Speciality Fine Food Fair at Olympia in London

I spent five hours here today with my friend from work. It's on for the next two days. If you're in the food industry in the UK it's worth getting down there. Quite a few chocolate happenings of interest, notably:
Lauden Chocolatier of Leeds - no shop yet but making superb fruit chocolates with Valrhona and some Amedei, though all Valrhona at the show.
Valrhona and their new bars and fabulous new packaging.
Ooh la la Chocolatiers - two fun girls making chocolates and cupcakes with a variety of couvetures. I didn't taste their chocolates but they looked interesting!
And some of the old favourites:
Cocoa Loco and their yummy brownies and more
Demarquette
and Vanini were back too.
The Chocolate Empire looked good too but they were busy when I walked past and I forgot to go back. (I was a bit weary by the end!)

http://www.specialityandfinefoodfairs.co.uk/ Enjoy!

Surprisingly Vegan Chocolate truffles at Wholefoods

Yesterday I went by Melt and Wholefoods. I bought only 4 chocolates in Melt: Kalamansi, Sea Salt Praline, Passionfruit and a Passionfruit and Mango cube. They were all divine but I had barely left the shop by the time I had finished them all so as the bus home went past Wholefoods I thought I would go in and perhaps get another chocolate. In the collection downstairs there are some of Melt's chocolates, amongst others. There was a coconut ganache I hadn't seen in the Notting Hill store so I asked the woman behind the counter if I could try it. She cut one in half for me and waited for my reaction. It was very mildly coconuty. She suggested I also try the vegan chocolate truffles (rolled in coconut) which she told me she made with coconut cream instead of regular cream. I asked her what chocolate she used and as soon as she told me Valrhona Manjari I asked to buy four. She then offered for me to try one first. Smart move as then I decided to get a few more. You would never have known they were vegan, or made with coconut cream. You couldn't tell at all because the fruitiness of the Manjari was stronger. Knowing how much better for you coconut oil is than dairy (in fact recommended as part of a weight-loss diet!) I think I might have to have these more often when I want truffles! They were really well made, and cheaper than any other chocolate truffles made with Valrhona in London. All the other house made chocolates were made with Callebaut. We had a further chat about chocolate and discussed other possiblities. I might have to pop in again to see what she's come up with. Quite a cool perk to the job to be able to play around with flavours and then get them straight to such a wide market. It made me want to go home and play with chocolate, but knowing I'd eat them all straight away,as well as the ones I'd just bought, I thought I might wait for now.

Oh, Willie's Wonky Chocolate Factory is back on TV again. I think this is the episode I'm in.

I ate everything at Acorn House

OK, not everything in the whole restaurant but I did sample every one of the meals, all of the salads and each of the desserts except the strawberry and cream. Every dish was spectacular. The arrabiata on the trout, the succulence of the pork belly and tenderness of the lamb and lots of fresh vegetables and leaves in the salads, the pasta dishes, especially the infamous prawn caramelline and the pasta with pancetta and cherry tomatoes - a lighter version of carbonara.

It was made all the better knowing how ecological the restaurant is, yet nothing is sacrificed for flavour of the dishes. In desserts the stand outs were black pepper chocolate cake with ginger ice cream was fabulous and the cherry eton mess a perfect melding of vanilla-flecked cream and part-crispy, part-chewy meringue and sharp fruit.

Jamie was on duty and sensing our enthusiasm (perhaps because we gushed to him so) he offered to show us the roof garden and waste room. The latter not normally somewhere you would want to see in such an establishment but relieving to see the order and lack of any odour!



Acorn House Roof Garden

Chocolate Beer

At university beer and chocolate were my two favourite things. Well, certainly the two most frequently consumed. So I always assumed Belgium would be the best place ever, home of beer and chocolate. I can't believe it took me 3 1/2 years of living full time in London to get there this February and I can't believe it took me until tonight to drink this beer I brought back with me:



Chocolate beer! It was good. Strange. The sweet smell of milky chocolate in what is a slightly hoppy fizzy drink, like alcoholic creamy soda! (Does this exist in the UK?) This picture was taken on our brand new table and chairs in our tiny garden. It's so nice to have somewhere to sit outside and it looks so much prettier outside the window now too. Even nicer that we finally have a warm evening! Bring on Summer.

the bath is my sanctuary

Lately (always?) I seem to be either at work, working on the business, visiting my family, or something else comes up that I can't seem to say no to. I love all those areas of my life. They all have frustrating and boring moments but I wish I had more time in every area because there is always more I would like to achieve or more time I'd like to spend with people or more people I'd like to spend time with. I'm not the greatest at saying no so I guess this doesn't help with the current overfill of my calendar. Granted, this is not a great trait in my job, but it is much easier to say at work and the repetition of saying no during work hours has made it much easier to say elsewhere. The trouble is I don't usually want to say no, there are so many things I want to say yes to.

