The chocolate weekly 44 - 2014

More than any other food, chocolate delights and enchants … chocolate tantalizes and it comforts. Chocolate has soothed fretful children and welcomed tired travelers; mountain climbers have saved their last piece of chocolate to celebrate reaching new heights; suitors have given chocolate to show the depth of their devotion. Chocolate has been used as a stimulant, an aphrodisiac, and [even] a form of currency. – Neva Beach, The Ghirardelli Chocolate Cookbook

When you need some new stimulus, it’s time to visit some of the best Chocolate shops in London.

Do you know them all?

Illustration: Ian Mitchell

Did you know that there is a Chocolate Museum in London?

It is in Brixton and offers a range of fun, hands-on, educations, sense-stimulating workshops for adults and children.

They are offering different chocolate making workshops for adults and children (half term workshop starts on 30th October!), chocolate and wine tasting for grown ups and summer workshops and chocolate making parties for the children. To me it looks like fun. Here is the complete programme.

In the news:

Harrods has started to sell the probably most expensive box of chocolates. For “only” £600 you can enjoy the Delice chocolates

Delice chocolates are hand made in Dubai and on sale at Harrods from this month on.  Telegraph reports that 8 out of 10 British people who tried them in a blind tasting prefered even the cheap Cadbury’s Milk Tray – also people who call themselves connoisseurs. Is it because of the for Europeans unusual flavours? Harrods says they are selling two of those boxes per day. Have you tried the chocolates? Did you like them?

I know I like this lovely cake created by Joanne Todd from Brown’s:

Joanne will soon share with us the recipe for her delicious chocolate tart, so keep following us. She is a real chocolover and a very talented pastry chef. She will be featured in November as the first Cacao Barry Star. Joanne was the first pastry chef from London who has created her own chocolate at the Or Noir Laboratory.

This month has Cacao Barry welcomed also the first Or Noir client from the North America. Greg Hook from Chocolate Arts (Vancouver) who always thought the difficult balance of a strong cacao start with a red fruit finish would be ideal for his signature chocolate. A one-two punch of cocoa and fruit. He has created the chocolate of his dreams at the Or Noir laboratory in Paris and now sells it at his shop in bulk and bar form as well as in his hot chocolate, some bonbons and pastries. Read the entire story here.

Have a lovely week and don’t forget: