chocolate » Kavey Eats

Win Hotel Chocolat’s Entire Rabot 1745 Range

13 May 2013 20 Responses »

May 132013

As a chocolate lover, I’ve come across single origin chocolate, made with cocoa from a single country or region. And I’ve come across single estate chocolate which, as the name suggests, is produced by one cocoa plantation.

But I’ve never before come across “single côte” chocolate such as Hotel Chocolat’s new Rabot Estate Marcial 70% Dark.

Instead of blending all the cocoa grown across their property in Soufriere, Saint Lucia, Hotel Chocolat have picked and processed the cocoa from each plot of land within the estate separately. The Marcial plot is described as “mix of grizzled 80-100 year-old trees and fresh new four-year-old trees planted as seedlings” near the Rabot lake.

Hotel Chocolat refer to the cocoa variety grown in Marcial as Trinitarios, a “rare bean unique to the Rabot Estate”. I assume it to be a variant of Trinitario, a hybrid of Criollo and Forastero. (Criollo makes up only 5% of the world’s cocoa crops. It demands high prices because it’s difficult to grow and yields are low. Forastero, on the other hand, makes up the bulk of the crop, being far easier to grow and harvest. However, it’s described as bland and lacking in complexity of flavour. Trinitario is said to combine aspects of both parents, and represents around 15% of cocoa grown).

Flavour wise, the marketing blurb for the bar says it has “notes of shiraz wine, antique oak, roasted cocoa and
stewed spiced plums”.

Personally, I don’t pick up wine, oak or stewed plums but the chocolate has a wonderful fruitiness that is reminiscent of cocoa from Madagascar, which is a favourite of mine. It’s nicely balanced with a hint of acidity that reminds me of balsamic vinegar in flavour. The roast is well judged too, enough to taste but not enough to make the chocolate too strongly bitter. It’s a lovely bar indeed.

Marcial 70% Dark is one of 18 chocolates that make up the Rabot 1745 range, a collection of chocolate made with cocoa from the world’s top cocoa growing regions. The batch label on each bar will not only tell you where the cocoa was grown but also the length of time it was roasted and conched, the name of the individual chocolatier who created it and the year of harvest.

It’s a great way of learning about the characteristics of chocolate from different parts of the world and narrowing down your personal preferences.

Currently in the collection are bars made with cocoa from Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Java, Madagascar, Peru, St Lucia, Trinidad, Venezuala and Vietnam.

COMPETITION

Hotel Chocolat have generously offered a set of all 18 bars (35 grams each) in their Rabot 1745 collection to one lucky Kavey Eats reader. The prize is worth over £60 and includes free delivery anywhere in the UK.

HOW TO ENTER

You can enter the competition in 3 ways:

Entry 1 – Blog Comment
Leave a comment below, telling me which Rabot 1745 bar you are most looking forward to trying, and why.

Entry 2 – Facebook

Like the Kavey Eats Facebook and leave a (separate) comment on this blog post with your Facebook user name.

Entry 3 – Twitter
Follow @Kavey on Twitter. Existing followers are, of course, welcome to enter!
Then tweet the (exact) sentence below.
I’d love to win the @HotelChocolat Rabot 1745 Collection from Kavey Eats! http://goo.gl/HJ2Go #KaveyEatsHotelChocolat
(Please do not add my twitter handle into the tweet; I track entries using the hashtag. And you don’t need to leave a blog comment about your tweet either, thanks!)

RULES & DETAILS

The deadline for entries is midnight GMT Friday 7th June 2013.
The winners will be selected from all valid entries using a random number generator.
Entry instructions form part of the terms and conditions.
The prize is a set of eighteen 35 gram bars of Hotel Chocolat’s Rabot 1745 collection and includes free delivery anywhere in the UK.
The prize cannot be redeemed for a cash value.
The prize is offered and provided by Hotel Chocolat.
Where prizes are to be provided by a third party, Kavey Eats accepts no responsibility for the acts or defaults of that third party.
One blog entry per person only. One Twitter entry per person only. One Facebook entry per person only. You do not have to enter all three ways for your entries to be valid.
For Twitter entries, winners must be following @Kavey at the time of notification. For Facebook entries, winners must Like the Kavey Eats Facebook page at time of notification.
Blog comment entries must provide a valid email address for contacting the winner.
The winners will be notified by email, Twitter or Facebook. If no response is received within 7 days of notification, the prize will be forfeit and a new winner will be picked and contacted.