So right now, my best escape is to light candles and lay in the bath. Today it's better than chocolate (although I have had chocolate too!).

Chocolate @ Taste of London

I couldn't resist buying both of these chocolate desserts yesterday. Both restaurants mentioned the Valrhona chocolate they had used by the specific type so I figured they knew their chocolate and could not just be looked at. I got the One-o-One offering first. We had savoury dishes from here last year and they were sensational. I also love salted caramel.


Coupe Liegoise of dark Manjari brownie chocolate, coffee and salt caramel ice cream.

The coffee mousse was delicious and the honeycomb crumbled at the bottom was fabulous. Despite the addition of the icecream it didn't really taste "puddingy" enough to be satisfying. The chocolate could have almost been anything, there was none of Manjari's trademark fruitiness coming through.

After another lap of the grounds and another savoury interruption (parmesan custard with anchovy toasts - super salty, but interesting) we joined the throngs at L'Atelier du Robuchon for this:



Chocolate sensation au chocolat Araguani, sorbet au cacao amer et biscuit Oreo - Creamy Araguani chocolate, bitter chocolate sorbet and Oreo cookie crumbs.

Now this was a dessert that filled a gap. A little too well. The little balls of crunch hidden amongst the mousse and sorbet were a welcome textural change for what was otherwise almost too rich after all the other food we had consumed.

I was much more restrained overall this year. I don't know if it wasn't as good as last year or if I just remembered how insanely full I was last year and therefore held back a little.

It was great also to see Gorvett & Stone, Paul A Young and Cocoa Loco showing off their delicious chocolate creations. I had thought I would buy some to take away but I was so chocolate-ed out (yep, even me) from the two chocolate desserts that I couldn't face the thought of taking some home.

a summary of the last few weeks

I’m not sure what happened to Sunday either, or the rest of the week for that matter. Except for returning Wednesday night (after Yo Sushi with friends) to a sparkling kitchen. Best £34 I have ever spent.

Where to start? Although I might protest otherwise I do enjoy being busy. Last minute madness at work adds to the excitement and I am obviously thrilled to be doing so many chocolate tours. Even more thrilled to have my second guide in full swing now. I love getting emails back with rave reviews. I may actually have accomplished what every business book tells you to do and hired people better than myself. I guess we all have different personalities but I know I have two truly excellent chocolate guides which is very nice indeed.

We are already planning the next trip to Paris. Not just because it took less than a week to demolish the bounty, but because there was still so much more to see. Next time we will organise a proper restaurant for Saturday night because although we read a sample menu for the one we did go to we were falsely seduced by oyster icecream and other molecular gastronomy-sounding dishes (really, who thought up that word, does that really sound appetising?) it was mostly a lot of fluff. Expensive fluff too. Delicious sounding dishes that just didn’t deliver, especially not at the cost. The maitre’d was excellent but the waitresses looked like they were lost. Cest la vie.

There has been a chocolate event at least one evening a week for the last few weeks and then tours on the weekends. I attended another Seventypercent tasting with special guest Alex Rast explaining the matrix by which all fine chocolate will fall into – in the four corners: earthy, spicy, fruity and creamy (if I remember correctly? Please remind me if I’ve got it wrong!).

Paul Young hosted an Ecuadorian chocolate and jewellery event at his store in Camden Passage. When we arrived he poured us glasses of his special chocolate brew, informing us “you only need two”. One and a half was where I stopped! Delicious, rich and managing to be both refreshing and – because of the alcohol – warming. I want the recipe.

Last Friday Beth Dunn hosted a chocolate party in St Paul’s. Truffles, biscuits, cakes, shortbread and chunks of chocolate brought in by her and Chrstine (who runs cooking classes). Somehow I was still there when they turned the lights on. It was a fun evening catching up with friends from a variety of areas in my life and introducing them all to each other.

