It’s not every day you find yourself cooking alongside Marco Pierre White.

Often described as the godfather of British cuisine, Marco has spent decades at the very top of the industry, influencing generations of chefs and helping shape modern British food. So having the chance to spend time in the kitchen with him was always going to be a rather special experience for me.

What stood out most wasn’t unnecessary complexity or fuss, but Marco’s confidence, instinct and understanding of ingredients. His approach was refreshingly straightforward — focus on flavour, respect the produce and know exactly what you’re trying to achieve with a dish.

The session centred around risotto, but for me, the most interesting part was seeing how Marco combines food with personality, storytelling and humour.

That’s something that really resonates with what we do at The Canny Chocolate Company.

Our workshops and tastings have never just been about making chocolate. They’re about creating an experience around it — making people laugh, getting them involved, sharing knowledge and giving them something memorable to take away.

Spending time cooking alongside someone with Marco’s experience was a brilliant reminder that the best food experiences are often the simplest ones: great ingredients, good technique and somebody who knows how to bring the whole thing to life.

And yes, I may have picked up a few risotto tips along the way too.

A pretty special day — and certainly one I won’t forget in a hurry.