Chocolate Makers and Chocolatier Profiles

Paul A. Young Spring 2013 Collection

Normally when I review Paul’s wonderful selections it’d be after they’d turn up on my doormat with the purpose of a review. These, however, were purchased by myself because I’ve been working so darn hard lately. The only problem is that I’m just too keen to try them that I...

Hotel Chocolat Summer Fusions

One of the big problems chocolatiers face during the summer is keeping people buying chocolate throughout the warm months when there are few excuses to by chocolate other than birthdays and Father’s Day. Somehow, though, Hotel Chocolat manages to bring out new collections that really do grab the...

Fruition Chocolate Brown Butter Bourbon Caramels

When it comes to reviewing filled chocolates I always go with my first thoughts as the flavour hits me. Even though my initial reaction was a very positive “oh bloody hell” that doesn’t adequately describe the variety, depth and excellence of these caramels. Let’s backtrack a bit...

Demarquette Britannia’s Kitchen Garden Chocolate Selection Box

As usual Marc DeMarquette has created a truly inspirational box of caramels. You just can't miss these when they come out at the same time as Chelsea Flower Show.

Dolceria Bonajuto 65% Dark Chocolate

I love rustic chocolate like Bouga Cacao and Madre. I love the naturalness. The lack of sophistication is a style not a symptom of a lack of skill. Smooth chocolate certainly has its place, but that feeling in the mouth as you crunch into and the large chocolate crystals shoot out from beneath your teeth...

Mast Brothers Moho River

A quick disclosure: I don’t know when the BBE is for this bar, but I’ve had it my collection for a while (batch number 12211011). What I do know, however, is that Belize is one of my favourite cocoa growing countries – perhaps more so that I find the country intriguing and there are some...

Duffy’s Sierra Leone Cayenne Chilli 70% Chocolate

Of course its not made with the finest of cocoas, but at least its an attempt to try and make fine chocolate out of it.

Chococo White Chocolate Lemon Meringue Easter Egg

When it comes to Easter it’s often very difficult to get a true comparison between the large guys such as Thorntons and the smaller guys such as Chococo as everyone seems to go their separate ways and produce a huge variety of Easter eggs. Apart from the standard, milk, dark and white, you rarely get...

Chilli Chocolate Crunchy Cake

This diet is killing me. Bad carbs are out, along with unnecessary sugary stuff. Thank my lucky stars I’m a chocolate reviewer and can consume biscuits, cakes and chocolate – all in the name of “work”. Truth be told, I was looking for an excuse to break free of...

Patisserie Vercruysse Winter Collection

The single most awe-inspiring moment of my chocolate reviewing life was two years ago yesterday. Then I received a delivery from someone I had never heard from. That clear plastic case contained the most amazing chocolates I have ever tasted. To this day those Patisserie Vercruysse ganaches have only ever...

Hotel Chocolat Christmas Stocking

Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to offer the most finest of chocolate, in the classic sense, to get good ratings here. Marks are awarded based on many factors, most notably: “giving people what they desire”. If you wanted a Christmas stocking full of chocolate that will appeal...

Hotel Chocolat The Sleekster Christmas Desserts Selection

No Christmas Day morning would be complete without unwrapping a box of chocolates, and that goes for men, women, old and young alike. The issue for Father Christmas is whether he visits many different chocolate shops and buy something to please the individual recipient, or does he just pop online and find...

Chococo Seasonal Selection Box

You can make the finest tasting chocolates in the world, but if they’re unimaginative, presented shoddily and have an unsavoury corporate attitude then frankly the quality of your chocolates is a moot point. Thankfully Claire, Andy, the rest of the team and Chococo are jolly nice people, they make...

Matcha Chocolat Christmas Selection

Few things in life are truly worth waiting for. The birth of a child, the return of a lover, Christmas morning with bucks fizz and wrapping paper covering every inch of the carpet. Considering that list, it would remiss of me not to include Katie’s wonderful, mouth-watering chocolates. As the seasons...

Niederegger Marzipan Advent Calendar

There are few types of confectionery that get me excited as much as fine chocolate. For my sins I absolutely adore marzipan. The sweetness holds some sort of child-like memory and evokes a deeply enduring and perpetual appreciation. It’s perplexing to the say the least as overly sweet foods generally...

Wiliam Curley Nostalgia Jaffa Cake

Wiliam Curely's Nostalgia Jaffa Cakes have been the finest things that have passed my lips for many a week. They're soft, flavoursome and completely delicious. If you did want to get your loved-one something special this year, then you really can't look further than these.

Hotel Chocolat Calvados Apples

Many chocolate companies will be offering the same old stuff they made last year and the year before. But you don't have to buy it, there are some absolutely wonderful Christmas chocolate treats from the likes of Hotel Chocolat.

Berry Scrumptious Chocolate Fudge

It's a rarity for fudge to be made in a way that isn't too sweet. The dark chocolate variety of the these raspberry fudge slices certainly aren't, the white chocolate is. They're very nice, but you certainly have to like fudge.

Chunky Chocolate Orange Brownies

You don't really need me to tell you how lovely these are. Of course, you'll be able to find more indulgent, soft, squishy and rich chocolate brownies around, but as a gift option that you can buy on the internet, I can't remember any better options.

Hotel Chocolat Halloween Bites H-Box Selection

By the looks of it, this Hotel Chocolat Halloween Bites H-Box Selection must have been very popular as it was out of stock a week before Halloween. Of course, there will be finer treats out there, but in terms of value for money Hotel Chocolat has done very well.

