Over the past six months, Ruth Hinks (UK World Chocolate Master) and her team of pastry chefs at Cocoa Black in Peebles have been working with the BBC on a new six-part series called The River.
The River is a lifestyle documentary which aims to capture life along the Tweed Valley in the Scottish Borders.
As a contributor to the series, Ruth provided the BBC will full behind the scenes access to the Cocoa Black chocolate factory and The Chocolate & Pastry School.
The BBC’s aim is to showcase the day-to-day life of Ruth and her team of professional chocolatiers and pastry chefs. The BBC has followed a number of story lines including the making of the Chocolate Flying Scotsman and the recent opening of The Chocolate & Pastry School by HRH Prince Edward.
The BBC crew were on site at Cocoa Black between April and August this year. During this busy period, they followed Ruth as she balances the daily challenges of growing an internationally renowned chocolate business with family life.
The legendary Flying Scotsman is one of the world’s best loved steam locomotives, and the first officially to hit 100mph.
To celebrate the opening of the Borders Railway by Her Majesty The Queen, Ruth Hinks of Cocoa Black in Peebles was commissioned to create a 1:17 scale model out of chocolate.
The Chocolate Flying Scotsman took Ruth, Martin Chiffers and Samira Kazemzadeh over 400 hours to design and build, using more than 50 different chocolate-making techniques.
Highlights during the filming period include the opening of The Chocolate & Pastry School by HRH Prince Edward and a surprise visit by Mum and Dad from Tasmania, Australia.
The BBC film crew were each 4kg heavier by the end of filming!
The River will also be available to view on BBC IPlayer, Sky, Freesat and Virgin channels that have regional BBC channels.
Ruth and the Cocoa Black team will appear in all six episodes.
Weighing in at over 75kg of chocolate, the Chocolate Flying Scotsman has an impressive 400,000 calories!
“The Flying Scotsman is an iconic symbol of the nation’s railway heritage. In creating this chocolate showpiece, we hope to rekindle the beauty and romance of Scottish rail travel,” says Ruth.
The Chocolate Flying Scotsman was sponsored by Morrison Construction in association with Scottish Borders Council, ScotRail and Borders Railway.
It was on display at various public events before being auctioned to raise money for the Cash For Kids charity.
The River is scheduled to be broadcast over six weeks starting November 7.
