Nicky Grant Selection Part 2

Posted by in Chocolate Reviews on May 24 2011 | Leave A Comment

We don’t often go back over old ground on Chocablog. Once we’ve reviewed something, we like to move on as there’s always something new and exciting to get our teeth into.

But when this little box of delights was pushed into my hand at the Academy of Chocolate Awards party, I knew I had to write about them. Of course, we’ve already reviewed – and loved – a Nicky Grant selection, but this box has a few that we haven’t seen before.

Previously, we tried the honey & cinnamon, dark truffle and cornish sea salt caramel, which are all just as good as first time round, so I want to look at the other three varieties in this box.

Cardamom & Pistachio

No prizes for guessing which one this is from the photos. Rolled in pistachios, this chocolate would stand out in any box. Inside that bright green jacket is a layer of white chocolate, with a cardamom-infused milk chocolate ganache in the centre.

I love pistachios, so I was always going to like this. The flavours are smooth and subtle, and all those finely chopped pistachios give a great texture. I’m not entirely convinced the ‘look’ of this chocolate will appeal to everyone, but it tastes divine.

Hazelnut Gianduja

An oddly shaped cylinder of dark chocolate with a blob on the top, which as you might guess from the name contains a crystalised hazelnut. Underneath is a rich, smooth gianduja (chocolate & hazelnut paste).

I’m not the world’s greatest hazelnut fan, but the flavour and combination of crispy and smooth textures once again work really well here.

Fennel & Ginger

I absolutely adore ginger, so while this is probably the simplest of the three chocolates, it was the one I was most looking forward to the most. It’s a simple infused ganache covered in dark chocolate and it’s absolutely wonderful.

Fennel doesn’t usually do a lot for me, but here it seems to lift the ginger to a different level. It’s full of flavour without being overly spicy and works perfectly with the dark chocolate.

It’s no surprise that this particular chocolate won a gold in the Academy Awards, it really is something special. But then so is the entire Nicky Grant range. If you haven’t tried them yet, now would probably be a good time to start.

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Comments On This Post

  1. Phwoar, they look good!

  2. claire

    They look awesome -i’m a nut (literally, haha) for pistachios and cardamon, and pralines are just divine. Love that they use a crystallised hazelnut rather than just a plain nut. Weirdly, though the last must just be my destiny: for the past two weeks my head’s been chattering on fennel & ginger (I make sweet things at home :)…) Clearly, I am fated to hunt down and eat those chocolates. In quantity.

    I’ll just get my coat…:D

  3. I agree about the Cardamom & Pistachio chocolate’s colour, it looks positively repulsive.
    However, having had it I can only say “don’t judge achocolate by its cover”!
    The taste is sublime and can be heartily recommended, now if you want to bribe me with some free samples …
    I may make light of it but the taste is truly excellent.
    It went well with our favourite Yemeni Matari coffee from The Tea and Coffee Emporium too, which was a bonus.
    Thanks for the post and the opportunity to comment.

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