When's Willie's Wonky Chocolate Factory coming up on UK TV?
Unfortunately Willie's Wonky Chocolate Factory isn't on the air any time soon.
Programme Information
Willie Harcourt-Cooze has spent 11 years growing cacao in Venezuela, aiming to be the first to grow and make 100 per cent cacao from bean to bar. Now back in his humble Devonshire factory he is determined to make chocolate the newest essential cooking ingredient.
I would love to buy some of the chocolate. Is it only Selfridges who stock it? Is it possible through mail order?
April 11th - 10:05pmJENNIFER STOWERS said...
Dear Mr Harcourt Cooze,
I am writing to you on behalf of Tedburn St Mary Womens Institute. We would love it if you could come and do a talk to us and many other Womens Institutes in the area in March 2009 for approx 45 minutes p.m. If you would consider this please can you tell me how much you would charge. Many Thanks. I await your reply, Regards Jenny Stowers
April 11th - 5:16pmKat Blackshaw said...
Hi. Im a local wedding planner for the Devon and Somerset area. I have clients wanting Wedding cakes made of your chocolate, apart from the unsafe ebay how do i go about buying the chocolate (and possibly in bulk!!)
Great programme really enjoyed the series I am probably telling you what you already know but this product would go down very well with the raw foodies as they love the antioxidant effects.
Thought you might appreciate the articule below, I work in this area of health care and live in Exmouth, so if you ever fancy meeting for a pint to talk this approach through you would be most welcome.
Dark chocolate gets pulses racing
By Linda Rano
LATEST NEWS HEADLINES
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The Hershey Company
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10-Apr-2008 - Consumption of dark chocolate and cocoa may not boost heart health, and could actually increase pulse rates, according to new research.
The research, published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, examined the short terms effects of dark chocolate and cocoa on variables associated with neuropsychological functioning and cardiovascular health in healthy older adults.
The researchers noted that in recent years there has been an increased interest in the potential health-related benefits of antioxidant and phytochemical-rich dark chocolate and cocoa.
Indeed, the health benefits of antioxidant-rich chocolate have received much recognition in recent years, with positive findings from a number of studies impacting on consumer awareness. Chocolate manufacturers are using high cocoa content (over 70 per cent) as a means of differentiation, and cocoa has also received attention for its potential in functional food applications.
However, whilst the investigation failed to support the predicted beneficial effects of short-term dark chocolate and cocoa on any of the neuropsychological or cardiovascular health-related variables in the study, consumption of dark chocolate and cocoa was "associated with significantly higher pulse rates at three and six week treatment assessments," stated the researchers from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Virginia Neuropsychology Associates, and the Free Clinic of Central Virginia.
Study details and results
According to the researchers a double blind, placebo-controlled, fixed-dose, parallel-group clinical trial was employed. One hundred and one healthy, cognitively intact, participants, aged 60 or over, were randomly assigned to receive a 37 g dark chocolate bar and 237ml (eight ounce) of an artificially sweetened cocoa drink, or placebos, on a daily basis for a six week period.
The study, sponsored by The Hershey Company, used a chocolate bar with a proanthocyanin content of 397.3 mg per gram, and a cocoa beverage containing 357.41 mg proanthocyanins per gram. The placebo bar contained 0.2 mg of proanthrocyanins per gram.
At the end of the study, no changes in any of the neuropsychological, haematological or blood pressure variables was observed in either the cocoa or placebo groups. However, the mid-point and end-of-treatment mean pulse rate assessments in the group taking the chocolate products were "significantly higher" that those at baseline and "significantly higher" than the mid-point and end-of-treatment rates in the control group.
Conflicting results
The results are at odds with an ever-growing body of science supporting health benefits, particularly for the heart, as a result of cocoa consumption. Only last year, results of the randomised, controlled, parallel-group trial, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, suggested that a daily serving of dark chocolate containing 30 calories associated with a lowering of blood pressure.
The prevalence of hypertension in the population declined from 86 to 68 per cent.
Consumption of the polyphenol-rich dark chocolate led to measurable increases in blood polyphenol concentrations, and the blood pressure reduction was accompanied by a sustained increase of S-nitrosoglutathione, linking the effects to nitric oxide production in the cardiovascular system.
Perceived health benefits have changed confectionery market
Perceived health benefits associated with dark chocolate have lead to a market shift in the UK, according to Key Note Publications in their report Confectionery Market Report Plus 2008. The authors say that consumer preferences for healthier options have prompted a number of brands to move into dark chocolate ranges.
In March 2008 global confectioner Nestle announced the establishment of a research development facility dedicated entirely to dark and premium chocolate.
In December 2007, Nestle attributed a 5.4 per cent increase in sales for the first nine months of the 2007 tax year to the growing trend for premium dark chocolate bars such as Nestle Noir and Perugina Nero.
Source: The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
April 2008, Volume 87, Number 4, Pages 872-880
"A double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial of the effects of dark chocolate and cocoa on variables associated with neuropsychological functioning and cardiovascular health: clinical findings from a sample of healthy, cognitively intact older adults"
Cocoa reduces risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease, says study
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April 7th - 3:41pmCharmaine said...
