Chocolate makers from Ghana and Venezuela set to attend Leicestershire festival

Chocolate makers from around the world are set to descend on Melton this weekend for ChocFest. The event will see chocolatiers from the Ghana Cocoa Board join colleagues from Venezuala, Madagascar and India to bring the sweetest of delights to Leicestershire.

Already famous for its pork pies and Stilton cheese, Melton will host ChocFest on Saturday (November 16) and Sunday (November 17), making the town “the heart of the chocolate world”. Organisers, who say it is one of the biggest events of its kind in the UK, are anticipating thousands to come this weekend.

Matthew O’Callaghan CBE, from the Melton Mowbray Food Partnership, said: “This is going to be one of our best ever ChocFests and is a great opportunity for visitors to stock up not only on chocolate but other items ready for Christmas.”

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The Ghana Cocoa Board's arrival this year marks a change in fortune after "visa problems" prevented them from attending in 2023. Ghana is a major producer of cocoa for chocolate and organisers are hoping that the attendance of their chocolatiers will “boost the international flavour of the event”.

Between 6,000 to 8,000 visitors are expected to descend upon Melton Livestock Market for ChocFest. The event includes a chocolate theatre, demonstrations and workshops, where visitors can make their own chocolate truffles and for the kids chocolate lollipops.

Among the more unusual offerings will be chocolate dipped mini Melton Mowbray Pork Pies and chocolate cheese, both of which organisers claim are normally sold out “well before the end of the festival.”

The event is from 10am to 4pm both days. Tickets are £6 with free entry for kids 16 and under.

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