Kavey Eats received sample bars from the Rabot 1745 collection.

Japanese Kit Kats: Wasabi, Roasted Tea, Rum Raisin, Cherry Blossom & More

26 Apr 2013 22 Responses »

Apr 262013

Kit Kats are a quintessentially British chocolate snack, originally launched in London and South East England by Rowntree’s back in 1935. They quickly spread around the world and are now a popular sweet in many countries. The iconic “Have a Break, Have a Kit Kat” advertising slogan appeared in 1958, cementing the brand’s identity.

Although they were initially made in Britain, production and distribution was expanded (into Germany) to meet demand. Rowntree’s also signed agreements with Hershey and Fuijya to market and distribute their products in the USA and Japan respectively. In 1988 Rowntree’s was purchased by Nestlé, who then had global control over the Kit Kat brand everywhere except North America, which Hershey retained. Nestlé created new facilities in Japan, Malaysia, India and China. In 2000, Nestlé also acquired Fujiya’s share of the brand.

Variations in Kat Kat flavours didn’t appear until 1996 when Kit Kat Orange was launched in the UK. In the years since, flavours such as double chocolate, white chocolate, caramel, mint and peanut butter were also released. These flavours have been resolutely mainstream, chosen to appeal to the widest possible demographic and frankly, they add little to the wider confectionery scene.

But in Japan, the world of Kit Kats is completely different. Indeed, Nestle has released over 200 flavours since 2000 including ginger ale, soy sauce, green tea, banana, and strawberry cheesecake. These are often created as short term limited editions, which presumably gives more scope for the unusual and the outrageous. The other side of the coin is an audience far more receptive to the new and different than us Brits.

Because it sounds so much like the Japanese good luck phrase, kitto katsu, which means “surely win”, Kit Kats have become a popular gift for any occasion that calls for wishing the recipient well. Of course, the constant innovation in new flavours (not to mention packaging designs) also keeps interest keen.

Although we ate as many traditional local specialities as we could during our trip to Japan last year, I was determined to find as many Japanese Kit Kat variations as possible.

We tasted them all in one sitting – here’s our feedback on the 9 flavours I brought home:

Wa-Ichigo Strawberry

“Quite a good strawberry flavour”, says Pete, but slightly artificial. To me it tastes like cheap strawberry flavoured milkshakes from our childhood, though that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Citrus Golden Blend

Although this smells incredibly sweet, on the palate it actually has an unexpectedly pleasant balance of sharp and sweet. Pete too likes that “bit of acid to it”. This works.

Strawberry Cheesecake

To me this Kit Kat reeks of blue cheese; to Pete it’s Parmesan he picks up on the nose. I find it has an unpleasant milky flavour (and I mean the dairy product here not milk or white chocolate) as well as an odd hint of coconut. Pete (who has an even sweeter tooth than I do) comments on the extreme sweetness and the coconut and says that whilst he also detects a “faint hint of artificial fruit”, he “can’t tell what it is”. Not a resounding success with either of us, this one.

Rum Raisin

Wow! It smells right! And it tastes right too. There’s even a hint of alcohol to the taste, though I can’t read the box to confirm whether or not it actually contains any. Pete really likes it too, but comments that he “wouldn’t like to have to take a breathalyser test after eating one!”

Hojicha Roasted Tea

Oh, this is like a cup of strongly brewed black tea with milk and a rich tea biscuit. It’s fabulous and I absolutely love it! Pete too says it smells and tastes just like cup of tea. He’s not quite as keen as I am but definitely approves.

Wasabi

Pete gets a hint of wasabi on the nose, but I can’t pick it up at all and wonder whether the taste will be equally faint. So I’m pleasantly surprised to find it has a strong and distinct wasabi flavour but no wasabi heat. Pete declares that it’s “disturbing, very disturbing” in the way that it captures the essence of wasabi but puts it into chocolate.