My 13 year old son cooked the Cloud Forest Chocolate cake today. What with all the grating of the chocolate and mixing of ingredients, it kept him busy all afternoon and the cake was spectacular. But can you let me know how to grate the chocolate quickly as I am always in a rush. Love the programme.
April 5th - 12:45amqasdfghjk said...
hi we had 2 watch it at skwl
no offence but all my class got bored.
sorry but it's a fair comment dnt u fink????
March 30th - 11:48pmVeronica said...
Terrific programme, really inspiring. A very well deserved outcome for a very hard-working family. Lovely to see the children included in everything. As stated by others, we now need a recipe book please Willie.
March 29th - 10:49pmdroff said...
great advert but where can it be bought and how much does it cost
March 29th - 9:47pmangelalove choc said...
hi willy and family can you get your self a web site and sell it on there please im manchester and had to buy it of ebay :(
allso we would love to buy a cook book if you make 1 yes .. pleaseeee and tour your choc farm xxx
March 29th - 7:37pmSee-June Lee said...
Love the show! I love the food you cook and particularly find it interesting that you use chocolate in main dishes. I like it! More please! I would like to purchase some of your chocolate and try to cook your dishes.
March 29th - 6:54pmChris Edmondson said...
After watching the programme from the beginning, I really hoped they would make a success of their new business, as a dark chocoholic I started to look where to buy it. Hmmm, pure dark chocolate, my tastebuds were at the ready. The chocolate is available on ebay for £20.00 for 180gm.
Then I read the hyperlinks on here. I'm furious.
2 million for the 20 bedroomed house, 1.48 million for the contents, and they've the balls to plead poverty!
I own a delicatessen in Shepton Mallet ,Somerset and have many customers asking me to stock your chocolate bars! Please bring out a recipe book.
March 27th - 2:33pmsharon said...
My son and I have just made willie;s truffles they are fantastic.Loved the programe hope u bring out a book we would buy it.Well done to you and all your lovely family.We managed to buy the chocklate bar from waitrose it was the last one on the shelve.
March 27th - 11:13amPete said...
Why does this website have lots of questions and no answers?
March 26th - 11:18amJus love chocolate said...
Please can you tell me where I can get the receipes from the show. Especially, the last one chocolate biscuits. PLEASE BRING OUT A BOOK. Good luck in the future.
March 25th - 9:14pmstephanie randall said...
Hello willie.
I watched your program.
It made me cry.
You are trying so hard.
I feel your passion,pain ,ex
haustion and determination.
I am a florist in an affluent area .Harpenden ,Hertfordshire. I'm working my arse off like you to make my businness work.
Do you supply to a small select business ?
If so can you send me a
sample of truffles?
March 25th - 10:57amjan said...
where can I get a recipe for the torfu and the chicken mole, would love to try them out!!
March 25th - 10:55amlynn said...
Hi Willie,
what a great programme.The love and the passion that you have put into your chocolate makes it pricless. I would love to buy some and try some of your fab recepies. Hope you bring out a cook book,and you do an other programme to keep us up to date. Your whole family are great. Will be in Dawlish in the summer might try and find your little factory. Well done to you all. From all of us chocolate lovers in the north east of england. xx
March 24th - 7:23pmvivienne smith said...
please could you tell me where i could buy the choclate made by willie hardcourt cooze or recomend a website.
thanks
March 24th - 7:09pmAlyson said...
Is Willie bringing out a cookery book with the recipes from the show?
March 24th - 2:57pmlucy said...
i have just been on one of the venezuelanblack websites and it gives a lot of info so go on it now
March 24th - 2:36pmlucy said...
how much is this chocolate bar and were can you buy it from if you dont live any were near london i hear u can get it from waitrose but it never said when on the tv programe .plz get back to me i really would like of these chocolate bars
March 24th - 12:18amJay said...
can't wait to buy some of this chocolate from our nearest waitrose, loved the program and well done!!!
March 24th - 12:09amSimon said...
..this guy and his family are a TOTAL inspiration. I watched the program with great interest... not only has he invested in the country where his beans are produced BUT has released an amazing product! Mr Harcourt-Cooze DESERVES to do well... what a guy!!
March 24th - 11:57amDaniel said...
hi willie, i like the documentry by the way what is the name of your choclate
March 23rd - 11:08pmMike Townsend said...
Thankfully Willies Wonky Chocolate Factory has now ended, so hopefully my blood pressure can return to normal.
What I found most distasteful about the series is the blatant misrepresentation by both the tv producers and the Harcourt-Coozes of their supposed financial poverty. Much was made throughout the series of the ‘financial hole’ that the family are in, yet this is the very same Willie and Tania who lived at Chanters House in Ottery St Mary until 2006 when their ‘trust’ sold the house through Knight Frank for several million pounds. The contents were sold separately by Sothebys for another £1.5 million. They still own several other houses around Ottery St Mary. It is scandalous to suggest the family are anything other than very wealthy. The size of their rented house should be enough to raise alarm bells that all is not quite as it seems.
