Gareth James Chocolatier (Behind the Scenes)

I am having a rare day off on Thursday and I am taking my recently retired Mum on a bit of a tour around Tynemouth and the North Shields Fish Quay. It's rare for us to spend time like this together so I am going to take her to some of my favourite places. One such place is Gareth James (Chocolatier) on front Street on Tynemouth. Please see my earlier blog post for more details about this great Tynemouth venue here: http://intynemouth.blogspot.com/2011/05/gareth-james-chocolatier.html



 I was warmly invited to see some of the processes that take place behind the scenes that go into the production of some of the yummy goodies on offer. It's great to see the attention to detail and the passion that Gareth has for chocolate. Here are some of the behind the scenes images that make this venue a place to visit and enjoy.

Not only will you find great chocolates here you can also grab a great cup of coffee, tea or a simply wonderful hot chocolate.

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Gareth James Chocolatier

One of the newest venues in Tynemouth is Gareth James Chocolatier. Where do I start about this place - OK - simple - its awesome. For some reason it took me a while to venture inside but when I did I knew I had found a new favourite place. The interior is superb, relaxing, warm and inviting. The smell of the fantastic chocolates on offer is intoxicating and Gareth and the staff are amazingly friendly and relaxed.

Images by Anthony Dorman

On my first visit I bought a selection of handmade chocolates for my parents for their anniversary and some brownies for myself. I was hoping my parents would leave me a chocolate to try but no they scoffed the lot in record time. Saying that my brownie habit has now reached epic proportions, a tale I am hearing from other residents of Tynemouth also addicted to these scrumptious bundles of food heaven. I implore you to visit this place, have a hot chocolate (the best I have had) or a tea, or coffee and enjoy the atmosphere. When you talk to other retailers in Tynemouth and mention Gareth James they light up thinking of all the nice things on offer. Whenever Gareth himself is mentioned everyone says two things - he is really nice and he is doing fantastic things with his business for such a young guy. Gareth invited me to see how the chocolates are made on the premises which proved two things - he is passionate about chocolate and I would eat my weight in chocolate if left unsupervised in there. I will be posting some images about the making of the chocolates on the blog soon.

Check out the Gareth James Chocolatier facebook page here https://www.facebook.com/garethjameschocolatier

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The Beard and The Albatross (Seen in Tynemouth)

A Couple of months ago whilst walking on Tynemouth Longsands with my girlfriend I saw Chris (pictured below) with his partner Liane. Now I love faces that tell a story or have lots of Character and I am always on the lookout for people for my '100 Strangers Project' I asked Chris if he would let me take a quick portrait to which he agreed.

Chris is 54/100 '100 Strangers' View the set here http://www.flickr.com/photos/16059306@N08/sets/72157624767974686/

I give Chris one of my cards and left him to enjoy the nice weather. Later that day I received an email saying how much he had liked my portraits and could I send him the image I had taken. He also sent a link to his business 'The Albatross' Backpackers Inn Newcastle. What Chris did not realise is that I knew the hostel well as my friend Chris Fleming has stenciled the rooms with a great selection of quirky artwork that he asked me to photograph.

I bumped into Chris and Liane again on Bank Holiday Monday outside of Gareth James Chocolatier on Front Street whom I will post about this week. I'm currently negotiating with Chris on doing a shoot for his updated website. I find that Tynemouth always attracts quite interesting people as there are so many interesting places and things to do. Quite a few of my '100 Strangers project' are from or have been spotted in Tynemouth. Look out you could be my next stranger.

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