Noisy new bars to chomp around the fire pit

After our trip to Norfolk we recreated the fire-pit circle we’d seen in our holiday home, with some chairs from Ikea that look like giant potties (Skarpö) and the fire pit was centred in a circle of six of them, at the bottom of the garden where we rarely venture. My daughters said it looked like the sort of thing a cult would have.

It’s become a wonderful rather witchy place where we now sit and talk (nothing like darkness and fire to bring out secrets).

Last night, I sat with two friends, Katie and Amanda, after dinner, and we reminisced about places we’d lived, and also tested chocolate. I’ve a lot of time recently for Melt Chocolates (more on some of its botanical bars in a few weeks). I still struggle with the shop and the service: the last trip there to buy an ice-cream was a disaster, but the new ‘Crunch’ bars created by its chocolatier are just really, really good. There are four permutations, all with – steady yourselves – (caramelised/toasted) kataifi, which seems to be the new salted caramel in its ubiquity: Hazelnut, Pecan, Pistachio and Peanut.

They are not cheap at £14.99 a bar, but they are a real treat. It’s the quality of the chocolate and the perfect balance struck here with the flavours that’s notable. There were all sorts of noises coming from around the fire pit, as we chomped under the stars.