Then earlier this week I got myself along to the first open Academy of Chocolate event. Chantal Coady who is celebrating 25 years of Rococo Chocolates gave a talk and offered us a variety of chocolate to sample. Bill McCarrick (Sir Hans Sloane Chocolates), William Curley, Paul Young and Sevetypercent where all there with chocolates to taste too. It’s definitely worth getting yourself along to the next one (I’ll give you notice, I promise!). I have heard Chantal talk at least once before but most of what she said tonight was new to me, a new insight into chocolate production and also into her business history. From everyone I speak to, and my own limited experience, having your own business is both one of the most rewarding experiences and the most stressful. Especially when everything is on the line for it. I like how my business supports these other chocolate businesses – by bringing chocolate lovers for their best chocolate experience.

In other news, my mum arrives from Australia tonight. I will be sharing her with the rest of her family after tonight but I am so excited to see her!

Apologies that this has fallen into the blog curse of listing events but there was so many chocolate things to share with you all!

Tomorrow I'm off to Taste of London. I will be saying hi to Paul Young and Cocoa Loco brownie and truffle makers! And, no doubt, eating and drinking myself silly. I'll be the one accompanied by the motherly-looking identical twins, on their induction to fine food. It should be entertaining.

Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate

I have had a very intense few weeks and it isn't over yet. I need to go to bed now but it's been so long since I blogged!

Work has been super busy and every spare minute outside of that has been filled with chocolate, with the exception of a very peaceful weekend in the country with friends last weekend - though it feels so long ago now.

I have to say though that even though I may be running on adrenalin I am so happy. I love it when my life is filled with chocolate. Work's been really interesting too. I've been to two chocolate events in the last week, visited so many chocolate boutiques, been sent chocolate brownies and tomorrow night am off to a chocolate party and have the new Chelsea Chocolate tour on Saturday (so tomorrow won't be a late one!) plus organising a last minute hen tour to run simultaneously on Saturday. What fun!

I promise to post more details about all of these choc-adventures on Sunday (or at least start to!) when I finally stop. Though I really should clean the flat first. I'm so pleased we finally hired a cleaner - I just wish they were able to start this week!

the longest chocolate walk ever

10.5 miles! We did plan, even with the detailed maps, to play the day by ear. We only decided the first few shops that we would visit, after these we were making good time so decided to try and see more, especially as most would not be open tomorrow. So we walked and walked. Stopping finally for lunch in a brasserie in a gorgeous square. At this point quite ravenous because we had been buying, rather than trying, at each shop. We got the last two shops in just before closing, then stopped by L’Epicerie – supermarket heaven for me. Like a cross between WholeFoods and Selfridge’s Food Hall but oozing with French glamour. Only sad that the other incredible food shops aren’t open tomorrow so they will have to wait until the next (as yet, unplanned) visit. With aching feet we arrived home after 8pm. We mapped out our route on walkjogrun.net the total miles we walked were just over 10 (about 16.5km). Next time we should probably wear proper walking shoes!

More details to come.... Time for dinner!

A Chocolate Adventure in Paris

It’s been two years and one month since I was last in Paris. Far too long. This time I’m better equipped for chocolate exploration. I’ve made a map with most of the chocolate shops and patisseries and printed out some additional details to remind me what’s what. Also, this time I’m here with my good friend who is, most conveniently, half-French and a chocolate lover and expert. It’s good to be here with someone who is as passionate about chocolate as I am! This way I don’t have to feel bad for dragging someone else into my obsession! Here we go….

Chocolate and Wine tasting

On Wednesday night I went along to Seventypercent's Chocolate and Wine tasting. Surprisingly, though I've been to wine tastings and to (many) chocolate tastings and I've indulged in the two together many times, this was the first time I'd gone to a proper tasting. It was truly an education. I think I learnt the most from experimentation (don't we always?).

I arrived early to help the team set up and, in order to man the tables appropriately, took it upon myself to check out as many combinations as possible (without opening the champagne or the Eiswin which were both chilling.

I discovered that the 10 Year Old Tawny Port was fantastic with the Valrhona Ampamakia, quite good with the Pralus Ecuador, not so good with the milk chocolates. They were divine with the champagne and the Eiswin. The milk chocolates were Michel Cluizel's Maralumi Lait and the Amedei Toscano Brown.

Willie's 100% Rio Caribe was an interesting combination with an Angus Bull Red. It also went quite well with the fortified wine, Mon Amis.

