World’s largest chocolate bar made in Derbyshire
Even the most dedicated chocoholic would struggle to get their teeth into this monster bar. It took over 50 people and several tonnes of melted chocolate to make the world’s biggest chocolate bar. The giant bar, weighing almost six tonnes, was created by confectionery firm Thorntons to mark its centenary.
Guinness World Records confirmed the huge bar had beaten the previous record set by a Chicago chocolate maker in September.More than 50 staff helped construct the massive bar, which is four metres (13.1ft) wide and long, at its factory in Somercotes.
A giant mould, placed inside an inflatable tent in the factory’s car park, was filled with chocolate over 10 hours by bucket-carrying volunteers. Weighing almost six tonnes and measuring 13ft (4m) square, the giant slab of milk chocolate has officially broken the record for world’s largest chocolate bar.
Its final weight was 5,827 kg (12,846 lb) – beating the previous record of 5,529 kg (12,190 lb) set by World’s Finest Chocolate.
The record attempt was the idea of Paul Bell, who works in the factory’s toffee department. He said: “My favourite childhood film was Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. There was a scene in it where a massive chocolate bar comes in and gets shrunken. “I thought it would be great if we could do the reverse. It’s been a really great success.”
Thorntons was founded in Sheffield in 1911 and is now the largest independent chocolate firm in the UK.
“As you can appreciate, it was a massive task,” he said. “On pouring day itself there were over 50 people involved pouring the chocolate into the mould and it took 10 hours to do it, then a further three days to cool off.” Mr Bell, 34, from Heanor, was the first person to pour a bucket of chocolate into the stainless steel mould and said the recipe was exactly the same as Thorntons standard milk chocolate. An average bar weighs around 2.8oz (80g).
Guinness World Records adjudicators visited the factory and confirmed it had broken the record for the world’s biggest chocolate bar, Mr Bell said. Four weeks ago a company in America threatened to take the title when it created a similar mammoth block but fell short with its 12,125lb (5,500kg) effort.
The record-breaking chocolate bar will not go to waste. Mr Bell said it will be broken up with axes and given to Thorntons staff and customers in shops, as well as helping to raise money for charities.
Being surrounded by chocolate has not put Mr Bell off. “I’m never sick of the sight of chocolate,” he said. “That’s one of the perks of the job – you can have one every day, as long as you’re within reason, of course.”
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