Uji-Matcha

Described as Uji-Matcha, after a well-known tea-producing town in Kansai this is one of the more mainstream Kit Kat flavours available in Japan. Matcha (powdered green tea) is used to flavour all manner of sweet and savoury dishes from noodles to ice cream, from cakes to salt mixes for tempura. Given that he’s not at all keen on matcha as a drink or an ingredient, Pete’s understandably not so enamoured of this Kit Kat as I am. For me, it’s a straightforward and fairly successful flavouring though the distinctive bitterness of matcha is a little too tempered by the milk and sugar for my tastes.

Sakura Matcha

In this Kit Kat, sakura (cherry blossom) is combined with matcha to create a uniquely Japanese treat. I find the matcha is somewhat overwhelmed by the flowers which give a rather strong perfume-like flavour which is very sweet and cloying. Neither of us would seek this out again.

Adult Sweetness

This is the only box which had no English writing at all, so I turn to twitter to ask if anyone could read Japanese. My friend Richard responds with a range of possibilities, eventually concluding that the name roughly translates as “adult sweetness”. We are at a loss to work out whether it means sophisticated and grown up or an altogether ruder interpretation!

In any case, we don’t like it at all. Pete thinks it “smells familiar” but “unpleasant” and tastes “peculiar”. My exact words are that it has “an absolutely horrid smell” and I find it incredibly sickly. If forced to guess I’d say it was based on cookies and cream, but don’t hold me to it.

Our top three, in no particular order, were Rum Raisin, Hojicha Roasted Tea and Wasabi with a runner up high five to Uji-Matcha.

Have you tasted any of the Japanese Kit Kat flavours? If so which ones and what did you think of them? Any you particularly loved or hated?

We’re going back to Japan later this year, so will look out for some different ones during our trip.

READER GIVEAWAY

I have one set of all 9 flavours above to give away to a Kavey Eats reader. The prize includes 9 individually wrapped mini Kit Kats, which I’ll put into a (non-branded) box for posting. I am happy to deliver anywhere in the UK.

(Note: Japanese mini kit kats are half the size of the usual two fingered ones we get here in the UK.)

HOW TO ENTER

You can enter the competition in 3 ways:

Entry 1 – Blog Comment
Leave a comment below, telling me what new flavour you think would be great in a Kit Kat. It can be savoury or sweet.

Entry 2 – Facebook

Like the Kavey Eats Facebook and leave a (separate) comment on this blog post with your Facebook user name.

Entry 3 – Twitter
Follow @Kavey on Twitter. Existing followers are, of course, welcome to enter!
Then tweet the (exact) sentence below.
I’d love to win a set of 9 mini Japanese Kit Kats from Kavey Eats! http://goo.gl/LrBDk #KaveyEatsKitKats
(Please do not add my twitter handle into the tweet; I track entries using the hashtag. And don’t leave a blog comment about your tweet either, thanks!”)

RULES & DETAILS

The deadline for entries is midnight GMT Friday 17th May 2013.
The winners will be selected from all valid entries using a random number generator.
Entry instructions form part of the terms and conditions.
The prize is a hand-assembled set of 9 mini Kit Kats in the flavours listed above and includes free delivery anywhere in the UK.
The prize cannot be redeemed for a cash value.
The prize is offered and provided directly by Kavey Eats.
One blog entry per person only. One Twitter entry per person only. One Facebook entry per person only. You do not have to enter all three ways for your entries to be valid.
For Twitter entries, winners must be following @Kavey at the time of notification. For Facebook entries, winners must Like the Kavey Eats Facebook page at time of notification.
Blog comment entries must provide a valid email address for contacting the winner.
The winners will be notified by email, Twitter or Facebook. If no response is received within 7 days of notification, the prize will be forfeit and a new winner will be picked and contacted.

This competition is closed. The winner is Doreen (blog comment entry).

Chocolate Ecstasy Tours in London

15 Apr 2013 2 Responses »

Apr 152013

My friend Jenn is the founder of Chocolate Ecstasy Tours, a company dedicated to helping people enjoy great chocolate.

She (and a team of dedicated guides) run chocolate-themed walking tours in Mayfair and Chelsea during which they lead the (small) group between a number of carefully picked specialists. During the tour, you learn more about how chocolate is made, the different types available and how to taste chocolate properly. At each shop you are treated to some specialities ranging from hot chocolate to frozen yoghurt, filled chocolates, plain bars and even macarons.

