Our fab Foxhill Chef, John Broughton, is back and getting us all in the spirit for International Whisky Day with his mouth-wateringly malty whisky truffles.

With a soft centre filled with rich chocolatey ganache and lashings of liqueur, all coated in a silky smooth milk chocolate shell, these boozy bite sized treats are simply delicious.

And our John is going to show you how to make them from scratch, neat ey?

So without further ado, over to you John…

I find it easier and more consistent to buy pre-mixed coloured cocoa butter, but you can make your own if you’d like.

Take your time with this process, if you do it incorrectly your chocolate colours will appear dull and won’t shine (and no one wants that!)

To prepare the cocoa butter ready for painting you’ll need to heat it in a tub that has a secure lid. I heat mine in the microwave, with the lid off, in 10 second bursts until it is between 40-50 degrees.

Once at the right temperature, secure the lid and shake well and leave to cool. Once the mix has cooled to around 35 degrees shake until it reaches 31 degrees, it will then be ready to use.

If for whatever reason the cocoa butter becomes too cold it will set, just repeat this process to make it workable again.

Once your colours are ready, this is where the fun begins…flick, paint, blob or spay whatever colours and designs you wish into your chocolate moulds. Make sure to let one colour set before adding another, otherwise they will run and mix together.

For your whisky gel you will need:

• 500g whisky
• 5g agar-agar
• 400g dark chocolate
• 400g UHT cream

• Firstly, pour 450g of whisky into a sauce pan and add your agar-agar, then blitz with a hand blender and leave for 15 minutes to hydrate.
• After 15 minutes, slowly bring to the boil on a low heat, whisking your whisky as you go!
• Once you have boiled the whisky mixture for one minute, remove from the heat.
• Pour into a container and allow to chill on the side for 30 minutes before placing into the fridge (ideally overnight).
• Once completely set, blend the mixture with the remaining 50g of your whisky (you may need to stop the blender several times to scape down the sides).
• When completely smooth pass through a sieve and then place into a piping bag.

Firstly, gently warm your moulds with a heat gun or hair dryer ( be careful not to heat it too much or your colours will start to run).

Next ladle some chocolate into the moulds, keeping the mould level until all the slots are full.

Then gently tap the edge to release any air bubbles from the chocolate.

Once all the air bubbles are gone, tip out all the chocolate back into the container and tap the side of the mould again to release and excess chocolate. Then place upside down onto parchment paper on a level side for 5 minutes.

After 5 minutes turn the mould upright and scrape off any excess chocolate.

Once the chocolate is almost set (this should take around 20 minutes), start to pipe in your filling (make sure it isn’t too hot or it will melt your chocolate).

Don’t fill the moulds too full or you will have trouble sealing them later, ensure you leave a little rim at the top when filling.

Once filled gently tap the moulds on the surface to expel any air and level the filling out.

Now ensure your chocolate is still workable, you may need to just warm it with a heat gun (be very careful not to warm too much or it will lose its temper and you’ll have to do it over). Ladle the chocolate over the mould once more ensuring that you hold the mould straight, gently tap the side and scrape away any excess chocolate.

Leave to set in a cool dry place, preferably overnight.

When set, turn out onto a clean, dry surface.

Then it’s time to tuck into your choccie treats. Enjoy!