Today is National Chocolate Day and if there’s one thing we can unite and all get behind, it’s a love of chocolate, right?
We really hope you said yes to that.
National Chocolate Day couldn’t be a more perfect excuse to properly treat yourself, so if you’re looking to mark this indulgent day in style this year, then there’s plenty of ways to get involved here in Manchester, or right from the comfort of your own home.
Here’s a few of the best products, workshops, courses and hampers that we’ve found online.
ADVERTISEMENT
___
Chocolate Making Workshop
Manchester
ADVERTISEMENT
Buy a Gift
Fancy feeling like a master chocolatier with this incredible chocolate workshop for two?
Right from a central Manchester location, you can be tutored by professionals in the delicate art of piping, cutting, dipping and decorating chocolate. The day will start with a fascinating history lesson, before you taste a wonderful selection of hand-crafted chocolates and then have a go at creating your own personalised giant chocolate button and scrumptious fresh-cream truffles that you can take home as a fabulous memento of the day.
There’s currently a special offer running on this workshop, meaning it’s available to book for just £70 (for two people) on BuyAGift.co.uk, and if you’re looking for something extra special, you can upgrade to a ‘Luxury Workshop’ for a further £20 too, so it’s definitely worth taking advantage of whilst you can.
ADVERTISEMENT
Any bookings will be valid for 10 months.
You can find out more and book on to the Chocolate Making Workshop – Manchesterhere.
___
Online Chocolate Making Course
Buy a Gift
If you were intrigued by the above workshop, but would much prefer to become a master chocolatier from the comfort of your own home, then this engaging course will teach you how to make your own delicious chocolates online instead.
You will get to delve into the fascinating history of this indulgent sweet treat, as well as learn to make and decorate your own chocolate truffles. This online experience will also teach you the art of tempering chocolate, the secrets to perfecting and layering caramel, how to mould chocolate, make elegant chocolate bars and more.
ADVERTISEMENT
If you want top tips and advice for making chocolate to a professional standard in your own kitchen, then this is the course for you.
This virtual one-to-one course is now available to book via BuyAGift.co.uk for £25.
You can find out more and book on to the Online Chocolate Making Coursehere.
___
Make Your Own Chocolate Pizza
PrezzyBox
Sure, the smooth, creamy loveliness of chocolate isn’t really the first thing that comes to mind when you think about pizza.
ADVERTISEMENT
But who says that combining two great foods doesn’t create perfection?
This Make Your Own Chocolate Pizza kit comes with everything you need to create your very own chocolatey masterpiece. All you’ll need to do is melt the delicious chocolate buttons and pour the molten goodness into the base mould, then sprinkle it with some creamy white chocolate ‘cheese’, add chocolate beans, jelly beans or anything else you might have onto your pizza base to create a heavenly treat made to order.
It’s retailing at £12.99 + delivery on PrezzyBox and you can get your hands on it here.
Prefer to treat yourself to a slice without all the hassle of making it yourself first? Don’t worry, there’s also a pre-made 10″ Chocolate Pizza on PrezzyBox too that looks just as indulgent.
PrezzyBox
This Chocolate Pizza is perfect for anyone who’s partial to a few chocolates every now again, or for someone who’s a full blown chocoholic. The ‘pizza’ base is made from the finest Belgium chocolate, topped with all sorts of delicious treats from vanilla fudge and white chocolate curls, to jelly beans, raspberry pieces and chocolate orange slices.
ADVERTISEMENT
Basically, you can’t really go wrong with it.
It’s retailing at just £15.99+ delivery and you can get your hands on it from PrezzyBox here.
___
Chocolate Letterbox Hamper
Prezzybox
There’s only one thing better than a chocolate bar – a hamper that’s ‘chocked’ full of it, and if there’s only one thing better than a hamper full of chocolate, it’s a hamper full of chocolate that can be delivered right to your front door.
The ultimate indulgence.
ADVERTISEMENT
This Chocolate Lover Letterbox Hamper features a selection of artisan chocolate treats that are perfect for any sweet-tooth, including x1 Willie’s Cacao Milk Of The Gods Rio Caribe Chocolate Bar, x2 Monty Bo Jangles Nutty Truffles, x1 Brodericks Nutty Crunchie Caramel Munchie, x1 Gnaw Fudge Crunch Chocolate Bar, x1 Edinburgh Tea & Coffee Co. Chocolate Coffee, x1 Great British Biscotti Chunky Belgian Choc and x1 Hiederegger Marzipan Stick ‘N’ Go.
It’s retailing at £17.99+ delivery and you can get your hands on it from PrezzyBox here.
___
Personalised Cadbury Hamper
Prezzybox
There really isn’t a more appropriate way to mark National Chocolate Day than with a hamper full of Cadbury’s chocolate, right?
Even better – a personalised Cadbury Chocolate Hamper.
ADVERTISEMENT
The hamper contains x5 Dairy Milk bars, x1 Wispa bar, x1 Twirl, x1 Crunchie, x1 Dairy Milk Caramel bar, x1 Double Decker bar, x1 carton of Cadbury Heroes, x1 box of Milk Tray, x1 pack of Oreo biscuits, x1 pack of Golden Oreo biscuits and x1 Toblerone.
Praise the chocolate Gods.
It’ll set you back £29.99+ delivery and you can get your hands this Personalised Cadbury Hamper from PrezzyBox here.
