I adore Hotel Chocolat products, I really do. If you are after a real treat, a bit of indulgence and a little piece of chocolate heaven, look no further than Hotel Chocolat. More importantly, they have a fabulous selection of Christmas treats and goodies, perfect for spoiling your very favourite people this December 25th.
I was fortunate enough to be approached by the company to blog about some of their products, just in time for Christmas. I was sent the Christmas Mini Selection (£5) and Salted Caramel and Pecan Chocolate Spread (£6) in a beautiful gift bag as pictured below. What a wonderful parcel to come home to after a hard days work!
Everything Hotel Chocolat produces is of the utmost quality, down to the packaging, gift bags and even their website! I thought the gift bag was a very nice addition to the tasty treats I received and it even included a little Christmas card; I felt truly spoilt and I bet anyone else receiving such a nicely packaged gift would also!
Onto the chocolates! Every so often, I indulge Neil & myself and treat us to a really nice, special box of chocolates so that we can enjoy one or two every once in a while. I would honestly say that I am the type of person that enjoys savouring one well made, rich and tasty truffle than eating a whole big bar of something like Dairy Milk. I also find that when I manage to stick to a healthy diet, having one beautiful and tasty chocolate every couple of days satisfies my chocolate craving far more than a treatsize bar every day! Luckily, although completely delicious and beautifully made, Hotel Chocolat does very reasonably priced chocolates so you needn’t make their products a ‘once in a while’ treat unless you want to!
I thoroughly enjoyed the Christmas Mini Selection; each and every chocolate was exquisite and packed with flavour! The selection included;
Caramel Supernova – Full to the brim with rich caramel, a very nice chocolate with delicious silkiness.
Billionaire’s Delight – This chocolate had a lovely texture to it with the crisp chocolate shell, a praline mousse like centre and crunchy biscuit pieces on top. A very indulgent chocolate with perfectly contrasting textures and flavours.
Christmas Eton Mess – I really enjoyed this chocolate as I often find classic ‘Eton mess’ style chocolates a little too overpowering; I much preferred this seasonal version with cranberry and raspberry flavours.
Gingerbread Truffle – Before even popping this beauty in my mouth I could smell the ginger! This is a small but perfectly formed truffle and packed with flavour! I love the fact that this truffle really did taste just like gingerbread and not just ginger, a real Christmas winner!
If I had to pick my favourite, I reckon it would have to be the gingerbread truffle but it is just too hard to choose! This mini selection is a great example of the fantastic Christmas style chocolates that Hotel Chocolat produce from chocolate reindeer lollipops for the kids, to chocolate star decorations for the tree and mulled wine truffles for the adults, to name but a few!
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- Alternative Mince Pies £7.00
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- Reindeer Lick £1.95
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- Dark Chocolate Red Star Decoration £1.95
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- Dasher’s Dream Slab £3.75
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- Mulled Wine Truffles Selector £3.75
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- Salted Caramel Snowflake £4.50
From left to right: Alternative Mince Pies £7.00. Reindeer Lick £1.95, Dark Chocolate Red Star Decoration £1.95, Dasher’s Dream Slab £3.75, Mulled Wine Truffle Selector £3.75, Salted Caramel Snowflake £4.50 (Images courtesy of Hotel Chocolat)
The other delight I was sent was the Salted Caramel and Pecan Chocolate Spread. Wow. Just wow! This stuff is amazing, not to mention amazingly addictive, I honestly cannot get enough of the stuff! Although this may not seem like a Christmas product, pecans, and indeed all nuts, will always have a close relationship with the festive season, as will chocolate, and as salted caramel is just EVERYWHERE at the moment to me, this stuff is the perfect addition to any Christmas breakfast, dessert or snack! Although there is no harm in spreading this on a hot piece of toast or letting it melt into a hot, buttered crumpet, it can be easily used in baking to create a real show stopper for your Christmas morning breakfast or a less traditional Christmas lunch dessert! Watch this space for my recipe for Salted caramel, pecan and chocolate tart….I promise you will not be disappointed!
Hotel Chocolat really is a great company to do your Christmas shopping with. Not only can you do it in the comfort of your own home, you can get it delivered to your local store for a pickup time to suit you or, if you place an order by 6pm, you can even get next day delivery to your home! For a few extra quid you can also have your purchases wrapped up all ready to put under the tree…..could Christmas shopping get any easier?!
It is even possible to get gift experiences for the real chocolate fanatic in your life such as the ‘Bean to Bar’ experience where the recipient will learn how to make chocolate entirely from scratch……point me in the direction of a foodie who would not love that!! There is also the Hotel Chocolat tasting club where you can arrange for a lucky recipient to receive a selection of chocolates every four weeks for up to a year.
The best thing about Hotel Chocolat is that they are an ethical company, sticking by the core values they opened their first store with some ten years ago. Not only are Hotel Chocolat authentic, growing their own cocoa beans and creating their own original recipes, they also support cocoa growers abroad and ensure that they are offered fair prices for their products. In the same vein, the company ensures that all their products meet high standards; if you are not 100% happy with your purchase, you will immediately receive a replacement or a refund.
Chocolate with a conscience, what could be better than that this Christmas?
http://www.hotelchocolat.com/uk
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N.B - Gift bag, Christmas Mini Selection and Salted Caramel and Pecan Chocolate Spread were provided, free of charge, by Hotel Chocolat however, thoughts and words are entirely my own.
