Personalised Chocolates

What would you do if your child received 48kg of chocolate in the post?

2010-06-13T02:55:00.000-07:00

I'm not taking the piss at Omar Shah's mother because she was reluctant at her son's decision to take part in a competition run by the Jeddah Hilton to win some chocolate. Well, how did he end up with his own weight in chocolate being delivered at home then? Quite simply the competition was to guess what a 2.5 metre chocolate camel weighed.

I think once I got that phone call to say we'd be getting 48 kg of chocolate, I'd start writing out a list of people I could send chocolate boxes. Or, check the expiry and save them as Christmas gifts? Selfish, stingy? Ok, what would you do?

You can read the full article here.

Want to Live Long? Eat Chocolate

2010-05-15T07:30:00.000-07:00

Photo:Josephine Tesauro

I just read an article about a 100 year old who credits chocolate for keeping her going. Her daughter says that Edna Hoover, her mother eats some chocolate everyday and up to 2 pounds a week! If you're thinking what I'm going to say next is go ye and do likewise then my answer is no.

I think life is all about balance. And I'm sure Edna eats a balanced diet or did or might not at all and is just lucky to have a strong body. My maternal grandmother died at 92 and enjoyed her chocolates regularly. However, I remember she ate very balanced meals and always had breakfast fit for a queen. She may not always have though.

I am a stickler for balance and I hate regret. I am committed to doing what is right as much as I can especially if it's in my power to do so. Eat some chocolate - preferably some with a decent amount of cocoa and enjoy it but also try to do what's recommended - 5 fruit and veg a day etc. I can't say I'm there yet but I do try.

What every business can learn from LinkedIn

2010-05-08T12:28:00.000-07:00

I've recently become more of a LinkedIn addict simply because the profiling is more detailed so I really know who I'm connecting with (to an extent). One thing I have noticed in the last one month is the amount of changes that take place on LinkedIn almost everyday.

I've just logged in this evening to find that the way my inbox is configured has changed and I like it. Only last night I was looking for a message from a new contact and found it difficult to identify because I couldn't remember her exact name but I knew she had recently sent me an invitation to connect.

Well, today as I logged in I saw that LinkedIn had separated the invitations from the messages. How useful is that! And I say that as opposed to Facebook's new 'Like' Ok...I thought that was what being a fan meant?' or Twitter's 'Retweets' that can't be edited'. As a business, it's important to keep innovating but I think considering how useful it will be to the end user should be priority.

Love Your Chocolate and Lose Baby Weight

2010-03-19T14:36:00.000-07:00

I am several months post natal and have decided it's time to shed the baby weight. I was however happy to see two celebrity Mums who have just had babies as well talk about their diets but not as if it's a do or die affair.

I read in the US Magazine that Kendra Wilkinson recently visited a chocolate factory not quite 3 months after giving birth, then had a chilli hotdog and even joked about it saying she's on a chocolate and hotdog diet.

Zoe Ball also confesses to eating some chocolate in the evening while watching TV. Yet, she has lost 2 stone already!

Credit:Isaac Brekken/Wireimage.com

I think it's important to decide to diet but not kill yourself if you via off or have to eat something you shouldn't. If you're dieting it should be for your own good and benefit not for your Mum's best friend's niece who lost the 3 stone she gained a month after giving birth.

We all can't be Tess Daly in a bikini 10 weeks after. We're all different. I can only promise to do my best and be happy with my results. Wish me good luck :)

Making the best of follow friday

2010-03-05T04:58:00.001-08:00

If you're on Twitter, you might have found that it's quite easy to get distracted by Follow Friday as you get mentioned several times. Maybe you are ignoring it altogether as some sort of popularity contest that you cant trust or just dont have time for. However, you can make the best of every Follow Friday if you keep your goals and objectives in mind on Friday. Even if you don't tag people on Fridays, as your followers start tagging stay focused by asking yourself:

1. Who are the people I need to connect with that will make my time on Twitter worthwhile? Use Follow Friday to find these people. If you've followed a few good contacts watch out for who they hash tag with a follow Friday. Check out their profiles and decide if they're worth a follow.

