When the cat is away, the mouse will... eat chocolate.

Growing up on a farm, you quickly learn that mice actually prefer chocolate to cheese. Any stale chocolate in our house went on the traps (sorry, you live on a farm and you kind of get used to animals being killed, or you don’t and become a vegetarian at the age of 8). Unfortunately for the mice, most of the chocolate in our house was stale because mum would hide it and then forget about it. I remember in 1998 finding a bar with a best before of August 1991. Ick.

I didn’t actually mean to write about mice. The dear man (who does prefer cheese, though is now also very partial to chocolate) is away mountain biking and I decided to stay home and “work” (seeing as I don’t have a bike that could handle the hills and am petrified of hurtling down slopes on two wheels given I managed to crack ribs coasting down a gentle gradient of a tarred road many years ago). So, “work”: I have been shopping (new dress, new shirt - hooray! The first time I’ve bought new clothes in MONTHS) and watched “Down With Love” with Ewan McGregor and Renee Zellweger. I never knew that the feminist protaganist (played by RZ) recommends chocolate as a subsitute for love. What a great film (I'm so biased). This reminded me that I have a bar of Manjari that had been put aside for truffles I bought on the tour that needed to be eaten first. (See, I’m not turning into my mother, I remembered the chocolate while it was still fresh!)

People often ask me what my favourite chocolate is. While it does change regularly, if I did have to choose just one (please don’t ever make me!) might be Valrhona Manjari. This is what’s currently left of the bar, sitting on the bed covers – yep, decadence all the way. I LOVE it. It’s unbelievable how fruity chocolate can be, with no added flavours.



Time for me to have a bubble bath. And yes, I have managed to fit in cleaning, washing and working to my hectic schedule of chocolate and films.

I hope you’re enjoying the long weekend!