If I had to choose for my own after dinner selection it would be the Mon Amis with Amedei Chuao or the Eiswin with the Amedei Toscano Brown. Heavenly.

and the Chocolate Awards go to...

What a great night. Champagne, chocolate, what more could a girl ask for?

It was a really well-run evening and the award-giving part of the evening ran smoothly, there was the opportunity for it to drag a bit but the presenter kept it moving along swiftly. Perhaps he wanted to get back to the chocolate himself?

It was almost a clean sweep for William Curley who took home a swathe of well-deserved certificates and a mounted, spray-painted cacao pod as further recognition. I had the opportunity to try some of his, and the other award-winning chocolates, during the evening. I was in total chocolate ecstasy upon trying his juniper berry and cassis truffle. This gold winner was a jelly layered on ganache, enrobed in dark Amedei chocolate - bliss. His very lovely staff gave me some to take home too which I was delighted about because with all the different varieties around that evening even I couldn't have tried them all. Because of this I got to try his raspberry truffle which I had eschewed for the more adventurous flavours on offer that evening. It was similarly wondrous.

A few other highlights included Bill McCarrick's white chocolate with passionfruit and drambuie. I don't even like white chocolate especially so this is saying something. Paul Young had a refreshing goats cheese and citrus filled chocolate and Theo (of USA) brought along his award-winning fig and fennel truffles - delicious.

I was still on a chocolate high at 10am yesterday, having woken - eyes wide - at 5am, even at 10am my eyes were gleaming and limbs moving just a little too quickly and erratically as I gestured excitedly telling people about the chocolate. What a great way to perk up the day. I love chocolate.

Soon, so soon, there will be more. Off on the very first Chelsea Chocolate Ecstasy Tour today!

Off to the Academy Awards

The Academy of Chocolate Awards, of course. It's tonight. What fun! Hmm, just realised it could be a formal affair. Oops, no time to get changed between there and work. Oh well, I'm sure people's focus will be on the chocolate!

Bonny Scotland

Gosh, it has been a long time. I've been on holiday this week, in Scotland (had you guessed?). Somehow we fluked the first turn to consistent warm weather and in Scotland. Two days ago it was warmer in Inverness than in Barcelona. Never can anyone tell me that I bring bad weather, this may be the warmest week Scotland has all year.

It was nice to have a holiday where you just get in the car and drive, particularly when the sun is shining and the temperature hovers in the early twenties all week.

Enough talking, here are some pictures:
Go in Spring when there are sweet lambs like this one.




Real countryside, with cows and everything. :-)


And we climbed hills (!):


I found a great little cafe/bakery in Edinburgh where they sell all the top chocolate brands and make their ice cream and chocolate treats from Valrhona:

L'Artisan biscuits are back

I'm in heaven! And maybe just a little sick. I should have stopped a biscuit or two ago. :-) I was just so excited that L'Artisan du Chocolat have started making their chocolate biscuits again. They are so good. Sophisticated buttery biscuits with a deep fruity chcoolate.

The Real Food Festival is on next weekend (Thurs 24th to Sunday 27th). I know L'Artisan du Chocolat will be there. I'm not sure who else yet but I'm certain it will be worth a look!

New Chocolate Entrepreneurs

After the chocolate tour today I went back my usual way through the Cabbages and Frocks market. Lo and behold, a new chocolate maker is on the scene.

Check out Will and his team:



That's Will with the headphones. This is his first foray to selling to the public (he's been supplying events for the last year or so).

And these are his exciting chocolates (all three boxes):



The passion just oozes out of this guy. I love it. I promised him I'd get Alice to deliver next week's tour group to his stall next week. They might be chocolate-ed out but it'll be worth it.

This, I believe, is how he made it through the week preparing the chocolates for market:



Super sugar.

Go along and check him out on Saturdays at the Marylebone market or at his website.

the youngest person to ever come on a chocolate tour

Is he not the cutest thing you have ever seen?

My friends' baby had his six month birthday on the trial of the new chocolate tour last Saturday. This was us in Fishworks having some food afterwards. They make the best taramasalata ever. You can see my fresh mint tea in the left of the picture. It came with an incredibly moreish brownie chunk that they make in-house. Yes, my capacity for eating chocolate is virtually limitless. Hey, we had a savoury break of fish and bread in between!

The little man was supremely well behaved throughout the whole tour. Chocolate tours aren't really the place for babies but you can take this one anywhere. He is a dream. All down to a very chilled mum and dad, me thinks.

oh, so full

It took me until about 10am today to feel remotely hungry. Ok, I know that's not a particularly long time, but I still didn't eat much then.