2. Can I relax now? Yes and No. Yes because you are now using Follow Fridays to do the right thing - find new followers which will shortly bring you new ones as well. No because you have to be consistent. You dont have to do it every week but do make it part of your Twitter strategy.

It may be Friday but still keep your business antennas tuned for the few minutes you'll spend tweeting. How do you use Follow Friday or is it a distraction?

Could you survive in Oprah's studio?

2010-02-24T02:16:00.000-08:00

Oprah Winfrey's has recently re-built parts of her talk show studio with Godiva Chocolate Bars. Yum Yum. How long could you stay in there without eating up the set? It could take me weeks in all sincerity with over 10,000 bites to take. According to Toronto life the set consisted of a grandfather clock, table, books, chess set, fireplace and a vase of flowers (all made of chocolate) and was created with 7,000 Godiva bars and 2,400 truffles over the course of 1,400 hours. There was also a chocolate chandelier made from 1,500 pieces of chocolate.

Racism? I never use that word or should I?

2010-02-11T01:02:00.000-08:00

As I work outside home part-time and my 16 month old is finding home too restrictive, I decided to find a child minder. This was my preferred choice as I thought she may feel lost in a nursery surrounded by so many kids so suddenly.

She has always been at home with me. I stayed home with her for 11 months, then my Mum for about a month, then with my In-laws, who came from abroad to see her for the first time, for 4 months.

So, I educated myself on how to get one. I called the council got a list of registered child minders, checked OFSTED reports and chose one with an outstanding report.

Alas! It started off nicely but after two weeks she calls one evening and says " I don't think you trust me". After 30 minutes of trying to convince her on the phone, she sends a text 1 hour later saying "I still don't think it's working."

Did I hide a camera in the bag? Check on 16 month old every five minutes by text? Did I do a 'Sherlock Holmes or Nancy Drew' during my lunch break and get caught eavesdropping at the door? Did I do worse? No. No. No. I rest my case.

Miss you Linea Nigra, Miss you pre-preggo tummy

2010-01-05T23:14:00.000-08:00

While dressing up today, I discovered my Linea Nigra had disappeared, you know the dark line that runs from under the chest to below the navel in mostly dark skinned pregnant women. I had been a bit concerned it was still there especially since DD is now well over 1 year old.

Well, I now kind of miss it as it's been with me now for over a year and had become a part of me. Yes, I was sad to see it had disappeared now leaving me with my pot post-preggo belly. So, recently I've been reading on how to get rid of it and found the most helpful tips in the Parenting magazine.

I really like the one that says to avoid foods that bloat like broccoli and contain lots of salt which can cause water retention. The 'do' bit which I'd like to try is to eat more water-rich fruits and vegetables, like oranges, tomatoes, asparagus, and celery, which act as gentle, natural diuretics. I'm not sure about celery and asparagus though ;( Any ideas on how to become a celery eating Captain Vegetable (a la Sesame Street) ?

Eggstreme? Easter chocolates on supermarket shelves

2010-01-02T14:37:00.000-08:00

I posted an article link on Twitter regarding supermarkets like Tesco who are already stocking Easter Eggs and have had very interesting responses. Certain feel it's ok but more people feel it's wrong especially so soon after Christmas. However, according to a report by The Telegraph, Tesco is only stocking them in response to consumer demand.

Realistically, we wouldn't expect them to be folding their arms at this time of year as concerns Easter, yet in a way I believe they could be a bit more strategic, maybe stocking them in mid-January. At least, Easter is celebrated at the same time everywhere. Who are these consumers stocking eggs that are not half-priced on New Year's Day? In defence, Tesco noted though that they would be launching their own Easter range nearer the season.

It's easy to criticise Tesco but how about all the Fashion stores who have launched their Spring collection? We are not even sure it wont snow in Spring. I think Tesco's timing is wrong but they are certainly not alone in this Early Bird competition. I have already started designing Mother's Day wrappers and plan to upload our designs before the month's end. It's all about planning ahead for me I cant speak on behalf of others.

