We are big fans of Meridian’s Chocca in my house, a chocolate spread with 50% nuts, so when it recently seemed to run out everywhere alternatives had to be sought. Pip & Nut’s new Chocolate Hazelnut spread, £3.50 looked promising (60% nuts), but wasn’t. The chocolate tasted cheap and it was way too salty. The testers rejected it. Melt has also just launched a new spread, the clumsily titled Cocoa Ciola, which has 55% hazelnuts, but is a thing of utter joy. Not cheap at a shade under £15, but exquisite.
Sur has launched its Christmas issue, hand-made, extremely limited-edition alfajores, £36 for six, which are beautiful and delicious if you like more of a biscuity chocolate (that’s actually, ahem, covered in chocolate). While there the all-new Crispy Christmas balls, £9.96, were a big hit with my younger testers: bright, crunchy, crispy chocolate fruity balls, which aren’t easy to describe, but a bit of fun.
If you’ve not seen Candlewick Press’s ‘instead of a card’ little booklets, they are wonderful. A collection of poems about a central theme printed in a booklet, that you send instead of a card. The latest one to join the stable is Ten Poems About Chocolate, which would make an ideal present for someone who likes chocolate.
Finally, one of my favourite chocolatiers, Gabriella Cugno is doing her Signature Gourmet Sharing Boxes and Gourmet Chocolate box (actually boxes of bars), £39 each. They are right up there in terms of treats. If you need to buy something delicious, classy, not readily available and impressive, these are them. They are essentially the same thing, but the former is 15 little chocolates, the latter six bars, filled with all manner of delicious pralines, mou and caramels. Don’t dilly dally: buy.