AWARD WINNING CHOCOLATIER HOPES HIS SWEET TREAT “SCOTTISH SANTA” ADVENT CALENDAR WILL BE A FESTIVE HIT
Following two years of a compromised Christmas, award winning chocolatier and pastry chef Sebastian Kobelt is hoping his cheery “Scottish Santa” will really put a smile on his customers’ faces, as he launches his 2022 Chocolate Advent Calendar.
The German born chocolatier, a past finalist in the World Chocolate Masters and a Chocolatier of the Year winner in the Scottish Food Awards, produces his own range of delicious handmade chocolates, truffles and bars from a workshop in Linlithgow, selling online to a global customer base.
Sebastian has lived and worked in Scotland for the past seventeen years and the vast majority of his exceptional product range is inspired by Scottish ingredients, together with his extensive worldwide travels. His grandfather used to run a bakery in Berlin, inspiring Sebastian, who still considers himself a Pastry Chef above all else, to similarly enter the trade.
Every year he comes up with a different design for his annual Advent Calendar, which is sold online and posted out to purchasers during the last week of November to ensure that the twenty four handmade chocolates it contains are as fresh as possible.
This year, looking for something really special, intrinsically Scottish, and unique to his brand, Sebastian has commissioned illustrator David Williams of Truffled Pig Art who came up with the design of a Scottish Santa in a snow globe.
“This is the first time that David and I have worked together, and I am absolutely delighted with the results,” said Sebastian. “I gave David a tricky brief, as I wanted something recognisably Scottish, but not “touristy” or twee. It can take a bit of a balancing act to achieve, but the Scottish Santa is absolutely perfect.”
The design includes a number of personal touches, including Sebastian’s SK logo on Santa’s kilt pin. A box of Sebastian’s colourful nine chocolate signature collection is also depicted, along with his Great Taste Award winning cranachan truffles.
Priced at £30.50 including shipping, Sebastian’s Advent Calendar, contains twenty four of his festive collection chocolates, two each of twelve stunning flavour combinations. Traditional flavours, such as Butterscotch, Christmas Pudding, and Cranberry, are represented, along with creations which reflect Sebastian’s German heritage – the Dominostein, Sebastian’s version of the traditional German confection traditionally served at Christmas time. Gingerbread is layered with marzipan and a red berry jelly, then covered with dark chocolate.
Sebastian said: “It’s a flavour combination many people may not have tried before, but I am sure they are going to love it.
“For me, no festive collection is complete without marzipan, it is the taste of Christmas. It’s obviously very popular in Germany, but has a loyal following in the UK as well.”
“Once again, I have put a twist into the collection, marzipan paired with Scottish sea buckthorn, a plant which grows along the Scottish coastline. I love to surprise people with flavours they can find on their doorstep but may not have discovered yet. And it ties in with the overall theme of our advent calendar.”
There’s also the Douglas Fir chocolate, which plays on how emotive smells can conjure up Christmas memories.
Sebastian continued: “This chocolate is my homage to the smell of a freshly cut Christmas Tree. We infuse fresh cream with real Douglas fir needles, which is then mixed with single origin milk chocolate to create a rich ganache. The chocolate is then encased in a dark chocolate shell.”
The master chocolate maker believes that the December countdown to Christmas with an advent calendar is “a treasured family tradition for many, all the better if the calendar has some sweet treats in it”.
He said: “I feel this Christmas is likely to be even more special this year. Finally, we can celebrate together and enjoy spending time with family and friends. I hope my customers love this year’s Advent Calendar as much as I do, and that it helps them experience some festive magic.”
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