Chocolate HEAVEN

Fulfilling a childhood dream, Deputy Food Editor Rose Fooks watched chocolate being made from bean to bar at Hotel Chocolat’s stunning St Lucia plantation

- Rose Fooks

Cocoa trees are not what you might expect – the blush, green and ruby cocoa pods, all within tantalising reach, dangle from the trunk and branches like giant-sized baubles.

These fantastical trees sprawl all over the Rabot Estate, which undulates across acres of plush, virgin rainforest, all set against the cinematic backdrop of the jagged Piton mountains.

Labour of love

Growing directly from the trunk, the pods look other-worldly and almost synthetic, not unlike the plants in the iconic garden scene from Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, where gigantic, swaying pods are filled with gooey delights. But taking a giant big bite out of a raw cocoa pod wouldn't be such a treat, and a great deal of patience is required before getting to the good stuff.

A cocoa pod is a delicate fruit that demands heat, shade and rain to mature, in a process lasting six months, after which it can be picked, processed and turned into the chocolate we love.