My life seems to revolve around chocolate at the moment. Things could be worse.

As most of you now know from my giddy Twitter and Instagram feeds, I quit the day job back in January and have embarked on a 9-month cookery diploma at Le Cordon Bleu(!!!) – the final class of term was a lesson in keeping my chef whites white whilst trying to temper chocolate. Just a few days later, Farfetch – the luxury fashion online marketplace bringing together hundreds of boutiques from around the world under one ginormous digital roof (cue much payday temptation and ‘lunch hour’ browsing at your desk – their vintage selection has me swooning hard) – treated me to an Easter chocolate truffle making workshop to show off their plush new Old Street offices. And I have now just returned from a gorgeous city-break to Bruges where my chocolate ‘research’ knew no bounds…

So I’ve basically fallen down the rabbit-hole and ended up as an extra in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. A world where I am fatter but perhaps also happier. And smell of cocoa.

At the event, Lisa Marley, owner of The Cocoa Box, expertly guided us through the messy art of truffle making and broke the process down into easy-to-follow steps – the free-flowing chocolate martinis made it tough but hey, someone’s gotta do it. The resulting ganache truffles were rich, decadent and deceptively easy to make – the perfect gift or post dinner-party treat.

So, truffle-making in 6 easy steps:

Makes about 45 truffles

1. Melt 300g of good-quality dark chocolate in a metal bowl over a pan of simmering water until just melted. Stir as you go. Add a dash of flavouring if you fancy – we had peppermint essence, orange essence and orange liqueur. No points for guessing which one I chose.
2. Stir in 150g of (very) chilled double cream. Stir quickly to mix thoroughly before the mixture hardens.
3. Once set firm, scoop the ganache into a piping bag, massage down to the end, and pipe long rows of mixture about an inch or so in diameter onto baking paper.
4. Cut into bite-sized pieces and swiftly roll into balls (before the mixture melts in your sweaty palms). A cool room and plastic gloves are your friend here.
5. Roll in your chosen decoration (not you, the truffles) – we had raspberry sugar dust, cocoa powder and chocolate sprinkles. Nibbed nuts would also be tasty.
6. Wrap up beautifully with ribbons and bows and give away to loved ones (boo!) or eat yourself (yay!). Will keep in the fridge for about 5 days or freeze very well too.

With thanks to Farfetch for hosting and The Cocoa Box for continuing my chocolate education!

Disclaimer: I was a guest of Farfetch at this event; all views remain my own.