As I planned my chocolate tour of London, I knew that a visit to Paul A. Young's Soho store on Wardour Street was a must. I visit every time I head to London to taste inspired and highly creative chocolate...
Yes, I realise we're a month beyond Christmas and so, advent calendars are perhaps the last thing on your mind right now. In 2021, I had the pleasure of working through three calendars (you know, because one just wasn't enough!)....
Cast your mind back to 2021 and perhaps the strangest brand fight of the year was that between Aldi and Marks & Spencer over caterpillar celebration cakes. M&S' Colin the Caterpillar versus Aldi's Cuthbert the Caterpillar. Pretty much every supermarket...
Green & Black's started on London's Portobello Road back in 1991 and has since grown into a giant that's now part of Mondelēz International. The core products are created with organic and Fairtrade cocoa. Besides producing a range of chocolate bars, Green & Black's also stocks a range of gifting products, including chocolate hampers.
Valentine's Day is almost upon us (again), and in true fashion, chocolatiers and chocolate manufacturers alike have been busy putting the finishing touches to a range of (mostly) pink and red boxed delights. From a retail perspective, heart-shaped boxes have...
My chocolate tour of London included a visit to one of my favourite Belgian chocolatiers, Pierre Marcolini. Nestled amongst architecturally splendid buildings in London's Marylebone High Street sits this quaint slice of Belgium. As I stepped inside the store, I...
Carrots. A staple of a roast dinner. The perfect vegetable for use in a cake. The unlikely star of a particular supermarket's Christmas adverts. In terms of chocolate, I've seen it used with great effect in Hotel Chocolat's Carrot Cake...
Fritz Bützer, who changed his name to Frederick Belmont when he settled in Harrogate, learned to become a confectioner and chocolatier while travelling through Switzerland and France. In 1919, he opened Betty's Tea Room in the Yorkshire town which has since become an institution. The company still makes and sells a wide range of chocolates using the finest Swiss Grand Cru.
I scheduled in a visit to Montezuma's Spitalfields store during my chocolate walking tour of London. My timing coincided with a visit by Montezuma's co-founder, Helen Pattinson. As a chocolate blogger I get to meet people from all walks of...
If you have followed my chocolate blog for a while now, you'll know about my obsession with Nibblette's handiwork. Beautiful artistry paired with clear flavours have led to many impressive results, from the 12-Piece Chocolate Selection Box through to the...
We're used to hearing about lab-grown meat. This synthetic meat promises to solve the problem of feeding the world's growing population while being more sustainable and more ethical. Whether humans will accept such a product as part of their normal...
2020 was a write-off, but 2021 has seen glimmers of normality return. With that, the lockdown blues from Christmas 2020 are behind us, and we're now keener than ever to enjoy this year's festivities without a hitch. Big (but safe)...