Jenn has also negotiated discounts in many of the shops, so you can buy your favourites for a little less.

A nice extra touch is that as a history enthusiast, Jenn is able to share many fascinating stories about the history of London, as you walk from place to place.

My ticket was a very thoughtful birthday gift and I must say, these tours are a fantastic gift idea for those who enjoy chocolate, especially those who are hard to buy for as they have all the socks, vases, books, games, jumpers, posh chutney they need!

Thanks to Jenn for a wonderful day!

Chocolate Blogger Turns Chocolatier

08 Apr 2013 4 Responses »

Apr 082013

Alright, that’s not strictly true… but having tasted my friend and renowned chocolate blogger Dom’s banana caramel chocolates recently, I wish it were.

They only look scuffed in my photos because they fell out of the bubble wrap on the way home. They were smooth and shiny when I was given them!

The chocolate was perfectly tempered (and I know from experience, this takes patience and accuracy) and the shells were thick and delicious but the star of the show was the fabulous banana caramel filling – a perfect balance between ripe fruit and deftly browned sugar.

Salted Banana Caramel Chocolates

I asked Dom for his tips on how to make the delicious banana caramel. He explained that he adapted Marc Demarquette’s basic technique for making salted caramel as follows:

He took a single banana, chopped it up and simmered it in double cream for a few minutes before mashing it into the cream, letting the mixture cool and forcing it through a sieve. The result was a thick banana cream that he used in place of regular cream when making the caramel. He also used a touch less sea salt than the original recipe.

Sounding very much the pro, he says about making the caramel, “starting out with a bit of water in the pan means you’re less likely to burn the sugar, then you really just make it by eye”.

If I could persuade Dom to go into business, I’d be a loyal customer. He’d definitely give some of the chocolatiers he writes about a run for their money!

Thanks, Dom!

Beau Bunny’s Breakfast Egg

25 Mar 2013 3 Responses »

Mar 252013

I collect eggcups. I’m quite discerning though. At least a 100 came off the shelves a couple of years ago (with the intention of selling them on ebay, though that remains one of the many many things on my To Do list). The ones that remain crowd the shelves such that there’s very little room for any new ones to join them.

But at their Easter preview this year, Hotel Chocolat gave me Beau Bunny’s Breakfast – a milk chocolate egg in a rather lovely two-ended porcelain egg cup which definitely makes the collection. Both egg and egg cup are decorated with images of the dapper Beau Bunny, Hotel Chocolat’s Easter 2013 branding. It’s inspired by dandy “Beau” Brummell, credited with inventing the men’s suit, a style often referred to as dandyism.

This rather grown up character makes for some very elegant packaging; I much prefer it to the usual cute bunnies and chicks.

The range contains most of last year’s favourites (including Egg & Chips and Egg Soldiers, boxes of Egglets and Hotel Chocolat’s trademark extra thick eggs). I particularly liked some of the new Egglet flavours such as almond praline with honey, salt and pepper praline, pecan praline and a mandarin one I’ve forgotten the name of and indeed the whole box went down well in our house, with particular praise for the lemon egglet. The salted caramel egg sandwich was also demolished very quickly.

As is usually the case, there are Easter treats at a wide range of prices from £1.95 for little chocolate lollipops to £70 for their largest egg, the Ostrich, extra thick and filled with chocolates.

Kavey Eats received samples from the Hotel Chocolat Easter range.

Win a box of Ola Dubh Easter Eggs from Harviestoun

10 Mar 2013 96 Responses »

Mar 102013

I’ve been chatting with Harviestoun Brewery recently… as you do when you’re married to a beer, whisky and coffee blogger…

Harviestoun celebrate their 30th anniversary this year. Pete’s already a fan of their beers and they’ve featured on Pete Drinks three times already. Their Wild Hop Gold was one of the Sainsbury’s Great British Beer Hunt selections… and what beer and whisky lover wouldn’t appreciate their Ola Dubh beers, dark porters aged in whisky casks?