I stuffed myself so much at dinner last night. A complete glutton. I went for a run at lunch today to try and make myself feel slightly better about it. But, then, I don't care too much. It was totally worth it.

We had the tasting menu at Petrus and it was superb. It's funny, I'm half-way through reading Gordon Ramsay's second biography and everything he says about his service in his restaurants is true. They offered to do substitutes if there was anything we couldn't or wouldn't eat and offered a vegetarian version of the tasting menu which I chose (with a fish dish from the a la carte in the "main" course). This way we get to try more, though the man was quite stubborn in letting me try his dishes. After I chose the vegetarian menu they came back with risotto ball canapes for me, sensitive to the fact that the lamb koftas and foie gras with blackberry powder might not be my favourites. The risotto balls with truffle oil were divine (though the lamb koftas were pretty good too!).

In his book Ramsay mentioned the champagne trolley "to make things simpler for the table in deciding aperitifs" and candidly admits that the £9.50 rose champagne helps the upselling of the bill. I expected the prices may have risen since the book was published (2007) but was still somewhat aghast at the £25-a-glass addition in the bill. Live and learn. I should have asked. I did get a small box of chocolates to take home (mmmmmm) so that went a way towards making it all ok. Frankly, it was better just to pretend the entire bill didn't exist and not to look at it again. La di da.

I do love going to restaurants like this but I'm glad not to do it too regularly. Mainly because I find it difficult to leave food on my plate (though the budget blow-out is the real reason!). The truffle risotto (my 2nd official course) was delicious. I was surprised to find a few of the dishes - this one included - overly salty, but the variety of breads we were offered mopped this saltiness up reasonably well.

The turbot was delectable too, as was my halibut with truffles and baby vegetables. Melt in the mouth good.

Our final course was a chocolate molleux (warm) with banana jelly cubes and banana icecream for me and a lemon creme with brioche crisp for him. We couldn't decide which was better but both were incredible. The chocolate was Valhrona 70%. Caraibe, I assume. We thought we were done but oh no... The chocolate tree came our way. An elaborate set of hanging truffle baskets. There were six varieties and I ended up trying them all (not knowing I would get a box of four when I left). My current chocolate craving is for chcoolate and nuts so the milk chocolate praline was the most satisfying but I really loved the mango and passionfruit. It was a dark chocolate shell filled with a fruit puree. There was also a plain dark caribbean truffle, a cassis (its white chocolate shell overpowered the delicious blackcurrant centre a bit too much), a coconut (too sickly, but perhaps only because I was so full already) and a salted caramel. For the first time in a long, long time I was chocolate-d out. I genuinely thought I might not eat any chocolate today. But it was a dull train journey home so I picked up a large slice of chocolate cake at St Pancras. "Oops."

I think I should probably go running again tomorrow.

in anticipation of Ramsay proteges

Snow. In April? What's going on?! At least it's lighter in the evenings. It's amazing how much that can lift spirits. Despite spending more hours in the office last week than I have so far this year, I felt energised and awake. I thought it was just because I was enjoying the work I was doing. I realised today on my pilgrimage to a chocolate shop that last week was the first week after the clocks changing for daylight saving. Ah ha! So, despite the snow, summer must be on the way. Right?!

The good thing about snow is it makes hot chocolates all the more enticing.

On Wednesday night we're eating at Petrus. I can't wait. I'll be sure to eat something chocolate-y and report back.

the New Chocolate Tour

I've just got back from the trial of the new Chocolate Ecstasy Tour. This one is in the Chelsea/Kensington area. In the time it took me to put on a load of washing my lovely man - who came with me today - had fallen asleep! Despite sleeping later than me this morning! Though I guess I am able to keep going and going and going once I've had chocolate! Tours always give me a high, too. I just love introducing people to great chocolate All the shops did a spectacular job today and I can't wait to start taking more people to these shops as well. I just need to schedule the public launch date! Due to other commitments it looks like it might be the first weekend in June. I'm really excited that each tour is unique. All but one of my guinea pigs today had been on the original Chocolate Tour and all agreed that each tour has its own specialness.

I've got to go get ready to go out for dinner with friends now (will the eating never stop? :-) ).

If you are interested in being part of the public launch of the brand new Chocolate Ecstasy Tour let me know!