Our weekends get assigned certain tasks. Sometimes, there’s sauerkraut making, other weekends it’s grain grinding. This last weekend it was chocolate making. . I’d previously roasted and shelled the single origin Nicaraguan beans. I then gently warmed the mortar and Rob spent 60 minutes pestling (is that a word?!) the cacao nibs. As he goes on, the natural fat inside the beans releases and a paste is formed. . And that’s it. All I do is press the finished 100% cacao mixture into a mould and wait for it to set. . We end up with a coarse chocolate – a bit like one of those expensive ones ‘with crunchy nibs’ you see in the shops. All three of us love it. It’s bitter and deep and smokey and so, so strong. . I made a rough-round-the-edges short video of the process. To show that you *can* make bean to bar chocolate at home without any special equipment. It’s linked in my profile if you want a look.