We’re both rather excited by their latest project – a collaboration with artisan chocolatiers The Chocolate Tree. After a recent beer and chocolate pairing session, in which the favourite match was Harviestoun’s Ola Dubh 18 and a 75% Madagascar, Harvieston commissioned The Chocolate Tree to create some limited edition beer chocolates using that same combination.

Only 40 boxes were made, each one containing 6 foil-wrapped eggs weighing about 50 grams. Each egg is actually two chocolates, consisting of a Criollo and Trinitario cacao shell around a soft centre made from the Madagascar mixed with Ola Dubh 18 beer. The signature fruitiness of Madagascar chocolate comes through beautifully, and the subtle taste of beer adds another layer of flavour. Oh and the boxes are wrapped in a beautiful brown ribbon too – I confess I’m a sucker for ribbon!

The eggs won’t be available to buy but you have lots of opportunities to win!

COMPETITION

Harviestoun have offered a box of their limited edition Ola Dubh 18 chocolate and beer Easter eggs to one lucky Kavey Eats reader. The prize includes free delivery within the UK.

HOW TO ENTER

You can enter the competition in 3 ways:

Entry 1 – Blog Comment
Leave a comment below, telling me about your favourite food and beer pairings.

Entry 2 – Facebook

Like the Kavey Eats Facebook and leave a (separate) comment on this blog post with your Facebook user name.

Entry 3 – Twitter
Follow @Kavey and @HarviestounBrew on Twitter. Existing followers are, of course, welcome to enter!
Then tweet the (exact) sentence below.
I’d love to win Ola Dubh 18 Easter Eggs from Kavey Eats and @HarviestounBrew! http://goo.gl/UnQ9P #KaveyEatsOlaDubh
(Please do not add the @Kavey twitter handle into the tweet; I track entries using the hashtag. And you don’t need to leave a blog comment about your tweet either, thanks!)

RULES & DETAILS

You must be over 18 to enter this competition.
The deadline for entries is midnight GMT Saturday 23rd March 2013.
The winners will be selected from all valid entries using a random number generator.
Entry instructions form part of the terms and conditions.
The prize is a box of Ola Dubh 18 Chocolate Easter Eggs and includes free delivery within the UK.
The prize cannot be redeemed for a cash value.
The prize is offered and provided by Harviestoun Brewery.
Where prizes are to be provided by a third party, Kavey Eats accepts no responsibility for the acts or defaults of that third party.
One blog entry per person only. One Twitter entry per person only. One Facebook entry per person only. You do not have to enter all three ways for your entries to be valid.
For Twitter entries, winners must be following @Kavey and @HarviestounBrew at the time of notification. For Facebook entries, winners must Like the Kavey Eats Facebook page at time of notification.
Blog comment entries must provide a valid email address for contacting the winner.
The winners will be notified by email, Twitter or Facebook. If no response is received within 7 days of notification, the prize will be forfeit and a new winner will be picked and contacted.

OTHER WAYS TO WIN

If you’re not lucky in my competition, there are other ways to get your hands on one of these beautiful boxes:

Pete Drinks is also giving away a box on his blog.
Harviestoun are running a competition on their own website, here.
Harviestoun are also running a twitter competition. All tweets featuring the hashtag #OlaDubhEasterEggs between now and Monday 25th March will be automatically entered.

There’s no competition on their Facebook page, but why not go ahead and Like it anyway for news about their latest products and projects?

Kavey Eats received a sample product from Harvieston Brewery

Win a Chocolate Badger for Easter! (Closed)

03 Mar 2013 289 Responses »

Mar 032013

Win a Chocolate Badger for Easter!

Not a bunny. Not a chick. Not an egg. But a badger!

Isn’t he marvellously, madly, adorably gorgeous?

Bettys have a wide range of Easter treats including more conventionally-shaped chocolate products and a delicious range of cakes and bakes. But it’s their Milk Chocolate Badgers that caught my eye. Made from Swiss milk chocolate and hand decorated with milk, white and dark chocolate, they weigh 330 grams and cost £20 each.

You don’t have to be Brian May to send these cuties to your friends this Easter!

