We recently visited York’s Chocolate Story, it’s an interactive attraction in King’s Square (at the top of the Shambles) where you can learn the history of chocolate and sweet making in York while sampling some of your favourites!
When you first approach the attraction there is a door to the right where you enter for the tour (the left hand door is for the café and exit). Here, you give your name if you have booked (and I would recommend booking ahead of time), then you wait until it is your turn to take a ride in the great glass elevator. Ok, ok, it’s just a lift really, there is no glass, it only goes up two floors, and worst of all, it does not go sideways. I was just channeling a bit of Willy Wonka there!
Anyway, back to the tour – you emerge from the lift into a room with an old fashioned looking shop frontage. Photos are not allowed to be taken on this floor, so I can’t show you what it looks like, but it will be a nice surprise when you visit. I’ll intersperse some photos of the chocolates in the gift shop at the end instead!
Our tour guide was the lovely Rachel C (I am hoping I have her name correct!). She introduced us to the tour and began to tell us all about the history of chocolate making in York. At the end of her initial speech she handed out some small wraps of dark chocolate. I must also mention here that she asked first if any of the group had any allergies or intolerances. One of the children could not have dairy, but they made sure to look after him, giving him alternatives throughout the tour.
The next room brings you into a huge curved screen and you take a seat while watching a video all about the origins of cocoa beans in South America (which makes it sound very dry – it wasn’t!). You are then given ‘chocolate water’ to try, which is perhaps an acquired taste!
The next room is my favourite with talking portraits that will delight your small Harry Potter fans. The main players in York’s chocolate history come together to discuss the origins of chocolate-making in the city, before more chocolates (Quality Street!) are given out.
We then move onto a room that looks at the lives of the workers in the factories such as Rowntree’s and Terry’s. I always find this interesting as, growing up, so many of my family members worked at either one or the other. This was particularly good as a child as they got to use the ‘factory shop’ where all the discounted misshapes were sold. I still remember being given a solid Easter egg. Core memory locked!
After more chocolate was given in this room (KitKats!), the tour moved downstairs where we were told all about the manufacturing process of making chocolate before being allowed to make our own chocolate lolly!
We were each given our own workstation, where we had great fun making and decorating a lolly with chocolate shavings and honeycomb. These were then taken to a fridge to cool while we watched a demonstration of chocolates being made. At the end we got to try some of them (banana truffle!).
At the end of the tour, we collected our lollies and proceeded downstairs into the gift shop where all manner of chocolate goodies await!
There is also a cafe here, serving hot and cold drinks, milkshakes and ice cream. I have taken photos of the menu as this is always something I like to nosy at. We had some lovely hot drinks, ice cream and milkshakes.
I have to say, all the staff we came into contact with were welcoming and knowledgeable. The tour is accessible with a lift for those who can’t do stairs, and seating was available in each room for those who needed it.
The tour takes around an hour, is lively and interesting and makes good use of multimedia. You also get to try lots of the good stuff – chocolate!
Lastly – I will leave you with more photos from the shop (as all the packaging is so pretty!)
While you are here, have a look at our big post of all the best things to do in York.
We were invited to visit and review, but as always, all my opinions are my own.
