Afterwards, I took a job as Head Pastry Chef in a fine-dining Three Rosette award-winning for a few years. My burning desire to expand my knowledge and skills lead me to enrol on some specialist courses. The first one in Munich Germany was a Contemporary Dessert Art Course by Pastry Chef Robert Oppeneder. When I arrived, the ground was covered in a blanket of snow and it was freezing cold! I walked to a little patisserie to warm up, I couldn’t speak any German and so I didn’t know how to ask for anything… A kind woman behind the counter took me to sit at a table and brought me hot chocolate and a slice of cake, she seemed to knew exactly what I would like! It was a great start to the trip. The course was very interesting, I was taught a wide range of different techniques which have been put to use in my career.

The second one was in Tain-l’Hermitage near Lyon France, it was at Valrhona, home to some of the best chocolate in the world. As well as the Valrhona factory they had a chocolate school taught by top Pastry Chefs. The Pastry Chefs work with Valrhona chocolate, working out the best techniques for chocolates, chocolate desserts also working with praline. This course changed the way I worked with chocolate. For example, we learnt how to make an emulsion with chocolate which gives it a deliciously smooth texture. I always had such great enthusiasm for chocolate, but after doing these courses, my passion and knowledge grew even more! I didn’t know it then, but it helped set me in the right direction to starting La Fleur de Chocolat.

I then started working as a pastry chef at the Michelin Restaurant Simpsons in Birmingham, I worked there for 8 years and quickly became Head Pastry Chef. Whilst I was at Simpsons I ran a few Chocolate Workshops in the Cookery School. I also did a few stages in France and London, including a month at Bernachon a famous Chocolate Shop and Patisserie in Lyon. I also did 2 weeks in a chocolate shop in Chantilly France. I entered two team competitions La Parade Des Chefs at Hotelympia, where we won Gold both times. I spent my holidays going to France to do research on Chocolate and Patisserie to further my knowledge and keep my passion alive!

I left Simpsons to pursue my dream of a Patisserie and Chocolate Shop, I decided to just go for it! I would rather do it and fail than not do it at all. I looked into getting a shop, but I had a small budget to get started and just couldn’t afford it. I didn’t give up, I found a kitchen unit in Herefordshire where I started selling online, wholesale and at food festivals. La Fleur de Chocolat has been going from strength to strength, gaining recognition nationwide.

In January 2019 I went back to Simpsons for a day to do a “The Girls are Back” event with past and present female chefs. It was a huge success, a lot of fun and great to do a Plated Dessert again. All the female chefs did a course it was great to showcase the talent of female chefs. They have also started using my Chocolates and Caramels for Petti Fours!