Bettys is a family business which began back in 1919. Frederick Belmont, a young orphan from Switzerland, spent his teens in apprenticeships working for and learning from bakers and confectioners across Europe. By the time he arrived here in England, he had dreams of opening his own business. Through fortune and luck, he made his way to Bradford, and found the beautiful countryside of the region reminded him of his Swiss homeland. He decided to stay, and opened the first Bettys Cafe Tea Rooms in Harrogate. His combination of European confectionery and a warm welcome was a huge success. In the following years, he opened a craft bakery with its own orchard and then more branches of Bettys in other Yorkshire towns.

In the 1960s, Bettys bought another well-established Yorkshire business, the tea and coffee merchants, Taylors of Harrogate. The combination remains a strong one. Today, the company runs six tea rooms, a cookery school, the tea and coffee business and a thriving online store.

I’ve tried some of their cakes and can vouch for how good they are.

COMPETITION

Bettys are offering one of their Milk Chocolate Badgers to one lucky Kavey Eats reader this Easter. The prize includes free delivery within the UK.

HOW TO ENTER

You can enter the competition in 3 ways:

Entry 1 – Blog Comment
Leave a comment below, telling me which woodland creature you’d like to see immortalised in chocolate and why.

Entry 2 – Twitter
Follow @Kavey on Twitter. Existing followers are, of course, welcome to enter!
Then tweet the (exact) sentence below.
I’d love to win a Chocolate Badger from Kavey Eats and @Bettys1919! http://goo.gl/hdP0L #KaveyEatsChocBadger
You don’t need to leave a blog comment about your tweet.

Entry 3 – Facebook

Like the Kavey Eats Facebook page and leave a (separate) comment on this blog post with your Facebook user name.

RULES & DETAILS

The deadline for entries is midnight GMT Saturday 16th March 2013.
Kavey Eats reserves the right to alter the closing date of the competition. Changes to the closing date, if they occur, will be shown on this page.
The winners will be selected from all valid entries using a random number generator.
Entry instructions form part of the terms and conditions.
Where prizes are to be provided by a third party, Kavey Eats accepts no responsibility for the acts or defaults of that third party.
The prize for is a Bettys of Harrogate Milk Chocolate Badger, with free delivery within the UK.
The prize cannot be redeemed for a cash value.
The prize is offered and provided by Bettys of Harrogate.
One blog entry per person only. One Twitter entry per person only. One Facebook entry per person only. You do not have to enter all three ways for your entries to be valid.
For Twitter entries, winners must be following @Kavey at the time of notification. For Facebook entries, winners must Like the Kavey Eats Facebook page at time of notification.
Blog comment entries must provide a valid email address for contacting the winner.
The winners will be notified by email, Twitter or Facebook. If no response is received within 7 days of notification, the prize will be forfeit and a new winner will be picked and contacted.

Kavey Eats received sample products from Bettys of Harrogate.

The winner of this competition was Joanne McGawley.

Caramelised White Hot Chocolate

21 Nov 2012 2 Responses »

Nov 212012

Earlier this year, Valrhona released what they’re calling the fourth chocolate (after dark, milk and white) and that is blond chocolate.

They’ve named it Dulcey, though I can’t tell you how that’s pronounced. At the London-based launch event, some Valrhona staff pronounced it with a soft “s” and others with a hard “ch“. “Dulsey” or “Dulchi“, take your pick.

Although home cooks and dessert chefs have been caramelising white chocolate for many years, Valrhona seem to be taking credit for inventing it, and even trot out the unlikely story of it being an accidental discovery on the part of a Valrhona chocolatier who forgot some white chocolate in an oven for a few hours. Who knows for certain, but came over as pure marketing story-weaving!

Regardless of the true origins, it’s definitely a fascinating product.

The sweet, butterscotch fudge flavours are reminiscent of childhood confectionery Caramac, though a side by side comparison by a friend makes it abundantly clear that the two products are nothing alike. As we all agreed, Caramac tastes of sugar and cheap fat, with a slightly grainy texture. Dulcey is silky smooth, with a far richer, more complex and delicious flavour.

You could eat it on its own, if you have a sweet tooth. It’ll probably appeal more to fans of white chocolate than dark, of course. However, where it comes into its own is as an ingredient for desserts. At the launch, we tried a range of dainty treats such as panna cottas, tarts and chocolate truffles, all showcasing the Dulcey and all very good.

