I bought this Heart Of Chocolates Valentines gift from Prestat for the non inconsiderable sum of £13.99. And seeing that 88% of people said they'd be buying their Valentine's Chocolates at Prestat according to our poll as well as the fact that they've been appointed as Her Majesty The Queen's Purvey of Chocolates, I would rightly expect a lot.
But when I opened up the box the contents didn't have the "wow factor" that other chocolates I've reviewed have had. They just looked rammed in and uninspiring. The Love Sleekster from Hotel Chocolat was far more impressive.
I gave the fondant one first. It was ok, nothing more. Again I didn't sit back and think "my God, this is amazing". It was somewhere between the experience of the Cadbury selection boxes and that of Hotel Chocolat.
An annoying feature is that they'll send you the menu of chocolates, but if you get the smaller box, as I did, you'll get a list of chocolates that aren't even in the box - very disappointing.
The Raspberry fondant isn't too bad. The chocolate casing was pretty much a non-event and the raspberry filling a bit too sharp and sweet.
I did like the stem ginger one but it wasn't the shape the menu said it would be. And the Saffron and Ginger Fudge wasn't all that great. I'm going to stop now as I'm just getting a disappointment per mouthful.
Whilst surfing around the "Great Taste Awards" website I came across Terre à Terre and saw that they'd won an award for their Boozy Rum Truffles, so being both a lover of both rum and truffles it didn't take me long to get my credit card out and buy some.
Olivia sends her truffles out on a Monday by courier. Having just missed the deadline I emailed her and asked if she could send them out of her schedule as I might miss them when I was away? Thankfully she agreed, and even sent over some Salt Caramel Chocolate Truffles gratis which I'll be reviewing tomorrow.
My philosophy of chocolate is fairly simple. Chocolate should look great and also taste great. But sometimes the chocolate does all the talking. And that's certainly the case with these truffles as they came in an understated white box. I'm sure Terre à Terre create their truffles for dinner parties rather than gifts per se, so it was perfectly fine that they came in that sort of packaging with a fairly basic label.
When you open up the box you're met with 12 dusty, fairly dark brown truffles that may not instantly fill you with expectation. However, a moment after you've crunched through the very crisp shell, you'll be able to fully appreciate rapture of the boozy truffle inside.
This contradiction between the very crisp, thick shell and the gorgeously soft, inviting truffle is delightful. The flavour seems more natural than that of the Rum & Cola Truffles from My Chocolate Bar - obviously because it was adulterated with the cola which would add a more obvious flavour into the mix. But these from Terre à Terre aren't complex. The flavour is simple and direct. The rum is soft but pervasive. It's sweet without being substantive. They really are a triumph of truffle making.
With some chocolate truffles they can become a bit 'much' after three or four or, certainly, five. With these, however, I'm sure I could work my way through the lot and only allow myself to be distracted by the odd slurp of tea. Although, a glass of Champagne may be more appropriate.
There's a good reason that these truffles won the two gold stars at the Great Taste Awards - they're simply very good. I'm glad I ordered them and glad they arrived ready for reviewing on a gorgeous sunny Saturday afternoon.
I think I'm the last person on planet earth to try these Caramel Sweethearts from Hotel Chocolat.
These guys really know how to make Valentine's chocolate gifts as they've got a massive selection on offer including a variety of heart-shaped chocolates, selection boxes, goody bags and hamper-type gifts. But so far, these little caramel hearts are one of my most favourite.
For just £6.50 your loved one will get 28 wonderful milk chocolate hearts with little crunchy pieces of caramel which give it a wonderful piquancy to the flavour. They really do lift the mild and meek milk chocolate and impart an edge.
Traditionally I've always thought that caramel chocolate like the Caramac or Daim bar too sweet, but, thankfully these chocolates have it spot on.