As for the series itself? Awful and totally contrived is the best way I could summarise it. The whole series amounted to nothing more than a four hour advert to launch Willies product. I suspect the programme maker and Willie were good friends before filming even commenced.
Mike Townsend
Here is an article Tania wrote about living at Chanters House - http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20040317/ai_n12773773
About the sale and Tania’s father making it clear whose decision it was to sell - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/columnists/columnists.html?in_article_id=377355&in_page_id=1772&in_author_id=230
About the sale of the house contents - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/devon/6079558.stm
March 23rd - 10:52pmNorah Stewart said...
Brilliant programme. Definately a family who deserve to make it. Well done for all the hard work. Cant wait to buy some. Not that desperate to buy it off the robbers selling it on Ebay though. Bring on a book to go with the series, yummy recipes!
March 23rd - 10:25pmKay said...
So very pleased at end of programme it was a success, I missed one episode and my boyfriend informs me that the hot chocolate helps with hunger pangs and loosing weight is this true?, Where can I buy this amazing product in the North East
March 23rd - 10:19pmulrike iheme said...
well done willie.i love ur program and u choco.bless ulrike
March 23rd - 10:19pmemma townsend said...
where can i buy willie's wonky chocolate? I live in Lincoln, we have a waitrose can i get it there?
need a website under willie's name - couldnt find where to buy the choc easily. the brand name not as easy as willie to remember!
March 23rd - 10:02pmamandamnk said...
amazing man, amazing family, his wife is great, hope they succeed they more than deserve it!!! good luck
March 23rd - 9:59pmchristy welland said...
we want chocolate how much does it cost and can you deliver it to our home
March 23rd - 9:46pmTara Roberts said...
really great show. but i really want to try these chocolates. where can i buy them?
March 23rd - 9:17pmDparker said...
how much does the chocolate cost
March 22nd - 7:46pmRob Taylor said...
Love the TV show. I have never seen someone with so much passion and drive. You and your wife work very very hard and you deserve to be a great success. Good luck with everything.
March 22nd - 7:26pmSal said...
Just seen that his yummy chocolate was launched in Waitrose today! Just in time for Easter!
March 22nd - 2:21pmpatricia.youngs said...
Where do we buy Willie Harcourt-Cooze Cacao chocolate from??
March 20th - 11:07pmAnn-Marie McRae said...
Thanks channel real tv well done how very interesting.Willie you are fantastic good luck!
March 20th - 12:48amWJVaughan said...
How can I get the recipe for the chocolate cake {"Torfu" is that correct} which was shown on the Sun.16th March. please
March 18th - 2:15pmMatt said...
Where can I buy this stuff from man!!
March 17th - 6:27pmPenelope Christoforou said...
An amazing in sight of the world of chocolate, this programme has kept me enthralled, I hope willi makes it big, as the business is run by the big boys, I wish him and his family well...
March 17th - 5:52pmElfi Dudley said...
I have just made a Cloud Forest Chocolate cake with your 100% chocolate which I bought at Selfridges. Simply delicious!!!!!When is a cookery book coming out? To you and your family all the best wishes in the world. Elfi
March 17th - 4:53pmCAROLINE MC ARDLE said...
Where can I find Willie's reciepie's please Willie you need a website with
reciepes e.c.t..
March 17th - 12:32amPamela said...
Where in central London can I buy Willie Wonky's sugar-free chocolate? Let me know.
March 16th - 10:19pmRebecca Angela Hall said...
Meltchocolates.com isn't selling the chocolate as yet. I have e mailed Selfridges. I am sure that they will have to do something as people will want to purchase this chocolate mail order. Willie, you need to get a website!
March 16th - 9:49pmj cane said...
where cane i get this product n how much does it cost
March 13th - 7:23amalex limpkin said...
wonderful program where can we buy the chocolate and is there a book
March 11th - 12:55amJenny said...
The above ebay account is a rogue trader. He's set up a false website as well as the ebay account and is selling the chocolate for more than it costs in Selfridges.
Thanks
March 11th - 12:53amJenny said...
The above ebay seller is a rogue trader. He's selling the choc for more than it costs in selfridges. RIP OFF!
Thanks
March 5th - 11:33pmChoco said...
Some for sale already on ebay! http://search.ebay.co.uk/_W0QQfgtpZ1QQfrppZ25QQsassZparisiscool
March 5th - 2:32pmpariswells said...
The Chocolate has been marketed under the name "Venezuelan Black" , Available http://www.venezuelanblack.com/
The range has been launched in selfridges on the 19th February 2008
March 5th - 2:29pmbrinleyfish said...
www.meltchocolates.com
March 5th - 9:30amterry brown said...
Where can the choc be purchased please, many thanks , Terry
March 3rd - 10:13amDave Kenyon said...
Great program,but where can i buy some of his chocolate?
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