Ever since I read Charlie and the Chocolate factory growing up, I have always wanted to see how chocolate is made. I got my wish this week when I visited Lindsay & Edmunds Handmade Chocolates out at Fairbairn near the airport, and it certainly didn’t disappoint.

While there were no oompa loompas, or ridiculous machines that eat you up and spit you out, there were large quantities of organic chocolate being handcrafted with care, and an impressive display of the 15 kinds of chocolate slabs and varieties of individual chocolates that are all made on the premises.

Owner Peter Edmunds has more than realised his dream of becoming a chocolatier, and establishing not only a handmade chocolate business, but one of exceptional quality that prides itself on its organic and fair trade certification. The cacao is sourced from a cooperative in the Dominican republic, and is one of the best, single origin sources of chocolate in the world. They also sell bags of the stuff as it arrives in its pure form, before they turn it into anything else, so you can use it for cooking at home. That’s right. Run don’t walk.

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In just five years, Peter has grown a the business into one that distributes to over 100 wholesale clients, has its own shopfront, is a stalwart at Canberra markets and is widely stocked at institutions such as Shop Handmade. He, quite impressively, taught himself how to make chocolate and researched what kind of niche he could find to turn it into a viable business.

Everything which is added to the chocolate is sourced from the best local and organic ingredients. The starting point is that the chocolate is so wonderful on its own that any accompaniment must only enhance it. Each chocolate and each slab has been experimented with over along period of time before they appear on the shelf to ensure the best flavour.  The flavours of each slab, or each chocolate, are mouthwatering. The milk honey-almond praline slab and the caramelised chilli and macadamia slab both caught my eye.

The chocolate is unlike any other I’ve tasted. It’s so creamy and velvety, as if you’re eating a gooey chocolate pudding, but it’s hard and snaps when broken. Out of the delicate small chocolates I try, the chilli dark chocolate, the mont blanc and the orange peel are favourites. But the plain chocolate itself – milk, white or dark, sold in cute small hearts or teddy bears, is enough too. The flavour stays in your mouth. It hangs. It seems to last forever. I didn’t want to eat or drink anything for a while just to keep it there. And the thing is, that because it’s so rich and pure and delicious, and doesn’t have the addictive added sugars of a lot of other chocolates, a small amount is enough. Truly. This is chocolate which satisfies. It’s chocolate that is a perfect gift, an excellent treat, something to be savoured and devoured. It isn’t your everyday block that you inhale. This is chocolate that stops you in your tracks with each bite.

Lindsay & Edmunds is bringing a tiny piece of France to Canberra. Just for a moment when you’re biting into that chocolate you can imagine a quaint chocolatier (perhaps run by Johnny Depp even) hidden away down a cobblestoned street. You can sip on a decadent hot chocolate, choose all the large chunks of broken chocolate you want and pay by its weight, just like in European markets.

So we can all learn the secrets of the chocolate trade, Lindsay & Edmunds has begun experimenting with offering courses where you can learn how to make it. The next one is set for Saturday 18 August, a beginners class for 2 hours ($75) and an intermediate class for 4 hours ($130). And kids of about 8 and above can join in the fun too I’m assured.

The best thing about this chocolate is that you can’t eat it all at once, so you know you can keep enjoying over a long period of time, one indulgent, smooth bite at a time.

Want to try it for yourself? Lindsay & Edmunds is open 7:30am to 4pm Monday to Friday, at 20 Amberley Avenue, Fairbairn. Visit their website or call 6230 0166 to find out more.

This is a sponsored post…but even if it wasn’t, we’d still be drooling…