Trending
Ex-Manchester United player Brandon Williams issues public statement following sentencing
Danny Jones
Former Manchester United youngster Brandon Williams and his legal team have issued a statement following his recent sentencing over dangerous driving charges.
The Crumpsall-born defender left the club last year after being released following a 14-year stint in Red, graduating from Man United’s academy and making a number of first-team appearances before being sent out on a pair of loan spells.
After representing Norwich City 26 times and then making just 15 appearances for former youth coach Kieran McKenna‘s Ipswich Town, he hasn’t played professional football for more than 17 months.
Williams was officially given a 14-month prison sentence this past Friday, 23 May, but the term has been suspended for two years, and now Brandon himself has responded following the decision.
Once tipped to succeed Luke Shaw, Brandon Williams has not played a game for almost 18 months.
The free agent pleaded guilty to driving dangerously earlier this month after it was found had been driving at speeds of up to 99mph in a 70 zone prior to crashing his Audi A3.
Issuing a statement to The Manc via his lawyers at Blackfords LLP, he said: “I would like to thank my legal team headed by Richard Littler KC and Philip Williams of Blackfords LLP for establishing that I was not under the influence of any substance at the time of the accident.
“I have always accepted that my driving that day fell below the standard that is expected of me. It was never my intention to cause injury to anyone, but I am responsible for the standard of my driving. I make no excuses. I have learnt from this experience and will ensure there is no repetition.
“I wish to apologise again to those who were involved in the accident. Now that the case has concluded, I look forward to resuming my career with a new team later this year.”
Despite Chester Crown Court hearing that he and his female passenger at the time “appeared to have yellow balloons in their mouth” – typically associated with imbibing nitrous oxide a.k.a. ‘laughing gas’ – Williams has maintained that he was sober during the incident throughout the investigation.
On Friday, the former Manchester United defender Brandon Williams was given a 14-month sentence, suspended for two years, along with a three-year driving ban and 180 hours of community service after crashing his car while speeding at 99mph with a nitrous oxide balloon in his… pic.twitter.com/eeIKM6Z96n
— The Athletic | Football (@TheAthleticFC) May 24, 2025
The crash, which occurred on the A34 near Handforth in Cheshire back in August 2023, saw the left-back collide with a Ford Fiesta after a female motorist travelling behind him on the dual carriageway around 6pm claimed he seemed out of control of the vehicle. Both cars were heavily damaged.
While Williams will be avoiding jail time, his suspended prison sentence has not only seen him banned from driving for three years but will also see him have to complete 180 hours of community service.
In addition to the collision itself, Williams racked up a total of 30 points on his license for multiple offences, including twice failing to declare who was driving, operating a vehicle without third-party insurance, and now this latest development, having already paid a £1,000 fine in May 2024.
The 24-year-old has since spoken out about the incident in brief detail with Ben Foster (a fellow former United player) on his podcast.
Brandon Williams’ most recent statement isn’t the first time he’s touched upon the incident.
A local indie fashion brand is cleaning tired old trainers while handing out free shoes and ice cream
Danny Jones
A Manchester-based fashion brand is looking to give back to the community with a wholesome new initiative that will see a charitable trainer cleaning service swapped for a brand-new pair of shoes and free ice cream.
Nope, this is not a scam or some kind of prank, just a local indie label doing some lovely for the community and an important a crucial UK non-profit.
In case you’ve not come across the name before, we’re talking about rising sneaker makers KayKrepz, who are behind the increasingly popular model known as the ‘Kezy’, available in a select few colours.
Sneaker heads may have already spotted a select few pairs out on the streets of Manchester, where the designer’s story begins, but we have a very strong feeling you won’t get many other opportunities to get your hands on a pair of these for free.
The ‘Kezy’ in Earth GreenAnd in CreamA very fresh pair of creps, it has to be said – and who could say no to free shoes designed right here in Manchester? (Credit: Supplied)
Speaking to The Manc, creator Kezi told us that building a bit of a community and supporting the local area is just as important as growing the brand itself.
“I really wanted to have a shoe brand that people can afford to buy that are also still comfortable as well as look and feel nice, plus it’s a good way to gather unwanted items to give to Centrepoint.” We couldn’t agree more.
For anyone unfamiliar with Centrepoint, who have a big base here in Greater Manchester, they are a nationwide charity that combats rough sleeping and specialises in youth homelessness, in particular.
It goes without saying that collecting free articles of clothing is an integral part of their work.
So, with that in mind, Kezi and co will be holding ‘The Sweet Swap’, where those who attend can exchange their unwanted, old shoes for a free pair of KayKrepzAND a scoop of premium ice cream.
This is all in return for a free shoe cleaning service which will see those same trainers traded in, given some much-needed TLC, before being donated directly to Centrepoint. Love it.
We’ll back pretty much any small business trying to make it in our region, but it’s fair to say getting behind causes like these is especially easy.
Including the new ‘Butterscotch’ model, the Kezy shoe is usually priced at £69.99, making it arguably one of the most affordable high-end, top-quality trainers on the market at the moment.
Naturally, there will only be a limited number of pairs available and shoes handed in must be of a good enough quality to be passed on via the charity; KayKrepz’s Street Swap scheme will be operating on a strictly first-come, first-served basis.
Taking place at All Saints Park (M15 6BW). You can reserve your limited free tickets right now from the event page HERE.
Just make sure to leave your name and shoe size when signing up.
Emily Sergeant -
7th July 2020 
