FEATURED FOOD AND GOODS

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, we decided it was time to let you know of a magical chocolate shoppe nestled in scenic Litchfield County.  Kimberly and Clint Thorn, the husband and wife team behind Thorncrest Farm and Milk House Chocolates, believe the "magic is in the milk"; the dairy that goes into their chocolate is from the special breed of cows that they raise and pamper. 
 

Tell us a bit about Thorncrest Farm and Milk Chocolates and how it got started.

The creation of Thorncrest Farm can be attributed above all to Clint Thorn’s passion and love for cows. After growing up on a dairy farm, Clint purchased his own very first Holstein cow, named “Hilltopper Warden Honey,” in 1980 and at that point started breeding for flavor while the rest of the industry pursued breeding for volume of milk. The idea of Milk House Chocolates was sparked during Kim’s time living in Ireland, where she met a farmer who provided all this milk and cream to a specialty baker. Since then, for over twenty-three years, Clint and Kim have focused on breeding their cows for a very specific flavor in their milk; hence Milk House Chocolate’s motto “The Magic is in our Milk”.

What makes Thorncrest chocolates unique?

Milk House Chocolates are unique in that they are made in small batches, one at a time with our fresh milk, cream, and butter. We harvest our own hay as well as pasture our cows on our own fields, ensuring that they are fed the finest sweetest hay and natural feeds. From this they produce our signature milk; from our signature milk we make our signature artisanal chocolates. Because the finest chocolates are fresh, our chocolates are created here on the farm in our creamery and are available within hours or minutes from when they are made.

Are there any specific chocolates, caramels or truffles that are not to be missed? 

Absolutely: all of them!  Over the course of the year, Thorncrest Chocolates has over 72 unique chocolates in rotation depending on the season and which cows are milking.

What’s the best way to enjoy Thorncrest Farm & Milk House Chocolates and how can people purchase your chocolate? 

The very best way to enjoy our chocolates are to have them be a special gift to yourself or to share them completely with all of your loved ones. On a more logistical note, because we use our fresh cream, milk and butter to create our chocolates (there are no preservatives) they are best consumed within ten days. They are best enjoyed at room temperature because the full flavor and bouquet is brought out.

Our chocolates can be purchased online and shipped to you (www.milkhousechocolates.net) or, better yet, in person at our shoppe. Our winter hours are: Friday & Saturday's - 10:00 am - 5:00 pm and Sunday - 10:00 am - 4:00 pm; Closed : Monday – Thursday. The shoppe is located at 280 Town Hill Road Goshen, CT 06756. It’s on a little dirt road—don’t worry you aren’t lost! Additionally, we also sell our Whole Cream Line Milk, Vanilla Milk, and Yogurt at the shoppe!

If someone is traveling from out of the area to come visit your store, what else could they do in the area to make an 'afternoon' out of it?

There are some great places to visit near Thorncrest.  Nodine’s Smokehouse, Mohawk Bison, Sunset Meadow Vineyards, Miranda Vineyards, Old Barn Farm Blueberries (seasonal), White Flower Farm, West Street Farm (seasonal), Kent Falls, Mohawk State Forest are all worth a visit!

Special thanks Constance Schiano and Happening in the Hills Blog for use of their images.  Check out Happening in the Hills feature on Thorncrest Chocolate and other great reads about happenings in Connecticuts Northwest corner!