Devnaa Coffee Masala Caramels

Devnaa have stepped out from their traditional spicy product range and developed something with a touch more kick and punch. They're absolutely great if you need a caffeine hit or just fed up with soft and delicate chocolates.

Demarquette Chocolate Bar Collection

A wonderful collection of dark chocolate bars with the one 40% Ben Tre milk chocolate bar. I'd love Marc to expand this collection though as I'm sure his fans would love him to offer a wider variety in these new 22g mini bars.

Zotter Mango Lassi Drinking Chocolate

A luscious hot chocolate experience, but sadly it doesn't compare to drinking chocolate made with the dark stuff. Still, it had a very interesting character.

Hotel Chocolat Dark Chocolate Canapés with Cocoa Nibs

If you wanted to try something a little bit different for a dinner party then I suggest that you add Stilton or some other strong cheese to them and try them out on your guests - I'm sure they'll love them.

Lucky’s Tweedle Twins Cakes In A Jar

These cake-type chocolate treats from Lucky's come in small jars and are accompanies by spoons so you can tuck in as soon as you get them. They're delicious but not too intense. They're also sweet but very moreish. I loved them.

Zotter Chocolate Gifts

One of the most striking of Christmas chocolate bars from Zotter this year is the ‘Merry Christmas‘ bar and there’s more relating to the festivities than just those evocative words emblazened on the packaging, but also because it contains spicy marzipan with homemade hazelnut and cinnamon...

Pralus 100% Dark Chocolate Bar Review

Without hyperbole, this has to be one of the best 100% dark chocolate bars currently available in the UK. The flavours are very specific and complementary. It has a great texture and aroma.

Zotter Banana Flavour Milk Chocolate

There's certainly no escaping the flavour of banana in this bar as it's not only present in a purée form in the centre, but also within the chocolate that coats it. I did find it far too sweet for a mature taste.

Michel Cluizel 1er Cru de Plantation Venezuela Conception

Those liked Michel Cluizel's 85% bar are very likely to find this one too sweet, but on the positive side, there are some very unusual flavours present.

Hotel Chocolat 66% Sambirano Valley

This bar of Purist chocolate from Hotel Chocolat comes from the fantastic Sambriano Valley region of Madagascar and offers some very fruity, sharp but beautiful flavours. It may not be as rounded as a number of other bars from own-estate makers, but it's still very good.

Rózsavölgyi Csokolade Porcelana 71%

Although I loved the simplicity and clarity of this bar of chocolate by Rózsavölgyi Csokolade I still feel that sometimes Porcelana chocolate can still be a touch too mild. I do prefer chocolate to have a touch more character. But as something to relax with then you can't really fault it.

Duffy’s Nicaragua Nicaliso 71%

With this Nicaliso bar we return to the quality of chocolate that Duffy got his name for. This is a superb dark chocolate bar that has nutty and creamy tones. There's no intensity at all and should appeal to those that don't normally like dark chocolate.

Zotter Cheese Walnut and Grapes

I wouldn't say this is Zotter's finest hand-scooped bar of all time, but at least it's one for those people that love his unusual range. The acidity was most certainly different and added to the experience, but I would have liked more of a cheese edge to it.

Grenada Chocolate Company 100%

This 100% dark chocolate bar from Grenada Chocolate company most definitely won't be for everyone. It needs to be enjoyed in small pieces very slowly. The mouth feel is sensational if you can restrain yourself.

Zotter Mitzi Blue Jazz + Blues

This is a very interesting bar of dark chocolate, but when compared to the rest of the Zotter range some may feel a touch underwhelmed given that there's no strange ingredients included.

Artisan du Chocolat Jamaica Bean To Bar

This bean to bar experiment from Gerard and his team at Artisan du Chocolat was a fantastic success and I hope it goes to show how much hard work goes into making chocolate for people. This bar was past it's best so it wouldn't be fair to judge too harshly, I thoroughly enjoyed it though.

Chocolate Marbles In A Mug

If you wanted some chocolate that not only a novelty but also high quality and moreish then these white and dark chocolate marbles from Sir Hans Sloane are some of the most interesting and delicious treats you can get.

Pierre Marcolini Fazenda São Pedro

If you wanted bland, boring chocolate from a top chocolate maker then this is for you. If you wanted a full-flavour, fine bean bar then you'll most definitely have to look elsewhere. This is the least interesting bar from Pierre Marcolini I've ever tried.

Montezumas Organic Milk Chocolate Buttons

I had hoped for some more flavoursome chocolate buttons and some to compete with the Hotel Chocolat ones, but alas, these fell short on the flavour stakes. But they're still much better than those scarily expensive ones from the Royston-based chocolate company.

Patric Rio Caribe Superior

Despite being several months past its best, this Venezuelan bar of 70% chocolate does a great job. The flavours are varied but fairly mellow. The melt is exceptional given its age and the distance travelled. It'd certainly be one I'd recommend to my American friends.

Valrhona Ampamakia 2010 64%

If you like rich, creamy, low level fruity then this is the bitter-sweet bar of chocolate as it comes from a fine pedigree and great source of beans. Despite having a fairly low cocoa solids level it still manages to convey some interesting flavours.

Soma Chocolate Dancing In Your Head

This blended bar from Soma Chocolate wasn't as fantastic as Judith had suggested to me, or perhaps it was another of their bars? Although I still found it enjoyable and much better than much of the chocolate I've reviewed in teh last week.

Fudge Kitchen Gourmet Miniatures

Fudge should be consumed in small amounts so it's great that Fudge Kitchen have given fans the opportunity to have small cubes of fudge with different flavours that can be enjoyed every now and then without feeling the need to consume a large piece that you were could only buy previously.

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