York confectioner adds to city’s reputation as ‘the capital of chocolate’

Historically known as ‘the capital of chocolate’, York has been home to Rowntree (now Nestlé), Terry’s and Cravens (now Tangerine Confectionery) down the ages.

Linda Barrie, founder of Choc Affair, said: “I feel blessed that Choc Affair is continuing to play a small part in continuing with the city's chocolate journey, and the range showcases Yorkshire chocolate making, which was inspired by traditional Yorkshire values​.”

The Best of British chocolate range boasts milk, dark and salted caramel flavoured drinking chocolates and bars where all the ingredients have been ethically sourced, are palm oil free and have been handmade in York by head chocolatier and operations manager Richard Gibbons.

Yorkshire grit

Barrie, who has lived in the city all of her life, is proud of her York roots: “I love Yorkshire Day as it is an opportunity for everyone to celebrate Yorkshire’s vibrant and diverse culture. We have been handmaking and creating beautiful flavours of chocolate since 2006 and through sheer Yorkshire grit and determination, we’ve survived two unsettling periods, the 2008 financial crash and the current ongoing pandemic. This is all down to our wonderful B2B trade partners and B2C customers who rally around to support small local independent businesses, like ours, time and time again​.”

Choc Affair was established 15 years ago in Barrie’s kitchen and has since expanded into larger premises after the brand went nationwide in independent retail shops across the UK.