The UK chocolate industry is worth more than £3b, but it is the top end of the market that is seeing the most interesting growth. MATT CLARK meets Bettys head of development.

REMEMBER when the height of decadence was a box of Milk Tray?

So furtive a treat that a catsuit-clad man was required to leap across the rooftops and slink through windows to deliver it.

How times have changed.

Now British cuisine is up there with the best, our knowledge of wine, sommelier-like by comparison, and chocolate is accorded the reverence of vintage claret.

It is thanks to people like Claire Gallagher of Bettys, who says we have become infinitely more knowledgeable about chocolate – and the interest is growing.

“I think our palates have definitely advanced over the years,” said Claire.

“We are much more aware of what we eat as a whole and people are becoming chocolate connoisseurs, which is fabulous to see.”

Claire began her career as a commis pastry chef; she has cooked for celebs and during a three-year stint with Raymond Blanc at Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons, made birthday chocolates for the Queen Mother.

Now she is head of food development at Bettys.

“The starting premise is we can make what we want, because stopping at that stage would suppress our creativity. Then we work out how to deliver it,” she said.

“It’s about understanding the different tastes and textures the mouth feels and how to intensify the flavour to deliver exactly what we want.”

That said, at Bettys, history is a constant influence.

“For a box of classic chocolates I look at our founder Frederick Belmont’s influences and extrapolate that into what would make a classic for us now,” said Claire.

“But it has to sit with the essence of our brand. If I decided to make Marmite truffles it just wouldn’t sit.

Fine for a London chocolatier but not for us.”

Crucially the ingredients must be the best. Most chocolate is made from Forastero beans from Brazil and Africa. But Bettys only uses Criollo, the Grand Cru of cocoa beans, which account for just three per cent of the world’s cocoa production.

The beans are harvested, fermented and naturally dried in the South American sun until they reach a moisture content that prevents them deteriorating in transit.

Then they are sent to Felchlins of Switzerland, for roasting and conching (agitating the chocolate to release flavour).

The chocolate finally arrives at Bettys in 5kg blocks to be transformed into shiny, smooth bars which break with a loud snap.

And Claire has a controlling influence in each and every part of the process.

Nowhere more so than in Bettys Craft Bakery, where the process of making chocolate shells, called tempering, is still done the traditional way – by hand.

“Visual, taste and texture, our chocolate has to tick all the boxes and we carefully design all aspects of that,” said Claire.

“It’s about excellence and attention to detail, from harvesting all the way through. Even to polishing our bars of chocolate before they go out.”

Traditional Bettys may be, but Claire said her team is always striving for something new.

“We are advancing in big steps, perhaps unknowingly so to a lot of people,” she said.

“But it’s a gentle evolution, recognising our history, crafts and heritage, while being aware of new trends and what that means for the development of Bettys.”

Claire promises exciting developments for 2014, including a newlysourced chocolate from Grenada and, for Easter, a white chocolate from the Dominican Republic.

“It’s absolutely exquisite. A balance of creaminess and sweetness that just delivers beautifully.”

But we do not have to wait until spring to try something innovative from Bettys. The Christmas range includes such festive delicacies as Florentine, Orange Palet d’Or and seasonal offerings Port Truffle and Fig Truffle.

But it is not just about indulging our cravings. Research suggests that eating 20 grams of pure chocolate a day can ward off nasties like coronary disease.

Is that just the excuse we have been waiting for?