First introduced in Spain, specifically Barcelona, this brand was distinguished by its eclectic creations such as Jamaican pepper, curry, fried corn and parmesan cheese chocolate. At the stand I was able to taste their best selling Gin & Tonic chocolate, which had a smooth texture to the chocolate with fizzy crystal-like pieces that were gin flavoured. Since the chocolate contained no alcohol, the essence of gin I could taste had been created from the aromatic, bittersweet and piny taste of juniper berries. In addition to this, I tried their blackberry flavoured dark chocolate and dark chocolate covered freeze-dried raspberries, which were extremely fruity and definite favourites of mine.
Patchi
This stand was probably the best presented brand and has come along way from their original opening in Beirut in 1974. Their unique methods of chocolate making and designing have made them somewhat of a trendsetter and today Patchi is a global brand. It is not surprising that I was impressed with their stand display, as one particular service they offer is chocolate arrangements that are creative and gracefully set to reflect occasions. There was such a large range of chocolate to try, but I was most drawn to their selection of chocolate covered nuts and the almond and pistachios were especially delicious.
As Saint Lucia’s (West Indies) oldest cocoa estate established back in 1745 and home to the sought after Trinitario bean, The Rabot Estate was bought by the original founders of Hotel Chocolat 5 years ago. This enterprise enabled the taste of Saint Lucian chocolate to be tasted for the first time ever and the use of recipes that do not contain vanilla, allowed the true flavour to shine through unimpeded. The brand now has a chocolate café and chocolate shop in Borough Market and their stand at the Chocolate Unwrapped Show stood out from others as they offered samples of Cocoa Tea. Unlike other cocoa based hot drinks, Cocoa Tea is not sweet or as strong as our well known hot chocolate, however still has the distinctive cocoa flavour.
Having already experienced their sea salted caramel range of chocolates with extraordinary flavours of peppers, balsamic vinegar, lemongrass and sage & thyme, amongst many others, I was already aware of the inventiveness of this brand. At the event, however, I was drawn to their stand by the beauty of their South Sea and Tahiti Pearls. Obviously inspired by the natural wonders of luxurious pearls, these chocolates looked almost too good to eat! The use of edible pearlescent pigments gave the truffles real sparkle and they would be ideal gifts for the ladies.
Founded in 2008, this newborn chocolate company was the only stand to have a chocolate fountain. As a taster of what their company has to offer, I was given a shot of melted chocolate and a choice of ingredients including pretzels, nuts, gummy bears, strawberry bits and coconut that I could add to the shot as I wished. Their company’s aim is to create ‘great tasting premium chocolate customised to the wishes of their customers’ and they have a range of over 100 toppings to choose from. This is the first ‘create your own chocolate bar’ company I have come across and seems perfect for personalised presents.
In addition to tasting a huge range of chocolates, I was able to attend plenty of the talks available at the show. These included:
- A presentation from Keith Hurdman, Master Chocolatier of Thorntons.
- A cooking demonstration with Micah Carr-Hill, Head of Taste at Green & Black’s
- A chocolate tasting session conducted by Paul A Young
- Chocolate personality readings from Murray Langham; and
- A talk from Niki Segnit on her book- The Flavour Thesaurus.
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