from one of your episodes that you lost weight after drinking the hot chocolate. Want to know how much you drank and how much weight you lost? thanks
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