Chocolat & Perfume: Joanne Harris & Sarah McCartney on ‘Vianne’

About the event

Join Joanne Harris, author of ‘Vianne’, Sarah McCartney, perfumer, and Genevieve Lazar from Cocoa Runners in this unique multi-sensory tasting. Joanne will introduce her new book ‘Vianne’, the prequel to her bestseller ‘Chocolat’ (1999) and give insights on how chocolate and perfume have been intertwined in the novel. Discover how flavour and aroma can be used as a storytelling tool, in particular how Joanne has collaborated with Sarah, expert on fragrance aesthetics, to produce the aromas found in chocolate. You will also have a chance to taste a selection of chocolates, weaving together story, aroma, and flavour.

The tasting will run from 11:15-12:00 on Sunday 12th October, 2025 at the Fidelio Cafe, Farringdon and this ticket also includes free entry to the Craft Chocolate Fair after the event, from 12:00.

Important info:

• Tickets are non-refundable. If you purchase tickets but cannot make the event, please contact us and we’ll see what we can do.
• Please arrive five minutes before the event is due to start.
• The tasting will run for approximately 45 minutes.
• If you have any dietary requirements or allergies, please let us know. We will do our best to provide alternatives where possible. Please note, we may not be able to cater for severe allergies, as many events will be taking place throughout the day in the space and we cannot guarantee there will be no cross-contamination. If you have any questions, please get in touch with us and we will do our very best to accommodate you.
• The tasting will take place downstairs in the main tasting room, as part of the Cocoa Runners Craft Chocolate Fair. To enter the tasting, please join the second queue outside the building on the right hand side, without entering the fair, and leave time after the event to explore the craft chocolate market upstairs and meet makers from across the UK and beyond.
• For any questions, please email [email protected]

About Joanne Harris

Joanne Harris is a British author best known for her 1999 international bestseller ‘Chocolat’, which was adapted into a film of the same name. She taught modern languages at grammar schools and the University of Sheffield, where she started publishing horror/gothic novels, and after ‘Chocolat’ was shortlisted for the 1999 Whitbread Novel of the Year Award, she started pursuing writing full-time. Aside from her novels, she also regularly writes travel pieces for newspapers like The Guardian and The Telegraph. In 2017, she also won a Fragrance Foundation Jasmine Award for an article about memory and scent.

About Sarah McCartney

Sarah McCartney is a perfumer and the founder of 4160 Tuesdays, where she hosts live and online workshops and perfume courses. As an entirely self-taught perfumer, she started experimenting with essential oil combinations after joining Lush as a writer in 1996, where she aimed to encapsulate the scents and aromas found in their products. In 2010, she decided to start her own perfumery after difficulties finding the scents she wanted, and established 4160 Tuesdays to create her own scents. She has won several awards for her scents, most recently the CalFleurbon hardest working perfumer in 2018 and 2019.

About the Cocoa Runners Craft Chocolate Fair 2025

For the third year running, Cocoa Runners are hosting their ever-popular Craft Chocolate Fair on the 11th and 12th October, 2025. Meet craft chocolate makers from across the UK and beyond at the indoor market, and join a series of talks, tastings and experiences in our beautiful tasting room. The events will take place at the Fidelio Cafe and Concert Venue in Farringdon, London from 10am-5pm.

Following the success of the past two Craft Chocolate Fairs and previous sold-out events at Canopy Market, this year’s Fair will see even more bean-to-bar chocolate makers bringing their chocolate to London, including Chocolarder, Friis Holm, Pump Street, Choco Del Sol, Bare Bones, Neary Nogs, Fjak and more.

Ticketed talks and tastings will take place across both days. Due to the popularity of previous years, we’ve now introduced free, pre-bookable tickets; they will guarantee you entry to the fair during your time slot without queuing.