The Chocolate Society Wicked Hokey Pokey

Posted by in Chocolate Reviews on December 23 2010 | Leave A Comment

I recentl received a little box of treasure from The Chocolate Society, and one of the items in the box was this bag of cinder toffee covered in Valrhona 70% dark chocolate – aka ‘Hokey Pokey’.

The card attached to the bag references Victorian street sellers offering up hokey pokey with a slightly rude poem – “Hokey Pokey, penny a lump, the more you eat . . . etc.”. Further research suggests this may not have been the case – hokey pokey being a bastardisation of the Italian ‘ecco un poco’ which immigrant ice cream sellers would shout.

Linguistic origins aside, hokey pokey is definitely cinder toffee, and this is definitely that – and in quite an impressive style. These are not small lumps. Even the smallest were quite daunting, and I saved the largest few for impressing children with over Xmas. (They’re enormous!)

This is the ‘Wicked’ version, covered in 70% Valrhona Dark couverture. (There’s also a ‘Milkey’ version)

The cinder toffee appears to have been double dipped. My first bite did little more than dislodge the first level of chocolate, allowing me to taste the Valrhona couverture, which is nicely bittersweet, and a good contrast to the main event, which is obviously mainly burnt sugar. The toffee is classic cinder toffee – brittle, light, and just the right side of burnt to mean I didn’t find it too sweet. There’s a good juxtaposition of textures and flavours, with the burnt, sticky sweetness of the toffee being mellowed out by the richness of the dark chocolate. It’s a posh take on an old favourite (we used to sell cinder toffee when I was a young lad living in a sweetshop) and definitely stirred confectionery memories.

I did wonder why the Chocolate Society would be selling chocolate covered cinder toffee, but I suppose it works as a bit of nostalgic fun. The problem comes when you look at the price. At £36 a kilo, Hokey Pokey is no longer the cheap treat it once was. Slightly less ‘posh’ versions can be found for half the price, which makes me wonder whether the Chocolate Society may have to have a look at their costs (or profit margins).

The product is just fine – a very classy version of a childhood favourite – but if you told me you wanted £9 for a bag, I’d be off to see a London chocolatier for some real treats.

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Comments On This Post

  1. Dom (Chocablog Staff)

    Looks strangely like the Gorvett & Stone Honeycomb

  2. Michael (Chocablog Staff)

    You can get less classy versions of this in lots of stores over here in Canada just now – it must be this year’s ubiquitous chocolate item…

  3. Al

    Hi Simon,

    Thank you for reviewing our Wicked Hokey Pokey honeycomb. I’m glad you enjoyed it and hopefully your kids will enjoy it too! It is an expensive product to make, and we have looked at options such as using a lesser quality chocolate, however we believe it just wouldn’t be the same, and as such the price is reflective of the high quality ingredients we use.

    Thanks once again for reviewing one of our products and have a great Christmas.

    @Dom Gorvett and Stone used to be a customer of ours, so perhaps thats the reason why visually their product may look similar to ours.

  4. Moray

    I have been buying this whenever it is in stock at Lidgate’s, my local butcher, for several years. I haven’t yet discovered a more delicious treat. The mix of thick, dark chocolate and cinder toffee is exquisite. The sheer size of the pieces make the experience seem utterly indulgent. Yes, it’s expensive. But if you want cheap, buy a Crunchie. This is superior confectionery for discerning grown ups.

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