This rather interesting looking Marks & Spencer ‘egg’ certainly has the initial wow factor. More of a sculpture than an egg, it’s very reminiscent of something Artisan du Chocolat might make. I don’t know who actually makes this for M&S, but if it’s not made by Artisan, it certainly has that influence.
The packaging looks pretty good too, with its 360 degree clear pastic pyramid showing off the egg in the best possible way. Unfortunately, it’s an absolute pig to open. I’m sure there’s a proper way to get the box open, but I couldn’t find it, and ended up having to take scissors to it and cut all around the egg. I really wish these things were better thought out.
The egg itself is milk chocolate, covered in a matt, velvety finish that looks very nice indeed. It is completely hollow, but the base contains 24 golden chocolate ‘pearls’ which set it off quite nicely.
The golden balls are quite pleasant. They’re white chocolate with a milk chocolate praline centre. They’re sweet, but not too sweet so they’re quite easy to eat.
The milk chocolate of the egg itself is Ok, but not amazing. It’s creamy and sweet and at 35% cocoa solids, well above average for a supermarket Easter Egg. It does lack a lot of depth of flavour though, so it’s still not a chocolate I would buy for myself.
But this is an Easter Egg that’s as much about making a visual impression as anything else, and it really does succeed in doing that. I think most people would be very happy to receive an egg like this, and I’m very impressed that M&S have come up with a range of luxury eggs that are verging on the artisan, at least in terms of presentation. They’re not available to buy online, but you should be able to pick one up from your local M&S food hall.
It’s been a while since we’ve reviewed anything from Thorntons, and there’s a few reasons for that.
At one point it looked as though the company was slowly dragging itself into the 21st Century with higher end, better quality products, but over the last year or so, I get the general impression that’s no longer a priority as the company has been fighting for its very survival. Unfortunately, it’s the higher-end chocolate that seems to have suffered most during this time, and lately there’s been little from Thorntons that has truly excited me.
But I know many wonderful people at Thorntons who are talented and forward thinking, and if anyone can turn things around again it’s them. So I was secretly quite excited when I came home to find this nice looking egg, literally waiting for me on my doorstep. It’s part of a range of “Great British Dessert” eggs; the others in the range being Eton Mess and Lemon Meringue.
Presented in a clear plastic box that (unlike some eggs I’ve had this year) is nice and easy to open, this egg just looks good. It’s not an artisan sculptural product, but neither does it look cheap or tacky. It’s a hefty 430g, and it looks like the kind of egg you just want to dive into and devour, rather than something overly arty or insubstantial.
The front of the egg contains a nice ‘window’ of sliced dried banana and special toffee, and the rest of the egg has smaller pieces of toffee embedded in it.
Banana in chocolate can be a hit or miss affair, but I like it in this egg. The pieces of real banana are crunchy and tasty. I found myself eating the front of the egg first, then wishing for more.
The rest of the chocolate is thick, creamy and quite tasty. It’s sweet, but certainly above average for an Easter Egg shell, and something I could quite happily nibble on over the course of an Easter afternoon. The little pieces of crunchy special toffee scattered throughout the shell work well, and the overall flavour is surprisingly reminiscent of the dessert the egg is imitating.
There are no other chocolates with this particular egg, but frankly you don’t need them. There’s plenty of substance and just enough flavour and style to keep all but the fussiest chocoholic happy this Easter.
Time for more chocolates from the prolific Katie Christoffers’ Matcha Chocolat. We’ve reviewed quite a few of her selections recently, but this one is a little different.
Inside the familiar Matcha box, lies a secret. Not individual chocolates, but mini Easter Eggs! And as you’ll see, these are no ordinary eggs.
Each of the 12 eggs in the box is divided in half, with a different filling in each half.
You can either eat them at the same time, or pull them apart and taste them separately. This is a wonderful idea, partly because you get three very different experiences with each egg, but also simply because they look so good.
There are four varieties of egg in the box:
Venezuelan Dark Chocolate Ganache / Pecan Feullantine
A smooth, dark ganache with a crunchy, nutty feullantine. A great contrast of textures and flavours, with the sweetness of the feullantine complementing the dark ganache very nicely.
Tonka Bean Caramel / Venezuelan Dark Chocolate Ganache
The same dark ganache is paired with a tasty tonka bean caramel in this egg. I’m a bit of a fan of tonka bean, and it works very well in a caramel, giving an extra dimension to the flavour. It’s a little like a burnt caramel flavour, but more subtle. Again, the sweetness is nicely complemented with dark ganache.
Pistachio Dark Chocolate Ganache / Pistachio Marzipan
I love pistachio and I love marzipan, so it goes without saying I love this egg. There’s a perfect flavour balance and lovely colour to te filling.
Sea Salt Caramel / Hazelnut Feullantine
The sweetest of the selection, but also perhaps my favourite. Subtle salted caramel with a deliciously crunchy hazelnut feullantine work perfectly and make this egg irresistible.
I love this innovative Easter collection.
I’m a big fan of filled eggs over large, cheap, hollow eggs anyway, but the concept, style and execution of this particular collection makes it the perfect Easter gift for any real chocolate lover. Highly recommended.
Last week I met with Paul Eagles of Kokoa Collection Hot Chocolate. Paul is based in Muswell Hill, just around the corner from me, so we met in a local café that’s going to be stocking his range of hot chocolates and sat down for a chat.
Kokoa Collection is a bit different from your average hot chocolate range, as they are all made from single origin chocolate. There’s nothing added or taken away, each flavour is simply pure chocolate with a different bean origin and cocoa content.
I’ve said many times before, that using real chocolate is the only way you should really make a hot chocolate drink, so it’s great to see a range of hot chocolates that not only uses real chocolate, but lets people explore the differences between chocolates from different regions. I chose to try this rather nice 82% Madagascar hot chocolate, made by the man himself.
Of course we have seen single origin hot chocolates before – notably, Jaz & Jul use only ethically sourced chocolate from The Grenada Chocolate Company for their hot chocolate range, but where Jaz & Jul add extra flavours to their drinks, Paul relies entirely on the natural flavour of the chocolate itself. He does offer a range of flavoured sugars that you can add to your drink if you want something a little sweeter though.
I chose not to add anything sugar to mine, and was very happy with the flavour. Made with steam and hot milk for a nice froth, it’s not too heavy, and importantly tastes of real chocolate! There isn’t a lot of sweetness to the 82% Madagascan, but that’s the way I like my hot chocolate. I’d quite happily have a cup of this instead of a tea or coffee in the morning.
Paul is selling Kokoa Collection hot chocolates both into cafés, and direct to the consumer to make at home, and you can even buy it online. It’s a very simple concept, but in my opinion, it’s just the right way to make hot chocolate. I recommend giving it a go.
