FOOD + DRINK
MEET THE CHEF :
LAUREN WOOD
Proprietor / Chocolatier , Serendipity , Herne Bay
LAUREN AND LIZZEY
What led you to becoming a chef ?
I actually wanted to be a photographer but I didn ’ t think it ’ d be an easy industry to break into , but I thought , everyone needs to eat , right ? Although I went to catering college it wasn ’ t until I started working in restaurants that I found I could be just as creative with food .
My dad , who used to be a butcher , also had a huge influence on me ! Cooking at his beach hut or whilst we went camping was way more than flipping burgers over the coals ; we ’ d make dishes such as spit-roasted lamb with flatbreads and all the trimmings !
Where did you train ?
I trained at Canterbury College but I feel most of my knowledge was accumulated on the job as I went up through the ranks in the industry . Here , I got to work alongside some really great chefs and all-round lovely people .
Where have you worked before Serendipity ?
I landed my first sous chef role at a 2 AA Rosette awarded restaurant in Rainham , Kent . I then relocated to the Kentish coast and secured a role as junior sous at a popular bistro in Whitstable . After 4 years , I felt it was time to seek out a new challenge .
I am currently also working at The Table , Broadstairs – cooking up feel-good food in the day , offering brunch to take away like our famous ' Table toastie ' with Sriracha mayo and salt beef benedict . Pre- COVID , we ’ d dim the lights and offer more refined , small plates and sharers like burrata , pickled fig and smoked rapeseed oil in the evening . It ’ s a lovely small , intimate space where diners can enjoy carefully selected natural wines and craft beers , and the owners do a lot of local community building , such as stocking awesome local patisserie and hosting small talks / events including the ever-popular Mother ’ s Meetings !
Why Serendipity ?
Lizzey Gregory and I started Serendipity Chocolate in the first lockdown . Just a few months before , Serendipity was just a little dream in our heads of one day owning a business and the idea of creating beautiful and delicious pieces of edible art .
Lockdown hit and we had a think about how we could provide a service to our community . We wanted to provide a local delivery service of our artisan chocolates , so people could still satisfy their chocolatey cravings or send them as gifts . This year we have already worked with some amazing businesses , the plan is to expand our range , continue to collaborate with local artists and small businesses , as well as create some memorable occasion collections .
Tell us about the chocolates you have created at Serendipity ?
I love playing around and pairing flavours that are seemingly two opposite ends of the flavour spectrum , be that sweet & salty , hot & cold . I like the way food can be creative but also pack a punch . We try to take the same approach a chef would when developing new flavours – trying to continue to be creative and just a little bit different , which makes for some interesting infusions and pairings sometimes , like our mushroom fudge or celeriac bay and white chocolate bonbon !
For Valentine ' s Day we put our little Serendipity twist on some traditional flavours , this collection saw flavours such as Cherry & Coffee – cherry caramel with a dark chocolate and coffee ganache ; Blood Orange & Pomegranate – pomegranate molasses with a milk chocolate and blood orange ganache ; and Strawberry & Pink Peppercorn - Champagne and strawberry confit with a white chocolate and pink peppercorn ganache . Our Mother ' s Day Collection will also feature some memorable flavours , so keep those eyes peeled folks !
What is your signature / favourite chocolate ?
Our signature at Serendipity is our Smoke + Salt bonbon , hands down ! Smoked , salted caramel in a 70.5 % dark chocolate bonbon . To create this we teamed up with the amazing Debonair Tea Company , they suggested the pure Lapsang Sommelier blend and after a few recipe tweaks we had , in our opinion , the perfect balance of sweet and salty caramel with a hint of smoke that just lingers before the silky dark chocolate coats the pallet for a well rounded finish .
My favourite Bonbon ? It would have to be split between ' Wasab with Yuzi ' – soft but fiery wasabi marshmallow with sharp yuzu caramel all encased in white chocolate to tone it down and coat the mouth ; and ' Pickled Prick ' – sharp fruity pickled blackberry confit wakes up your pallet before a deep undertone of thyme infused dark chocolate ganache .
What is your guilty pleasure ?
Dark chocolate covered salted pretzels !! The crunch is just as satisfying as the taste !
serendipitychocs seren _ dipity0106 / laurenwood1990
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