From William Curley

Following on from a very successful Christmas period, which saw the popularity of our brand continue to rise, we move forward into the coming months with enthusiasm, excitement and above all else, great optimism..

New products, new developments and new challenges lie ahead in 2009 and as subscribers to our newsletter; you will get to hear about them first.

 Best  Wishes

 William and Suzue

 E – Day

Following huge customer demand and an awareness of the web and the business opportunities it can provide, we are delighted to announce that for us, Tuesday 3rd February is going to be E-Day; the day we go live with our e-commerce site.

For the first time, customers will be given the opportunity to order chocolates online and have them delivered directly to their own door or the door of someone special.

"We see this as a fantastic way to make our fine chocolates available to more than just our London based consumers. Everyone in the UK will be able to enjoy our wide range of products and as this launch coincides with the approach of Valentine’s Day, we anticipate being able to offer a 'direct to door' chocolate treat for anyone wanting to surprise that 'special person' this February 14th."

 Valentine's Day

The origins of Valentine's Day tend to circulate around the story of St Valentine, a Roman who was martyred for refusing to give up Christianity. Legend has it that he died on February 14th, 269 A.D. It goes on to say that he left a farewell note to the jailer's daughter (who had become his friend) signing it "From Your Valentine".

As time passed by, the date became synonymous with the exchanging of love messages and poems and it is because of this that St Valentine became the patron saint of lovers.

So it's pretty much agreed that February is the month for lovers and since chocolate is the universally recognised food of love, there is no better way to show that "special" someone just how much they mean to you than by sending them a box of William Curley's finest creations.

For anyone looking to spoil their beloved, we have a limited edition Valentine's Heart filled with House Dark Truffles and award winning couture chocolates, including Sea Salt Caramel, Japanese Black Vinegar and Toasted Sesame chocolates. See our Valentines creations for yourself on our website.

  Spotlight

None of what we do here at William Curley would be possible without the hard work and dedication of our committed team of talented employees. In the first of a new feature, we turn the spotlight on a member of staff who forms an important part of the creative machine that produces some of the UK's finest chocolates and patisserie.

This month we talk to Mi Jung Kim, William and Suzue's longest serving employee who has been with the company for 3 ½ years! She currently oversees our chocolate department, previously Mi Jung has also run the patisserie and tourier (that's our pastry, biscuits and cakes) sections.

Mi Jung hails from South Korea but came to the UK 6 years ago. She first worked in patisserie at a hotel in Wales for 2 years following an extensive period of study at Westminster College.

William Curley was first brought to my attention by my old boss, when I told him that I wanted to work in London. He assured me that William was the very best in his field and so I approached him for a job at his store in Richmond.

To be the best at something takes a lot of hard work and you have to be dedicated to the task. This is something I have always believed and in William and Suzue's kitchen, I get to see that philosophy executed on a daily basis, which more than anything inspires me".

Like any ambitious talent, Mi Jung says that one day she would like to have her own chocolate and patisserie store.

I couldn't finish without asking Mi Jung what her favourite chocolate was.

"For me, it has to be the 'Piedmont Hazelnut'. I would recommend anyone coming into our store to try it!"

Fine chocolate and quality tea complement each other well and in our opinion there is nothing better on the market than the wonderful flavours on offer from TeaSmith of Spittlefield's Market.

In association with this unique brand, we will be holding a Fine Chocolate and Exceptional Tea pairing event on Thursday 12th March. These tasting events provide an informative introduction to the worlds of fine chocolate and rare tea and act as a showcase for the luxurious pairings of some of the finest products on the globe.

TeaSmith's unique tea bar is the perfect environment for experiencing the leaves, aromas, tastes and textures of exceptional tea. William will introduce each chocolate and discuss the process of matching it with the relevant tea. Informal chats with chocolate and tea experts is an integral element of the evening.

If you would like to know more information then please contact us to sign up for this exclusive event.

It will be hosted at TeaSmith, 6 Lamb Street, Spitalfields, London E1 6EA on Thursday 12th March. There are two planned sittings, one to run from 6pm-8pm and the other to run from 8pm-10pm.

Tickets are available in advance from William Curley or TeaSmith – www.teasmith.co.uk – at a cost of £50 per person.

For our many new subscribers, we also provide a number of specific chocolate and patisserie courses at our Richmond store and further details on all of these can be found on our website.

What the papers say…

Method
Boil together the milk, cinnamon and chilli.
Place the chocolate flakes in the mixing bowl.
Add the 1/3 of the milk. Beat until very smooth.
Add the remaining milk, mix well and serve.

We have four delicious hot chocolate blends available to buy online. Find out more by visiting our website.