Last weekend, two separate chocolate festivals took place, one up in Ramsbottom, and another here in London. From what I hear, both festivals had record numbers of visitors, which is great for the industry and all of us who love real chocolate.

We visited Yael Rose’s festival in London, and shot some video to give you a flavour of what goes on.

Yael managed to get six of the country’s top chocolatiers and a myriad of smaller producers in the same place at the same time, which I don’t think anyone has managed before.

Stalls were packed with a good mix of familiar faces and people we hadn’t hear of before. The baked bean chocolates (below) by Aneesh “The Chocolatier” Popat proved to be particularly controversial!

They weren’t my cup of tea, but I love the fact that people are willing to experiment with weird and wacky flavours.

On Saturday, I attended Paul A. Young’s demonstration, where experimentation was the theme. Paul demonstrated making two of his more unusual chocolates, a roquefort ganache, and a cigar leaf caramel. Every chocolate demonstration should start with frying tobacco leaves!

The main message of Paul’s talk was that everyone should have a go at making chocolates, and never to be afraid of experimenting with flavours. “Use whatever you have in the cupboard”, as Paul says. And if it doesn’t work, just give it to your friends and try something new!

Of course Easter was the main theme for most of the chocolatiers exhibiting at The Chocolate Festival, but this year Jubilee-themed chocolate was in evidence as well. Bill McCarrick of Sir Hans Sloane told us about his patriotic line-up when we caught up with him.

I love Yael’s Chocolate Festivals, and she’s growing them every year, expanding to more and more cities and spreading the word about real chocolate. If you’re in Bristol area over the Easter weekend, the festival continues there, spreading the word – and the chocolate.

On Monday evening, with the master help from Westminster Kingsway College, the Cavendish Hotel converted Room 1212 into a chocolate lover’s dream boudior.

We were invited in for a sneak peek before the lucky winner – chosen that day! – got to enter and spend the night in this chocolate wonderland.  It was all I could do not to be dragged out. The candles were made of chocolate, the tea cups, the toothbrushes…. And it was all overseen by a rather scary looking chocolate bunny lording over the room atop a giant Easter Egg.

There is an ingredient in chocolate that can actually help prevent tooth decay.  I’m not sure this is quite what they had in mind: 

I would just like to confirm that I didn’t touch anything apart from the chocolate items in the bathroom, the tea set and, er, that one chocolate heart that I ate from the bed. It was very difficult to restrain myself! Then I ran back downstairs (ok, I took the lift, it was 12 floors up!) to enjoy my chocolate cocktail in the bar. If I had been allowed to eat everything then I would have needed to run up and down those stairs MANY times – at least the view is spectacular, across the London Eye, Westminster Abbey, the Shard and the Gherkin.

I left taunted with envy for someone spending the night here, yet knowing my addiction and capacity for chocolate, it was probably a good thing. I’m pretty sure I can’t eat 100kg of chocolate in one night, but it’s probably best for everyone that I wasn’t given the opportunity to try.

I’m just sorry we didn’t get invited back for an “after” shot as well.

Photo Gallery

I stopped in the day it opened and posted a few pictures to Facebook. Now here’s a little video I took on the same day:

Upstairs, in the “shop” part, the beans get roasted in a clear tube (not normally how it happens but much more interesting to watch), then they travel downstairs to the cafe, where they are winnowed, ground and conched.  Winnowing is the process of separating the pieces of cocoa beans (nibs) from their shell. On a grand scale this is usually done by oscillating the nibs on a wire mesh conveyer belt above a set-strength vacuum. The shell is lighter than the nibs, meaning they go in different directions. Simples.

Grinding and then conching is all part of making the chocolate silky smooth and also removing some of the acidity. Conching is continuous beating of the molten chocolate inside a metal drum. This process causes the particles to refine as well as most of the acidic notes (leftover from the fermentation) to evaporate, leaving a delicious, rounded, chocolatey flavour.

At Roast + Conch you can taste the difference between bars conched for 60 hours, 90 hours and 120 hours. And you can taste the difference.  I think it helps to highlight how much every stage of the cocoa (& chocolate) production process can affect the final product.  To me it helps justify why the best tasting chocolate also costs more.

Instead of a shot of espresso you can get your energy drink fix with lattes and “cappuccinos”  made with a shot of freshly conched chocolate instead.  Have it alongside one of the freshly baked chocolate treats or a savoury crepe made with, of course, chocolate.

We are still working to add more shops to this site and, therefore, the app and welcome any suggestions you might have!

Now you will always know how close (or far away…) you are from chocolate.  Isn’t that exciting?! It’s much easier than using the website on your phone (which, I discovered on Sunday,  inconveniently won’t reveal the shops behind the little markers on the map).