Leaving the launch, we were given a small sample to take home. Going through ideas for recipes, I considered making Cookies of Dreams, chocolate ice cream or a chocolate fondue, all of which I think would work very well.

In the end, I decided to make some quick and simple hot chocolate.

Caramelised White Hot Chocolate

Serves 2

Ingredients
40 grams of caramelised white chocolate
500 ml milk, whole, semi or skimmed as you prefer

Note: If you can’t readily find Valrhona Dulcey, you can caramelise white chocolate at home. Here’s a handy YouTube tutorial.

Method

Heat the milk to just below boiling point. I used a microwave, but you could also use a small saucepan over a medium heat.
Whilst the milk is heating, break the chocolate into small pieces.
Remove the milk from the heat, add the chocolate and stir until all the chocolate is melted and completely combined.
Pour into mugs and serve.

Of course, this is the same way I make dark hot chocolate too, and you can ring the changes by making this with the many great flavoured chocolates available such as Green & Black’s Maya Gold, which works really well.

Hotel Chocolat Christmas Competition (Closed)

11 Nov 2012 40 Responses »

Nov 112012

For the third year running, I’m very happy to be able to spread the Hotel Chocolat love with readers of Kavey Eats and just like before, I have three great prizes to share with you which I’ve chosen myself from their 2012 Christmas selection.

Having missed the preview night, Hotel Chocolat generously sent me a goodie bag so I could try this year’s range for myself. I really like the simpler and more elegant design theme they’ve chosen – lots of white with accents of pale blue, silver and gold. As always, there are products available at a range of prices, from small and inexpensive stocking fillers and tree ornaments to large hampers filled with gifts.

Several of the chocolates in the Classic Christmas selection are very sweet – too sweet for me – but Pete rather enjoyed them. Luckily there’s a wide range to choose from including marzipans, pralines and salted caramels, which are more to my taste.

COMPETITION

1st Prize – Rather Large Christmas Cracker

An enormous cracker at 64 centimetres long, this one may be best for sharing. It’s filled with 40 chocolates, 12 party hats and jokes too. This item retails for £38.

2nd Prize – The Festive Collection

Pete and I are both big fans of Port, so I like the inclusion of a 50 ml bottle of Special Reserve Aged Tawny and one of Ruby Port to enjoy with the chocolate – a cookie wreath, 6 rum and raisin truffles and Dasher’s dream slab. This item retails for £25.

3rd Prize – Gingerbread Liquid Chocolat Drinking Chocolate

Smooth, rich hot chocolate with a warming gingerbread flavour, this is a fabulous winter warmer. This item retails for £10.

Each of the three prizes includes delivery in the UK.

HOW TO ENTER

You can enter the competition in 2 ways:

Entry 1 – Blog Comment
Leave a comment below, answering the following question:
Christmas imagery and chocolates often feature reindeer from the Arctic and penguins from the Antarctic. But which animal do you think should be immortalised in Christmas chocolate, and why?

Entry 2 – Twitter
Follow @KaveyF on twitter. Existing followers are, of course, welcome to enter!
Then tweet the (exact) sentence below:
I’d love to win @HotelChocolat Christmas chocolates from Kavey Eats! http://goo.gl/cX4JC #KaveyEatsHotelChocolat

RULES & DETAILS

The deadline for entries is midnight GMT Friday 23rd November 2012.
Kavey Eats reserves the right to alter the closing date of the competition. Changes to the closing date, if they occur, will be shown on this page.
The winners will be selected from all valid entries using a random number generator. The first name picked will be awarded the first prize, and so on.
Entry instructions form part of the terms and conditions.
Where prizes are to be provided by a third party, Kavey Eats accepts no responsibility for the acts or defaults of that third party.
Prize 1 is a Hotel Chocolat Rather Large Christmas Cracker. Prize 2 is Hotel Chocolat’s The Festive Collection. Prize 3 is a Hotel Chocolat Gingerbread Liquid Chocolat Drinking Chocolate.
Prizes cannot be redeemed for a cash value.
Prizes are offered and provided by Hotel Chocolat.
One blog entry per person only. One Twitter entry per person only. You do not have to enter both ways for your entries to be valid.
For twitter entries, winners must be following @KaveyF at the time of notification, as this will be sent by Direct Message.
Blog comment entries must provide a valid email address for contacting the winner.
The winners will be notified by email or twitter (for twitter entries). If no response is received within 7 days of notification, the prize will be forfeit and a new winner will be picked and contacted.

