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Pudding is the best part of any meal, right? I think so, at least. It's the part I look forward to most, and if something chocolatey is on the menu, you can bet that's what I'll pick.
I suspect that's the case over at Harris & James HQ. The Beccles-based bean-to-bar chocolate specialist has created a range of dessert-inspired 'Inclusions' chocolate bars. Using house white, milk and dark chocolates as the bases, the team then add natural flavourings and toppings to create recipes inspired by our favourite teatime treats.
Packaging
It's clear that this Inclusions range is Harris & James' way to have fun with chocolate. The single-farm bean-to-bar chocolate is perhaps the most serious in the range (the 9-5 work week), with the convenient luxury snack bars introducing a little playfulness (the weekend). But these dessert-inspired Inclusions bars are pure joy, fun, and excitement (the two week summer holiday).
The chunky and colourful 100g bars are simply packaged in compostable film wrappers, with a board sleeve around the lower half.
The front of the colourful board inserts contain the Harris & James logo, the recipe name and the text "chocolate handmade from the bean". Each contains a picture of the inspiration along with a stamp that reads "ethically sourced, finest quality cocoa".
The reverse contains a description of the bar along with the ingredients and nutritional information. the packaging is completely compostable and recyclable.
The chocolate bars are cast using a Union flag mould (these are Great British creations, after all), with inclusions liberally scattered on the reverse. Each is made with a house blend of either white or milk chocolate, which is crafted from bean-to-bar in Suffolk.
Harris & James Banoffee Pie Chocolate Bar Review
Harris & James Banoffee Pie Chocolate Bar ingredients:
Caramelised white chocolate (cocoa butter, sugar, whole milk powder), banana pieces (4%) (banana puree, concrentrated pear puree, concerntrated lemon juice, fructose, glucose syrup, humectant (glycerol), sugar, wheat fibre, palm fat, gelling agent (pectin), acitidy regulator (malic acid), natural flavouring), chocolate brownie pieces (4%) (sugar, cocoa powder, humectant (glycerol), sunflower oil, wheat starch, cream powder, coconut oil, glucose syrup, salt, natural banana flavour (0.01%)). White chocolate contains 40% cocoa butter and 30% milk solids minimum.
- Sugars: 42%
- Allergens: Milk, wheat and cream; and may contain traces of egg, peanuts, and tree nuts.
- What they say: Finest caramelised single origin white chocolate with crunchy banana pieces and chocolate brownie pieces.
- What I say: Strong banana and caramel notes waft in the aroma here, so there's no mistaking the dessert from which this draws inspiration. The white chocolate is quite grainy in texture and offers a dull snap, but serves up a robust base of caramel flavour to let the banana and brownie pieces do their thing. On my bar, the banana pieces had sweated in the wrapper and had become soggy rather than crunchy. The brownie pieces were still firm and sat mid-way between cakey and biscuity in texture. While I enjoyed this bar, I suspect it tastes even better consuming it as close to the day it was born.
Harris & James Banoffee Pie Chocolate Bar Review
RRP: £3.50 | Harris & James | Shop now
Caramel, banana and brownies - as good in a chocolate bar as it is in a dessert. I'd have preferred crispier pieces of banana (or perhaps dried banana chips as a more natural alternative) to add a definitive crunch, and possibly chewier brownie pieces, to cover all bases.
Harris & James Key Lime Pie Chocolate Bar Review
Harris & James Key Lime Pie Chocolate Bar ingredients:
White chocolate (cocoa butter, sugar, whole milk powder), meringue pieces (5%) (sugar, fat coating (fractionated and refined palm), wheat starch, egg white powder), biscuit pieces (5%) (flour (wheat, calcium, iron, niacin, thiamin), sugar, margarine (palm oil, rapeseed oil, water, salt, emulsifier (distilled mono-glyceride), natural vegetable colours (annatto, curcumin), natural flavouring), cocoa butter), natural lime flavour (0.01%), blue food colouring (cocoa butter, E133), yellow food colouring (cocoa butter, curcumin). White chocolate contains 40% cocoa butter and 30% milk solids minimum.
- Sugars: 42%.
- Allergens: Wheat, egg and milk; and may contain traces of peanuts and tree nuts.
- What they say: Finest single-origin white chocolate mixed with natural lime flavouring and speckled with meringue pieces.
- What I say: Creamy vanilla meets tangy lime in the aroma. It may be white chocolate but it gives a good robust snap. In tasting, the lime comes through clearly, but isn't too forceful. It lets the creaminess of the white chocolate come through, which then compliments the crisp meringue and biscuit pieces on top. It's sweet, but noticeably less so than many white chocolates.
Harris & James Key Lime Pie Chocolate Bar Review
RRP: £3.50 | Harris & James | Shop now
This bar is well balanced, with the lime flavour blending in harmony with the creamy white chocolate. The crunchiness of the toppings add a playful texture. It's a fun, summery bar inspired by, rather than a clone of, Key Lime Pie.
Harris & James Salted Pecan & Raisin Chocolate Bar Review
Harris & James Salted Pecan & Raisin Chocolate Bar ingredients:
Milk chocolate (coco mass (cocoa beans, cocoa butter), sugar, whole milk powder, emulsifier (sunflower lecithin), pecan nuts (6%), raisins (6%), salt (0.6%). Cocoa solids: 35% minimum; milk solids: 22% minimum.
- Sugars: 45%.
- Allergens: Milk, pecan nuts, sulphites; and may contain traces of gluten and peanuts.
- What they say: Award-winning smooth milk chocolate speckled with premium pecan nuts and juicy Californian raisins.
- What I say: The aroma is a tasty medley of caramel milk chocolate notes, sweet raisins, and just a touch of nuttiness. The flavour follows in the same footprints, with a rich and creamy milk chocolate base lending hints of caramel to the bar. The juicy raisins add bursts of sweetness while the pecans add an earthy nuttiness, pulling everything together. The salt isn't overpowering and is used as an enhancer, subtly drawing everything together.
Harris & James Salted Pecan & Raisin Chocolate Bar Review
RRP: £3.50 | Harris & James | Shop now
Think of a rich and decadent pecan pie in chocolate form. Inspired by this classic dessert, this bar uses sweet raisins and flavoursome pecans together with a creamy milk chocolate that adds in luscious caramel notes. Perhaps not as creative as the others, this bar is still a tasty treat.
Where to Buy Online
If you've never tried bean-to-bar chocolate, this is an accessible first step. £3.50 for 100g is good value, and these bars focus less on the nuances of cocoa and more on delivering the fun and whimsy of nostalgic dessert flavours. By sampling these, you can then appreciate the difference good quality cocoa (and cocoa butter) and lower sugar content can make.
Pop along over to the Harris & James website where you will find the full range of Inclusions chocolate bars (£3.50 each). Other varieties in the collection include Mississippi Mud Pie, Sticky Toffee Pudding, Rocky Road, and Eton Mess.
If you're still hungry for more puddings, H&J also stocks a Great British Puddings Chocolate Selection Box (£10), containing 12 bite-size chocolates with flavours of Raspberry Eton Mess Chocolate, Sticky Toffee Chocolate, and English Trifle Chocolate.
Once you've enjoyed these, move onto something like Harris & James' Salted Caramel 40% Milk Chocolate Bar where they play with the finer nuances of the cocoa in a non-pretentious manner.
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What's your most favourite chocolate pudding? Let me know in a comment below.
