chocolate
it's official - you can treat yourself to a little dark REAL chocolate every day without feeling guilty, infact it's good for you according to nutritionist Zoe Harcombe who says '100g a day of dark chocolate is a terrific source of minerals'. Each little piece of dark chocolate also contains polyuphenols, the antioxidants also found in green tea and red wine, AND flavonoids, which help blood flow.
Recent research shows that treating yourself to a little piece of daily heaven can help you reduce your risk of heart attack or stroke - to find out more click https://www.zoe harcombe.com/2015/06/chocolate-cardiovascular-disease/
a chocolate that's naturally good for you is Prestat a 100% natural chocolate that, because of its careful processing, should be part of a healthy and balanced diet. Rich in antioxidants, it helps maintain healthy blood pressure and cholesterol levels and Prestat suggest that you and your family, including parents and children can eat 10g of Choxi+ dark chocolate a day, which has less calories than an apple.
and we've researched, tried and tested lots more interesting chocolate for you, it's a tough job but someone has to do it, so here we go with our favourites to date ...
for:
handmade, ethical, no preservatives and totally different to those chocs you'll find on the high-street - Ooh! Chocolata at love ooh is where it's at. Chocolates include a lemon-curd filling, chocolate dipped mango-sticks, milk choc truffles, dark choc truffles with a hint of chili and coconut, delic and light praline. They come in a delightful little tin box which is crammed full, you will not be disappointed! Expensive but worth every penny!
and quite apart from being delicious, the Chocolate and Love original beans chocolate has good green credentials, for every bar sold, a cacao tree is planted in whichever country the beans were harvested. The velvety smooth Esmeraldas milk chocolate bar is so good, just imagine the tasting notes, salted caramel, honey, hints of summer red fruits and spice.grown up chocolate
As The Sunday Times declared, Mars bars will never be the same again! William Curley awarded Britain's Best Chocolatier by the Academy of Chocolate for five consecutive years, 2007-2011, has made childhood chocolate comes of age with his Nostalgia Chocolate Collection. For lovers of Jaffa cakes there's William's version, Genoise sponge topped with homemade seville orange marmalade and chocolate ganache, coated in Toscano 70% dark chocolate, his Nostalgia millionaire's bar is traditional all-butter shortbread topped with sea salt caramel and coated in Toscano 66% dark chocolate, and the utterly divine Nostalgia tea cake, rich sweet pastry base topped with blackcurrant jam and marshmallow and coated in Toscano 66% dark chocolate. These fresh chocolates are made without additives or preservatives and have a shelf life of 14 days so if you are placing an order, you give "Preferred Delivery Date" to make sure that your chocolates are dispatched in time and in perfect condition.
chocolates to suit everyone - Montezuma has everything you'd ever want, whether it's plain chocolate, chocolate from around the world, Valentine's chocolates (with fabulous names; Lost in Space, Milking Maid, and Secret Squirrel), spicy chocolate, fruit & choc, truffles for vegans, oh the list goes on and on!
beautiful chocolate gifts for special occasions - the packaging is even scrummy, Rococo Chocolates has it all. Perfect chocolate gifts for Christmas, Easter, Halloween, Fireworks, weddings, anniversaries, anything really - we're sure you'll find a reason to buy a lot , whether it's sweets, chocolate, or both. The shop on London's King's Road is also the best smelling shop you'll ever walk into, maybe for a sneaky nibble. Mouthwatering.
maybe chocolate pearls gift boxed shimmering white, silver and gold filled pearls filled with dark or milk ganache and praline from Artisan du Chocolat
or vegan truffles by Booja Booja handmade dairy free, gluten free, organic and utterly delicious!
and British cocoa grower and chocolatier Hotel Chocolat offer stylish chocolate gifts for all occasions too.
and when it comes to unusual bars of chocolate, there's ...
mandarin and ginger chocolate bars, Seed and Bean 's organic, fairtrade 72% Dominican Cocoa is blended with Italain Mandarin essential oil and a hint of ginger from China
chilli hot chocolate bars from Chile Seeds
and top-of-the-range Chocolat Noir bars by Dolfin include Chocolat Noir au The Earl Grey - a fragrant, bitter-sweet medley with just a hint of the aromatc and refreshing earl grey tea and a 52% cocoa content smooth dark Dolfin chocolate and Chocolat Noir with Poivre Rose - a combination of flavours to warn the palette and not as fierce as is sounds elegant dark chocolate fused with the tang of pink peppercorn. Yummy, yummy. available from Chocolates Direct.
and strictly for chocolate lovers
master the art of chocolate making at a class or workshop to inspire and give you the confidence to make a chocolate gift for someone special of just for yourself including,
if you can get to:London - the multiple winner of Britain's Best Chocolatier, William Curley runs one day truffle-making classes and children's master classes at his London Belgravia boutique
Farnham,Surrey - at the Squires School, chocolatier Mark Tilling's courses includes how to temper chocolate, make ganaches, different fillings and decorate chocolates and truggles using cocoa butter and transfers.
Bristol - Lisa Clarke runs full-day adult courses and one-hour classes for children, full info on The Chocolate Tart
Kendal, Cumbria - Lucy Nicholson holds half-day truffle-making and chocolate techniques, check out details on Lucy Cooks
finally,
for the chocoholic who think he or she has tried everything - hot chocolate on a stick from French chocolatier Jeff de Bruges - you just have to pour hot milk into your cup, put in the dark chocolate and mix it, instant hot chocolate heaven.
and there's the Vintage Patisserie's unique fantasy shop
- so worth a visit to see a range of gorgeous bespoke gifts - ithin the store you can ‘bake’ your own gifts including Belgium Chocolates, solid, not filled with any other flavour apart from more yummy Belgium chocolate with customised ‘toppings ’ such as text and symbols, presented in beautiful patisserie boxes that can be sent to an address of your choice (within the UK) along with a personalised gift card.chocolate.
or real decadence! it has to brownies from Wild Meadow Kitchen
who produce the most delicious home made bite size brownies to order
from their kitchen in Yorkshire - they make a perfect tasty gift or an
indulgent treat to someone to say you're thinking of them or to
celebrate birthdays, births and special occasions with a yummy brownie
delivery that can be sent throughout the UK or maybe directly to your
front door!
mmmmm.... yummy....