Willie Harcourt Cooze

I’ve been watching the latest episodes of Willie’s Chocolate Revolution – Raising the Bar and it continues to amaze me. The guy’s so watchable, and he makes very good TV (also makes incredible chocolate – World class in fact).

I was going to go to Selfridges (because I know they do more than just that!) to get some but I searched around for stockists, and found one with fairly reasonable postage costs – Mummy’s Deli – and have ordered a few bars, and some of the 100% for cooking. Can’t wait to throw together some savoury affairs, and once I get my mitts on Willie’s Cookery book, I might even try my hand at something sweet.

After all I did follow age old recipe of Delia’s in Majorca to make marmalade from Andrea and Rob’s fantastic orange grove.

There’s something engaging about Willie and his never say die attitude that’s helped him win through. He’s also worked tirelessly, and had the support of his amazing wife Tania and great friends who’ve given him help and materials and advice. He has refused to compromise and go to the big players for help, and in the end he built his own production facility to get his first order out in time to Waitrose. He is a model of someone who sticks to his guns, won’t give up, and with sheer determination and hard work has achieved something unique and amazing.

I wish Willie, his delectable cacao, his family and his business every success.

Big up Willie!

w/c 11th Feb

Tuesday:

Big up to the Adlink posse – had a 2 hour review meeting, with good fruit salads and smoothies, followed a fantastic day out as you’ll see below:

- Lunch @ The Square – very posh place, lots of game, sweetbreads (I still think they are testes – no one had them all the same), sommelier (bloke who upsells wine), a very nice Pouilly – good work young Iapino… I ordered the skate salad, followed by the Dover Sole – the starter was definitely the winner there.

- On to the Absolut Vodka Bar on Heddon St, where first we had a drink in the bar – I went for the Caparinha, there were other clever drinks on display, then we donned the capes and went below.  It wasn’t cold to begin with, but it got cold, couple of interesting vodka based drinks, in glasses made of Ice – wooooooooooow.

- Then, we went to Momo for Champers and mint tea, and a Shish pipe – that was coolThen… we went to Camden for a few drinks (including an array of white and black sambuca)

- Theeeen… we went to the Jazz Cafe – Fred Wesley and the new JBs – more wine, food, top seats, and great view – we got into trouble for Chris’ voice – way too loud for the aficionados.

- Theeeeeeeeeeeeen… we went to the Good Mixer for a last hurrah –  I had a well known cocktail there – the Snakebite and Black, Justine was starting to waver – think it was all the dancing she’d done.

- Finally a £40 cab home – top night

Big up to Adlink Group – Chris G, Nicky, Pete and Andreas! 

Wednesday:

Big up to Atlas!!

After a top presentation from Ciaran at Atlas on the merits of AAP (or MAA, CA – can’t remember) – multiple attribution analytics, Melissa and Kalpa and Suzanne and Anna took Justine and Michelle and me to Zuma in Knightsbridge – an amazing place, sister restaurant to Roca on Charlotte St and it didn’t disappoint.

Again a top wine, oh we had a glass of bubbly first to celebrate Melissa’s birthday – the big 3-Oh! The conversation topics were vast and disparate – from the various ways of childbirth, to painkilling, to weddings, and honeymoons, and puddings – wow we did puddings…!! And no man-bating!

I felt like Mel Gibson in What Women Want – I learned shit – top!

The food was incredible – soft shelled crab, sashimi, lots of clever vegetarian stuff like eggplant surprise (no meat), avocado surprise (ditto), and some amazing black cod, fillet beef, smoked chicken, and then onto the puddings – amazing!

So big up to Anna, Melissa and co. and good luck with the baby thing!