This competition is now closed. Winners, in order: Selena Banister, Jane Willis and @Beachrambler.

Kavey Eats received samples from the Hotel Chocolat 2012 Christmas collection, courtesy of Hotel Chocolat.

Win a Selection of Elizabeth Shaw Chocolates (Closed)

27 Aug 2012 36 Responses »

Aug 272012

Elizabeth Shaw have recently been inviting bloggers to review their range, sending out a generous box of their classic mints as well as the new chocolate crisp flavours and their chocolate flutes.

Although I love a bit of posh chocolate, there are times when the tastes of our childhood are what’s called for, and I’ve long been a fan of Elizabeth Shaw mint crisps. For me, the dark chocolate mint crisps were better than the milk chocolate ones. I was also a huge fan of the dark chocolate mint creams – classic after dinner mints. The squares of mint chocolate were alright, reminiscent of the mints our local Indian takeaway sends out with an order! Pete liked the milk ones as well as the dark.

The new Crisp Collection was intriguing. From left to right, the chocolates are described as Dark Cocoa Crunch (dark chocolate with cocoa nibs), Milk Butterscotch Crisp (butterscotch flavour milk chocolate with honeycomb), Dark Caramel Crisp (caramel flavour dark chocolate with honeycomb) and Milk Honeycomb Crisp (honeycomb flavour milk chocolate with honeycomb).

The three honeycomb ones had the best texture, in my opinion – the cocoa nibs didn’t work as well on that front, though the discs taste fine. The Dark Caramel Crisp was as described, with a strong, almost burnt caramel flavour which worked quite well. But I was confused about the other two: For me, the Milk Butterscotch Crisp had no discernible butterscotch flavour and tasted like regular milk chocolate with honeycomb pieces. And yet the Milk Honeycomb crisp had a strong butterscotch flavour, as well as the honeycomb crunchiness. My best guess is that these two were mixed up on the packaging floor and had their shiny metal wrappings swapped. I liked these chocolates well enough, but not quite as much as the mint originals.

The flutes are long slim sticks of chocolate which come in mint, amaretto, orange and latte flavours. For me, they were a little too sweet and the flavour a touch synthetic, but Pete found them pleasant and polished them off quickly.

I haven’t yet had a chance to try the bars but as they’re dark chocolate mint crisp, dark chocolate cocoa crunch and milk chocolate butterscotch crisp, I’m sure they will be much as the disk versions in taste and texture.

COMPETITION

Elizabeth Shaw are generously offering the same selection of chocolates they sent to me, to one Kavey Eats reader.

HOW TO ENTER

You can enter the competition in 2 ways:

Entry 1 – Blog Comment
Leave a comment below, answering the following question:
What flavour chocolate crisp would you create, if given the chance to suggest a new flavour?

Entry 2 – Twitter
Follow @KaveyF on twitter. Existing followers are, of course, welcome to enter!
Then tweet the (exact) sentence below:
I’d love to win Elizabeth Shaw chocolates from Kavey Eats! http://goo.gl/dbkzv #KaveyEatsEShaw

RULES & DETAILS

The deadline for entries is midnight GMT Friday 7th September 2012.
The winners will be selected from all valid entries using a random number generator.
The prize is a selection of Elizabeth Shaw chocolates (as detailed above) and includes delivery to a UK mainland address only.
The prize cannot be redeemed for cash.
The prize is offered directly by Elizabeth Shaw Limited.
One blog entry per person only. One twitter entry per person only. You do not have to enter both ways for your entries to be valid.
For twitter entries, winners must be following @KaveyF at the time of notification, as this will be sent by Direct Message.
Blog comment entries must provide an email address for contacting the winner.
The winners will be notified by email or twitter. If no response is received within 7 days of notification, the prize will be forfeit and a new winner will be picked and contacted.

This competition is now closed. Winner = Corina (entry via blog)

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