{"id":6770,"date":"2023-11-03T11:09:20","date_gmt":"2023-11-03T11:09:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wpdev.bigredstar.uk\/?resources_content=new-resources-content-title-38"},"modified":"2026-04-23T09:41:42","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T09:41:42","slug":"new-resources-content-title-38","status":"publish","type":"resources_content","link":"https:\/\/wordpress.keylink.org\/?resources_content=new-resources-content-title-38","title":{"rendered":"The Chocolate Soldier interview"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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From Military Chef to Expert Chocolatier: The Chocolate Soldier Story<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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When Phill Jones traded in his uniform for a chocolatier\u2019s apron earlier this year, no one could have anticipated that opening week would fall during a heatwave, or that he\u2019d end up live on Radio Two chatting to Jeremy Vine about his new chocolate business. \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>

It\u2019s been a roller coaster of a few years for Phill, but with two business award nominations under his belt, and a growing customer base that have fallen for his unique flavour combinations and quality products, we don\u2019t think it\u2019s too soon to call The Chocolate Soldier a success story. \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>

We sat down with Phill to get the full scoop…\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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by Lyndsey Hall<\/p>

24 November 2023<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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How it All Began<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Phill\u2019s chocolate story began in the kitchen of his military quarter back in 2020, but by September 2023 he\u2019d left the army, moved house and built a dedicated chocolate room in his own home. It was in this bespoke chocolate kitchen that Phill stood on that Monday morning in September, ready to launch The Chocolate Soldier. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

But the unpredictable British weather had other ideas. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

The UK was struck by a heatwave and the room was too warm for chocolate making, bringing Phill\u2019s plans grinding to a halt. Frustrated by the heat and unable to get to work, he turned on the radio to hear Jeremy Vine on BBC Radio Two asking for listeners to get in touch whose work or business had been affected by the weather.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

On a whim, Phill decided to send the email that would, unbeknownst to him, turn his launch around and make it a roaring success.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

\u201cSo I sent the email in, I just said \u2018Hi, I\u2019m Phill, chocolatier. Just finished my time in the army. Opened my new business this week, and this has happened’.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

He didn\u2019t expect to hear anything back. But four minutes later, he got a phone call from the radio station asking if he\u2019d be willing to chat to Jeremy live on air.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

\u201cAnd actually, over 500 people went on my website that afternoon, and I got some good orders from it. There was a guy who only bought because he heard us on the radio, ordered again for some Halloween stuff, and from that has now said he wants to order corporate stuff for their company.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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From Pot Washer to Paratrooper<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Phill\u2019s experience in the kitchen began at a young age, he started working at his local pub when he was still at secondary school and worked his way up from pot washer to chef. He\u00a0was managing the entire kitchen by age seventeen. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

When the time came to leave school, his mum encouraged him to join the army, so he went down to his nearest Armed Forces Careers Office. Part of the assessment involved being given a list of possible job roles that matched your profile and test results. Chef was on the list, and the rest, as they say, is history.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

But it could have gone very differently.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Not long after starting basic training, Phill considered ditching the catering regiment for the Commandos or the Parachute Regiment. He informed his commanding officer that he was leaving, but a few minutes later a Corporal told him to stay. The Corporal advised him that training as a chef would give him good prospects when he came to leave the army, and that he could still do everything he wanted to do by being attached to the other regiments as a chef.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

It turned out to be the best piece of career advice he would receive.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

\u201cI owe that man to this day, because I stayed, became a chef, then ended up having a really good trade, really enjoyed my career, and was a Commando and Para.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

You could say, he got to have his (chocolate) cake, and eat it.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Catching the Chocolate Bug<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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He\u2019d always had an interest in chocolate, but in 2020 Phill decided to put his name forward for a specialist chocolate course at the army\u2019s school of catering. The course was already full, but a couple of days before it was due to start, a friend called Phill and told him someone could no longer make it so the space was his. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

On day one of the course, just as they were getting ready to start, Boris Johnson announced the first lockdown and they were all sent home. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

But that didn\u2019t stop Phill from exploring his passion for chocolate. Phill said to himself, \u201cWell, I\u2019ve got a handout here from the course. I picked it up and I had a look and I started making some chocolate plastique. So, I made some of that, and I made some roses out of it, and I had these little chocolate roses, and I thought, what now? So, I went in the kitchen and baked a cake, and I thought I could make a chocolate collar to go around the cake.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Over the next eight months, Phill watched tutorials and practiced the various techniques every day, and by November 2020, he was ready to launch his Facebook page and start selling chocolates. That first Christmas went amazingly well, and Phill\u2019s dream of owning his own chocolate business began to grow.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

