A LAKE District-based hotel group has a new chocolatier on its books.

Resident chef de partie at Low Wood Bay Resort & Spa, Traviss Locke,
completed a chocolate making qualification at the Yorkshire Academy of Choclate and Patisserie run by international chocolatier and consultant Andrew Thwaite.

Thirty-four-year-old Traviss has always had a passion for making his own chocolate and was keen to explore further opportunities for learning new skills and experimenting with the latest innovative techniques.

The course was fully funded through the English Lakes Hotels Personal Development Fund.

Traviss said: “I thoroughly enjoyed the course training and gained tonnes of valuable experience.

“We each had a practical chocolate making assignment to complete and I made an enormous chocolate egg which I donated to the hotel.

“I’m incredibly grateful to English Lakes Hotels for supporting me
through this course and also in attaining my City and Guilds Level 3
chef de partie standard qualification through the hotel group’s own
culinary academy.”

Traviss' choclate egg was displayed at the hotel and guests were entered into a prize draw, the proceeds of which went to the hotel group's Sam's Club Charity which supports local charities and good causes.

Michael Kay, of English Lakes Hotels Resorts & Venues, added: “Our
personal development fund is available for team members to upskill
existing talents, develop their career skills or broaden their horizons.

“Training programmes or courses can be mutually agreed in most
disciplines. The aim is to get the best out of all our teams and give
everybody the opportunity to progress in their career choices. It also
helps to engender a stronger work life balance for our employees.”