A busy day today starting with a private class with a lovely group of women. Many are friends who I have met before, but some are new to me and I really enjoy the day getting to know them and share some beading with them. One lady, Dolores Risso-Tesch, brought in a triangle bangle to show me. I absolutely adore the colours she's used. The bangle uses Delica number 168 as a 'neutral' and having seen it work here to such great effect I may have to buy a load and give it a whirl myself.

Straight after class it was onto a quick dinner at a Peruvian restaurant (not the worst meal I've eaten, but it made such a small impression that even checking the menu I can't tell you what we ate) and then an ill-advised trip to Dolce Vizio which specialises in tiramisu. It wasn't that the tiramisu was bad (it was fine) it was just we seemed to have forgotten what we were heading to: a food tasting at somewhere I've waited almost a year to visit: The Meadow.

Last year I mentioned finding a book on salt which I fell in love with. As soon as I got home I looked up the author and discovered he ran a shop specialising in bitters, salt, chocolate and flowers. Surely my dream shop? Well, if you add in some beads it certainly would be. Their shop was in Portland but I discovered they were about to open a shop in New York- just days after I left of course! So instead I've spent the past year browsing their website multiple times and patiently waiting to visit. Then when I recently spotted they were having both a class on cooking on Himalyan salt blocks and a chocolate and bitters tasting this week I booked spaces for my companions and myself- there was no way I was going to miss these.

Tonight is the chocolate and bitters tasting event hosted by Michael Recchiuit of Recchiui chocolates and someone from Hella Bitter.

As soon as we entered the shop my mind was blown. One wall was full of bars of cocoa rich chcolate and the opposite one was filled with jars of salt. At the back of the shop was a display of bitters. What was not to like?

The theme of the evening was trying some of Michael's chocolates paired with bitters and/ or unusual salts. Some of the combinations we tried were: chocolate tasted with Liquorice Bob's Bitters & vanilla salt, chocolate paired with Soy Salt, pink peppercorn and star anise flavoured chocolate tasted with celery shrub bitters and the fabulous Cherries Two Ways and Lolita Cherry Bitters.

We tasted each chcolate by itself and then with the bitters and salt and what a difference they made. Whilst the chocolates themselves were lovely, adding the other flavours added extra depth and flavours.

Michael was extremely knowledgable and kept us all entertained for hours talking about chocolates, flavour and his business. He can really tell a story!

As well as regaling us (with all its definitions in use- who knew it meant all that? I only know now as I wanted to make sure the word meant what I thought it did, it perfectly sums up what he did) Michael treated us to a demonstration of making burnt sugar (hot, melted sugar + water = amazing smells and steam) and even treated us to some specially made water truffles. Having played around with chocolates in the past I was aware that one of the main rules was do not mix water and chocolate but apparently no, add extra water and you end up with a light ganache retaining more of the chocolate taste without being 'tainted' by fat or sugar.

When the class was over we had a browse and I treated myself to a few bitters before we made our way home exhausted and well fed.