CHOCOLATE Week has kicked off in style, with a host of events around North Yorkshire set to celebrate everything about the sweet treat, and one little girl getting a party she will never forget.

Ten-year-old Amy Wilkinson, from Knaresborough, shares her birthday with Countryside Live, and was presented with a one-of-a-kind present at a joint celebration at the Great Yorkshire Showground.

The two-foot-tall chocolate cockerel, which weighed nine kilos, was created by Andrew Thwaite, head chocolatier at York’s Chocolate Story. It was the centrepiece of the celebration – which will lead up to the tenth annual Countryside Live on Saturday and Sunday, October 20 and 21.

Andrew said: “We were delighted to make the chocolate cockerel for the Countryside Live birthday party – it’s made from 9kg of the finest Belgian chocolate, so should keep the kids happy for a while.

“We regularly make exciting sculptures such as this from chocolate and will be demonstrating some of these skills tomorrow as part of National Chocolate Week.”

Nigel Pulling, chief executive of Countryside Live, said: “We invited anyone who was ten in October to write to us saying why they should share their celebrations with us. Amy was enthusiastic, articulate and really came up with super reasons.

“Andrew Thwaite has made the cockerel specially and of course, it wouldn’t be more appropriate as we do have real poultry at Countryside Live.”

Elsewhere this week, experts will be on hand in Bettys tea rooms around Yorkshire, to showcase the skills of local produce-makers, and hold chocolate tasting sessions for the public.

The experts will be at all six branches of Bettys, including those in York, Harrogate and Northallerton, until Sunday, and a new hot chocolate caddy will also be launched.

Visitors to the Chocolate Story can this week take part in chocolate tasting evenings, chocolate sculpture making demos, make-your-own chocolate lolly workshops and the chance to hear about some of York’s best-loved confectioners.

To book tickets for the events, visit yorkschocolatestory.com or phone 0845 4989411.