Posh's Savoury Chocolate Cravings

2009-12-31T14:38:00.000-08:00

I've just read about Posh asking David to pick her up five bags of salted chocolate caramels after dining at Gordon Ramsay's. The Daily Mirror says she can't get enough of the Salty chocolate balls. It's interesting that she would eat these but gets into a panic thinking of eating turkey and trimmings. I figure she must have her calorie requirements worked out perfectly. If I had people waiting on me hand and foot as well as on my family members I'd probably be thinking of my calories. In which case, savoury chocolate balls might fit the bill. However, as I never know from day to day what sort of dive I'm going to have to make so that DD doesn't land in the Casualty ward or how many different meals I will have to cook her so she can at least have something in her tummy, I stick with the sort of calories turkey and trimmings give. And as I am face to face with chocolate everyday, I don't get to send the Husband for some, I simply unwrap one for the extra calories I always need. Oh for the Posh life! Thankful for the personalised chocolates life!

Meilleurs Voeux

2009-12-28T05:36:00.000-08:00

I've just been reading about the various uses of the above phrase which basically means best wishes. This is one of the many ways to say Merry Xmas or Happy New Year. You could sign a card by writing:

Meilleurs Voeux pour l'annee 2010, Suzie

Or say Je vous souhaite mes meilleurs voeux pour l'annee 2010.

Personally, I would say Joyeux Noel which means Merry Xmas or Bonne Annee - Happy New Year.

Other ways in which the phrase can be used are in letters to close the correspondence, so one could say:

Veuillez accepter mes meilleurs voeux or as a get well message Meilleurs voeux de prompt retablissement.

How have you wished others Merry Xmas or Happy New Year using a different expression this year? Please share it with us.

Why wont she just eat?!

2009-12-20T11:56:00.000-08:00

Im quite exhausted tonight and DD is sitting happily on the floor playing with a DVD case. Im here wondering why she's so happy as she hasnt eaten as she normally would all day. She's wasted so much food. Did I hear you say welcome to Motherhood?

She has probably eaten enough but as usual Im worried. I hope she'll sleep well and not wake up hungry as Im off to work at 8 am. Plus, DH has a very important meeting tomorrow so we cant afford for her to wake at night hungry.

I've been working hard today on a complimentary line to our chocolates launching early next year. There has been a lot of calculations to do and thinking of adequate funding.

DD is watching Franny's feet on Playhouse Disney sucking happily from her cup of water. Wish me luck!

Personalised Chocolates? - Nah! not my thing

2009-12-19T11:54:00.000-08:00

What I enjoyed most this Xmas was the variety of orders we had. We had an autographed wrapper.

Name card chocolates

business card chocolates

and photo chocolates

It was a lot of fun helping to design these orders. I had a lot of people send in their own designs especially kids! Even better was the feedback that came in when people received their orders. It's very fulfilling helping others create their dream chocolate gift. What is your dream chocolate gift design?

So you may ask how do I design my own wrapper? Simple. Open a new word document and add some shapes, colours and a message. If you'd like to autograph it, print it out and sign on it then run it through a scanner et voila! Btw, that's our French Word of the Day;) Hope you caught it!

Everything you need to know about ordering personalised chocolate favours

2009-12-13T07:42:00.000-08:00

You will either be asked about where and how to order chocolate favours or need some at a point. Whatever it is, this information will come in more than handy one day soon!

1) Budget: How much do you plan to spend? How many guests will you have? How much are you willing to spend?

Now, please halt for a moment. Read the other points below then come back to point 1. Can you afford what you are after? Where can you cut costs to afford what you are after? Reduce quantity per head? Is the supplier willing to hold the offer for you till when you need them? If you buy now, will the favours still be in their best condition when you need them?

2) Type: What sort of favours are you planning to get? Dragees? Mints? Chocolates?

3) Presentation: Will your favours be scattered over the table or will you put them in boxes? Or would you rather they are presented as name cards or menu cards? Better yet, would you like to give a fore-taste of the event by sending them out as a Save the Date or Invitation Card?