Happy Chocolate hunting!

Thanks

Jen x

P.S. If you do get the app please do take a second to rate it and if you have any suggestions for how we can improve it or any shops we’re missing, let us know!

This week I’ve spent time talking to several men who are incredibly passionate about food and so inspiring to speak with, Marc & Kim from Demarquette, Nick of Rude Health and Willie Harcourt-Cooze.

Today I met more passionate foodie men (and a woman). Antonio, Stephane and Simona are friends who met through the randomness of house shares several years ago and four months ago opened La Gelatiera in New Row, Covent Garden.  It is a gorgeous little shop. They kindly invited me and Dom to visit for a tasting.  I wasn’t really sure what to expect, but who says no to free ice cream? What I found was owners incredibly passionate about making the best food they can with the best possible ingredients.

Most of their sourcing is through the Slow Food Association. Antonio is the chief ice cream maker and Simona, who came in just before we left, comes most evenings after she finishes her day job, to bake the brioche and biscotti and other fine non-frozen treats. They are mostly recipes of her grandmother. Antonio’s grandfather used to have an ice cream parlour in Italy and he’s devoured books on chemistry written by other ice cream makers to get a scientific approach to the best ice cream.

The milk comes from Jersey cows and isn’t pastuerised or homogenised before it arrives so it keeps the good proteins as well as making a better flavour.  They don’t actually buy any chocolate for any of their wide range of chocolate offerings, preferring to purchase the cocoa mass, cocoa butter and cocoa powder separately so they can control the sugar and not have any soy lecitihin that most chocolate manufacturers use. They refuse to sell water because it “is free from the tap and shouldn’t be sold” and also because, so I learned today, the “dry residue” that is mentioned by law on all water bottles is higher than it is in tap water and apparently bad for your kidneys.  I’ve never heard this before and am yet to research it further but I love that Antonio cares so much to ensure that what they serve at La Gelatiera is good for you in as many ways as possible.  The coffee beans currently come from a social project in Italy, they are roasted within a prison.

None of these ethics override the importance of taste. Which I know because they were generous with their samples and we tasted everything with chocolate and a few other things besides. Antonio asked me “so, no more desserts for you this week after this?”. Ha. He obviously doesn’t know me well yet! We did leave completely satiated of sweet things (for the afternoon…).  The levels of sweetness in the ice cream and desserts varies and most are not sickly sweet.  For those who are giving into a sugar craving, the chocolate salami or the salty caramel ice cream would definitely satisfy.

The chocolate gelato, one of the first things we tasted, was rich and almost pudding like with just the right balance of sweetness. Delicious. The version with chilli had just the perfect amount of (fresh) chilli to warm your mouth without burning it. I have two favourite, must-try things from the afternoon. The tartufo which they are just about to launch (you will be able to book one hour sessions to enjoy one with your lover for Valentine’s) and the Dolce Amore, an indulgent chocolate mousse made with an Italian liqueur, butter, eggs and cocoa mass and topped with flaked almonds.

Dolce Amore

This morning I started the day with an oat hot chocolate. Sound strange? It’s surprisingly good. I was turned to it by Nick Barnard of Rude Health and Marc Demarquette. They co-hosted an event on Monday to shout about the sexiness of oats and chocolate.  

Chocolate, yes, easily understood. Nick made a firm case for oats too, regaling us with tales of his challenge to the Scots for the title of Champion Porridge Maker at the World Spurtle Championships in Scotland, whilst making us porridge. First with rolled oats, then with oatmeal, the authentic Scottish way.

Video: Making porridge the authentic Scottish way

The oatmeal version was part of the special dessert Nick and Marc prepared for the competition. A chocolate cup filled with porridge and topped with hot salted caramel.  The hot caramel causes the cup to melt and it all mixes into one delicious chocolatey mess.

The oat hot chocolate we were greeted with as we arrived. I didn’t notice straight away it was made with oat milk.  Maybe because they were injecting it with shots of Scotland’s finest whisky… And topping it with vanilla cream. Oh that was a nice way to end a cold January Monday.

I made my oat hot chocolate this morning with my Blendtec which is quite amazing. You grind the oats in it, add water and blend further then throw in some chocolate (Willie’s 100% Venezuelan Black today) and put it on the hot chocolate cycle. It’s thick to rival a Spanish hot chocolate. It tastes ultra indulgent and is full of all sorts of good things. I don’t really know how you make it without a Blendtec.  You could buy oat milk from a health food shop or Wholefoods.  I think some supermarkets sell it too.  I’m totally converted to making porridge with oatmeal too, unfortunately that’s also quite difficult to find… Well, at least good chocolate isn’t thanks to this map.