He\u2019d always planned to leave the army in 2022, and as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic that decision was delayed slightly. But there was no denying he\u2019d caught the bug for chocolate.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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The Chocolate Soldier is Born<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Having taught himself as much as he possibly could, Phill decided to take his chocolatiering to the next level. That\u2019s when he came across Andrew Thwaite<\/a><\/strong>. He spent 5 days working with Andrew, learning the business side, getting some tips on techniques, and discovering how to increase production.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

\u201cThe Chocolate Soldier name was born from Andrew. We were sat there chatting and he said, \u2018You should be the Chocolate Soldier\u2019.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Phill took some of his products with him to Andrew\u2019s school, The Yorkshire Academy of Chocolate & Patisserie, and halfway through the first day Andrew tasted one. Then another. Then he looked up and said, \u201cPhill. These are really good. You\u2019ve got good chocolates here, your tempering\u2019s good, your fillings are nice. You don\u2019t need to be taught how to do chocolate, you need to learn how to up your production.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

And up his production they did. \u201cBetween the two of us, we made 7,000 chocolates that week.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

That five-day intensive course<\/a> was one of the things that cemented the idea to Phill that the business had legs. \u201cThis is something I could take further, with the right equipment and the right tools.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

\u201cI loved that week, it was amazing. I went to Andrew, one on one, and now I\u2019ve got a really good friend. You can\u2019t help but love the guy.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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What's Next for The Chocolate Soldier?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Having collaborated with another veteran-owned business, Pull the Pin Spirits<\/a><\/strong>,<\/span>\u00a0on an upcoming, bespoke range of boozy bonbons, as well as being shortlisted for two business startup awards at the 2023 Soldiering On Awards and the 2023 Heropreneurs Awards, it\u2019s clear The Chocolate Soldier is thriving. But what does the future hold?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

\u201cIf you were to ask me, or Des, my business partner, Des is up here\u2014\u201d Phill gestures up in the air with a laugh. \u201cFor now, it\u2019s perfect with just me doing everything. In the future, it might be nice to\u00a0have a few staff and a unit, maybe someone who does the packaging, someone to help with the chocolatiering. I don\u2019t want to be a massive chocolate empire. I\u2019d like it to be a nice, close community business.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Alongside running his chocolate business, Phill has also taken on the role of assistant instructor at the army school of catering where he learned his trade. He\u2019s maintained his connection with the military by becoming a reservist and someday soon will be taking over as the instructor on the specialist chocolate course at the school.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Before letting Phill get back to his chocolate making, we had to ask him \u2018what\u2019s your favourite chocolate?\u2019<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

\u201cHonestly, no clue. I think for me I\u2019ve always been very varied in life and I like lots of different things. One day, I might really like my Talisker whisky chocolate, another day I might like my raspberry and vanilla. So many of my chocolates, I love them, I make them because I like them. One day, I like my pink gin and grapefruit. I think it depends on my mood.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

\u201cI learned very quickly in the army to tailor what I made to what other people might like. In my dessert collection, I have various different chocolates, and there\u2019s one to me that doesn\u2019t really fit in the box. The trifle chocolate. It\u2019s almost a bit \u2018kiddish\u2019, it\u2019s got hundreds and thousands.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

“But do you know how many comments I get about that chocolate? If there\u2019s any comments about my chocolates, it\u2019s often about the trifle one. People really, really enjoy that chocolate.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Lyndsey\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Lyndsey is a marketing executive, writer and lover of books and chocolate from Sheffield.<\/span><\/em><\/p>

Her favourite chocolate is\u00a0Cacao Barry Lactee Superieure.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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From Military Chef to Expert Chocolatier: The Chocolate Soldier Story When Phill Jones traded in his uniform for a chocolatier\u2019s apron earlier this year, no one could have anticipated that opening week would fall during a heatwave, or that he\u2019d end up live on Radio Two chatting to Jeremy Vine about his new chocolate business. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-6770","resources_content","type-resources_content","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.keylink.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/resources_content\/6770","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.keylink.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/resources_content"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.keylink.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/resources_content"}],"version-history":[{"count":105,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.keylink.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/resources_content\/6770\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31448,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.keylink.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/resources_content\/6770\/revisions\/31448"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.keylink.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2F&parent=6770"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}