4) Theme: Do you plan to let your favours match the theme of the event or party? Will you match the colour scheme, your flowers or the ambience theme - Rock n Roll, Hawaiian, Heart shapes?

Did I miss out anything? If you've ordered favours for an event what, in your opinion, is another critical consideration?

12 days of Xmas

2009-12-03T12:10:00.001-08:00

Hi

We've just launched our BT Tradespace shop and to promote it we are doing a Xmas Advent give-away! Simply keep up to date with our Tradespace News Posts from December 12 till Xmas Eve to save on essential personalised chocolate needs in 2010.

As featured on Helen Carter Weddings

2009-11-27T04:50:00.000-08:00

Wedding favours are something that a lot of couples ask whether they should have or not. I personally think it’s a nice gesture to give your guests a keepsake of the day, but I also know that they can end up being ignored or forgotten about and consequently can feel like a waste of money. This is why I often recommend clients opt for something edible – guests love having something to nibble on after dinner, or they’ll tuck it away to munch on their way home later!
So today I’m delighted to welcome Tola Popoola from Chocolat a Toi. Tola specialises in creating personalised chocolate wedding favours... Continue

2009-11-19T06:01:00.001-08:00

Working on personalised photo Xmas chocolates - fab!

2009-11-19T03:52:00.001-08:00

Had a great time at everywoman conference. Well chuffed to see our yummy chocolates in Natwest goody bags!

Chocolate Cheesecake or choccy cheesecake

2009-10-25T16:15:00.000-07:00

Hi Tola – this is very yummy and quite a heavy cake, but dead easy to make and foolproof.

Here’s the recipe. By Delia Smith published in her Delia Smith’s Winter Collection book

Base

110g sweet oat biscuits

25g butter

50g chopped toasted hazelnuts

Filling

250g mascarpone

200g natural fromage frais (light works okay)

100g dark 75% cocoa solids chocolate

50g raisins

110g whole hazelnuts

8inch cake tin – depth of minimum 3 inches

Preheat oven to 200C gas mark 6

Place whole hazelnuts in oven and toast until golden brown. Make the base of the cheesecake by crushing biscuits with a rolling pin, not too finely though as it’s nice to have a fairly even texture. Scoop all the biscuit crumbs into a bowl and add the chopped nuts and melted butter and mix everything very thoroughly before patting into the base of the cake tin, pressing it very firmly all over. Now place the tin in the oven and pre-bake the crust for 20 minutes. Then remove it and let it cool while you make the filling. Reduce the oven temp to gas mark 2, (150 degrees C).

To make the filling, first place 2 inches (5cm) of water into a saucepan, and then put the saucepan onto heat and meanwhile break the chocolate into small squares and place this into a basin. As soon as the water is boiling remove the pan from the heat and place the bowl on top until everything melts. Don’t be tempted to put the bowl on top of the saucepan while the water is still boiling – because of the high cocoa content, this chocolate mustn’t get overheated or it will separate. Now spoon the mascarpone and fromage frais into a large bowl and whisk together until smooth, preferably with an electric hand whisk. Then add the eggs and sugar and give it another good whisking before adding the melted chocolate – use a rubber spatula so that you get every last of chocolate form the basin and then lightly fold the chocolate into the egg mixture. Finally add the raisins and toasted hazelnuts.

Now pour the mixture into the tin, smoothing it out with the back of a spoon, and place it on the centre shelf of the oven and bake for 1.25 hours. After that turn the oven off but leave the cheesecake inside until it is completely cold.

Chocolate Recipes

2009-10-25T16:11:00.000-07:00

"Enough said about personalised chocolate without helping you satisfy your cravings" I said to myself. So, this month we plan to feature fail-proof recipes using chocolate. Do you have any? Simply pop me an email. Do let me know if you got it from a cookbook so we can give due credit!

I plan to try out the recipes and at the end of the month, I'll be lettting you know my favourite which will be easiest to make with no errors.

Our first recipe is courtesy of our dear friend, Pamela Wallin of www.weddingsinsurrey.co.uk. It's a chocolate cheesecake. I've put it in another post so it's easy to read and of course print out to make!

Bon appetit!