Nick from Rude Health making porridge

Marc has created a special Valentine’s heart made with puffed oats and praline.  It’s surprisingly moreish. Go get it.

Video: Marc Demarquette shows how to make the salted caramel

Morin works closely with farmers and other chocolatiers (such as London’s Marc Demarquette) to produce bean-to-bar chocolate, so the chances are if you’re a lover of fine chocolate you’ve already tried their chocolate, even if you didn’t realise.

Watch the full interview below to find out more about one of our favourite chocolate makers.

When Gail’s PR got in touch and asked if I would be interested in reviewing the Christmas range, well, how could I say no? Who could? My mum was due to arrive for an unplanned visit and she is, afterall, one half of where I inherited my chocolate obsession.  A package was delivered to my home. By the time I got home it was minus one brownie.  I had forgotten to warn my boyfriend it was coming to review. Cheeky. Luckily Gail’s sent two, along with two gingerbread reindeers and a beautiful Chocolate and Cherry Cake.

Studded with rum soaked raisins that just provide small hints of Christmas deliciousness, this could easily be sold year round. (Hopefully the chef is reading…) And, how good is that slogan? Man cannot live on bread alone. He needs chocolate too. Or maybe that’s just me…

The most impressive piece in my bag was the Chocolate and Cherry Cake, described as a “rich, dense, boozy chocolate and cherry cake, steeped with plenty of rum”. Oh yes it is.  Possibly the most alcoholic cake I’ve ever tasted. The plus side of this means that, along with its intense chocolate hit, you really will only need small slices to keep everyone happy.  I suppose if you give them big slices they will be very happy! It’s not a big cake but it will go a long way.  The downside of the fact that this cake might even be more loaded with alcohol than the uninvited Christmas guest, is that it’s really difficult to pick up on any cherry flavour.  In true Christmas cake or pudding style, there are also small pieces of almond throughout, something you may want to know before you buy.

My mum couldn’t even finish her slice in one sitting. That might be due to jet lag but I’d say fair testament that even a hardened chocoholic won’t be too offended by receiving a small slice once they take the first bite. It is truly rich, fudgy and pudding-like. Different, and delicious.

If you want to skip making dessert this year then get your orders in – last day is tomorrow (Dec 19th)!

Update: This competition is now closed. Congragulations to our winners Sharon and Petra!

You can still help us grow the site and support your local chocolate shops by rating them on our map.

Bill McCarrick of Sir Hans Sloane is one of my favourite chocolatiers, so when I bought some of these warm and spicy Christmas pudding shaped truffles recently, I was delighted when he gave me another box to give away free to World Chocolate Guide readers.

These “Sloane Street” boxes contain ten deliciously Christmassy with a warm ginger ganache filling, perfect for sharing around at Christmas parties, or just keeping to yourself.

How To Win

If you want to be in with a chance of winning these wonderful chocolates, just leave a comment below, telling us what your favourite Christmas dessert is and why. Christmas pudding? Cake? A family tradition, or something more obscure? Let us know!

For the chance to win an extra prize (a random selection from our chocolate stash), find and rate your favourite chocolate shop on our map as well.

We’ll pick a winner of Sunday 18th December. Competition open to UK residents only, one entry per household.

Good luck!

Update: This competition is now closed

SOLD OUT.

Nooooo… We tried three other desserts instead (yes, three, just the two of us) and whilst the Lemon Meringue Coupe (sundae) was pretty darn amazing (crushed meringue, lemon curd and lemon yoghurt ice cream, whipped cream and flaked almonds), we still walked away saddened. Our mission had failed.

Time passed. I even went to the Wolseley again, but my work lunch hour was over before I got to have dessert.

Finally, last week I returned with a two hour evening sitting and – hurrah! – Jonah’s hot chocolate sandwich was still on the menu and available.  Made with Valrhona chocolate, this is comfort pudding at its glammed up best.  If rumours are true, it was first made by the chef for his son.  I’d like to belong to that family.  Marbled chocolate brioche is toasted and oozing with rich chocolate sauce. Its intense delicious chocolatiness is perfectly offset by a side of creme fraiche. Happiness on a plate.  I love the Wolseley and I love Jonah for his hot chocolate sandwich.

Go for the people watching and the incredible historic beauty of the buzzing, cavernous yet cosy dining room. Relax and enjoy the hot chocolate sandwich (or the lemon meringue coupe if that’s more your thing). Impress a date.  All this glamour and deliciousness won’t even break the bank, it’s only £5.50 for this “sandwich” and big enough to let someone else taste it. If you must.