How we'll save Christmas

2009-10-23T07:08:00.000-07:00

If you're lost on how to fill those Christmas stockings, Chocolat A Toi has found the way. Whether you're strapped for ideas or cash any of our personalised chocolate bars will do the trick. Simply personalise them. And guess what's best? We have a lead time of two weeks so just contact us by December 1st so we can catch the last post! See you!

Our range of personalised chocolate. The size is always just right!

We're going going...to the Baby Show

2009-10-15T03:34:00.000-07:00

We're so happy to be virtually present at this year's Baby Show taking place at Earl's Court.

: Personalised Chocolate Bar

If you've never tasted our yummy Belgian recipe chocolates, here's your opportunity.

: Personalised Birthday Chocolate

Simply make your way to stand B48 which will host CuddleDry. They will be giving out goody bags to the first 100 who visit the stand. Once you get yours, look for the chocolate in it!

: Personalised Christmas Chocolate

It may look like one of those you've seen above or like these below or completely different! Just enjoy it then,

: Corporate Personalised Chocolate

tell us what you think about them here. Bon appetit!

: Corporate Personalised Chocolate Bar

Glam up your wedding

2009-10-13T15:29:00.000-07:00

This time last week I was so busy preparing for a personalised chocolate wedding order that came in. We did 2 sizes and 3 different designs!

Well, I was quite excited about this order because the bride had placed the order in May for the personalised chocolate, her wedding colours, pale pink and silver. "Interesting!" I thought. I love being creative so voila - that's what we produced - I added some silver glitter to the silver ones they don't really show in the photo or do they? Anyway, they looked just right and she loved them!

So, to all brides-to-be out there, dont settle for what's in the shops, ask us to create them from scratch. Glam up your wedding with colour co-ordinated personalised chocolate here!

What Would Delia do?

2009-09-27T21:44:00.000-07:00

Today, we are featuring a mumpreneur with similar circumstances, doing two jobs. Paula Doherty who also works part-time is the brain behind Kitty and Polly.

Recently described as a 'cute emporium of lovely gift ideas', Kitty and Polly stock a range of handmade gifts and accessories to inspire and delight. From handbags to homewares, jewellery to pampering treats, everything is handmade locally here in the UK. Handmade is very en vogue at the moment but if you haven’t got the time to join the craft revival yourself, why not consider a gift made by an up and coming designer?

We have some truly unique gift ideas, perfect if you’re looking for something a little bit different. Here’s just a few of them:-

‘What Would Delia do’ sampler in a gorgeous shabby chic frame, £22, perfect for domestic goddesses in need of culinary inspiration!

For a tongue in cheek gift for him or her, what about one of our ‘Do The Dishes’ tea towels? Fair Trade, organic & just £9.50

For a romantic gift for her, why not consider a double heart silver necklace? Simple but stunning and just £36

Handbag divas will love our gorgeous silver clutch bag with bird motif. A designer bag without the designer price at just £45

As a good all round birthday gift or stocking filler, our gorgeous smelling soap set with nail brush fits the bill at just £9.95

All available now at www.kittyandpolly.co.uk. Delivery is just £3.50 and completely free when you spend £40 or more. Even better, we’re offering 10% off to Chocolat a Toi visitors – just use voucher code Chocolate at the checkout (offer valid until 31st October 2009, not incl P&P).

Express yourself...in French!

2009-09-21T18:35:00.000-07:00

I came across this interesting quiz and I thought I'd share it with you. If you dont speak much French but would like to sound ehm...you know... try these really simple and common expressions (French is in bold) -

1) I like my corn on the cob au naturel - means with nothing on it.

2) It's a fait accompli - The deed is done.

3) Im attending a soirée - It simply means you're going to an Elegant party.

If you're quite the French McDaddy, you may want to try the expressions below:

1) Tom always exhibits noblesse oblige - Term denoting benevolent and honorable behavior.

2) I love the art déco of that old skyscraper - reference to artistic lines

3) Keep clapping. We may be rewarded with an encore - not too difficult I assume

Now as per pronunciation, we shall deal with that tout de suite. A bientot!