I love Gorvett & Stone. I haven’t yet had the chance to visit their Henley shop, but their products have the perfect combination of quality, freshness and fun. I’ve also got a bit of a soft spot for Eton Mess – as are many of you, it seems; The chocolate Eton Mess recipe we posted last year is still one of the most popular pages on Chocablog.
This attractive box of 12 Eton Mess white chocolates, was one of three boxes they sent us to try, and it was the one I had to open first. The chocolates themselves are quite small, but they’re packed tightly into two layers in the box, so it still looks impressive.
Gorvett & Stone are known for using Valrhona chocolate for their creations, and these are no exception. It’s 35% cocoa solids, and probably as good as white chocolate gets.
Inside, there’s a white chocolate ganache with raspberry flavouring and tiny pieces of meringue. You can hardly see them, but they do add a slight crunch to the soft, smooth filling, as well as adding giving that distinctive flavour. The top of each chocolate is decorated with a small piece of freeze dried raspberry that builds in flavour as it melts in the mouth.
The overall effect is, frankly, divine. I’m a sucker for white chocolate in small quantities, and the addition of fresh cream and raspberries gives the perfect balance. Yes, they’re sweet, but never too sweet.
Having said that, if you’re going to buy a box of 12 like this, you’ll probably want to share them, as they’re nice enough that the temptation to eat them all in one go is quite high. But if you can bring yourself to share, you’re going to end up with some very appreciative friends.
You can buy these online via the Gorvett & Stone website, in their Henley store or Fortnum & Mason in Picadilly.
While browsing through the sale shelves at World Market, I spotted this box at the bottom with a $1.99 price tag and took it up, barely even looking at it. I don’t recall ever seeing these on the regular shelves, but I think the original price is about four dollars. Still a reasonable amount for eight pieces of crisped rice. Or, to use Golden Road’s description, “Crispy, crunchy treat[s] for any occasion covered in milk confectionery coating and drizzled with white.”
I have never heard of Golden Road; all I can tell you is that they’re based out of Pennsylvania and have packaging that’s a mix between old-fashioned and cheap. It turns out that these are the kind of sweets you will happily continue eating even while knowing they’re far from perfect.
Their appearance is one imperfection, though you could write this one off as a handmade feel if you really wanted. Their size I do like. Crisped rice needs to be somewhat big, but these are also kept small enough that they look more like chocolates when you open the box. Which brings me to another thing I like: the box lid opens and closes easily — always something I’m glad of.
As soon as you work up to the tactile side, the word “confection” fits perfectly. That sweet, thick, and atmospheric smell you get walking down Main St, USA in Disneyland. A taste to match. I did have to turn to the ingredients asking, “There is some trace of chocolate in here, right?” Yes, the elusive cocoa powder is there just before the string of deadly artificial colorings. So the chocolate is more artificial flavors and sugar, but there can be some delight in this, too.
The crisped rice is a bit on the hard side, which is probably nothing more than a consequence of digging in the sale pile. Crisped rice, however, being a sort of airy substance, especially paired with as light a chocolate as this is, it’s quick work to finish off this box. Call it an informal indulgence.
This attractive little metal box contains nine chocolates from French patissier and chocolatier Jacques Genin. It was a gift from my lovely friend Kate, who picked it up at Salon du Chocolat in Paris the other week.
I have to confess to not knowing a lot about Jacques Genin or his creations, and as there’s no actual information on (or in) the box, I’m not going to go into detail about each chocolate, but rather give an overall impression.
The presentation is first class. The box is beautiful, and certainly something I’ll want to keep and reuse. It’s been made so that nine chocolates fit perfectly inside without any extra packing, beyond some stylish wax paper.
The chocolates inside are simple enrobed squares with an edible transfer on top, in a similar style to Lauden’s beautiful chocolates.
Inside, the chocolates are simple ganaches, so all look very similar. The fillings are all fresh and smooth, but quite firm.
Several of the chocolates feature herbs and spices as the predominant flavour, which isn’t always my favourite thing in the world. One thing that I’m particularly not fond of is jasmine (I think it tastes like soap), so I wasn’t over the moon to find it in the first chocolate I tried. Overall though, the flavours were subtle and well chosen.
This is a beautiful and sophisticated selection, presented immaculately, but for me the flavours lack a little bit of the flair and creativity of some of the British chocolatiers (Lauden, Demarquette) who produce chocolates in a similar style. Worth seeking out if you’re in the area, but unless you’re particularly into chocolate flavoured with herbs and spices, probably not worth a trip to Paris for.
The last time I had something from Quebec’s Theobroma Chocolat, it was a bit of a mixed bag but it turns out that I wasn’t alone in feeling that way.
The company let me know that their Pineapple bar was not their best seller and was actually being discontinued. Plus they offered to send me the other flavours instead, so I became the proud owner of one of their Collection Boxes. The box brings together the five current varieties in their range – Coconut, Raspberry, Espresso, Banana and just plain chocolate – and they also threw in their newest flavour, Orange, too for good measure.
I still like the shape and size of the bars; 35g is a good amount for a single sitting and I’m a fan of anything that helps me with my own self control issues when it comes to chocolate. Of course, that is somewhat negated by having six of the bars to taste but I was on my best behaviour. Just like the pineapple bar, the chocolate that Theobroma use is organic with a lovely deep flavour. That is really obvious in the pure 72% bar which is good eating all by itself.
All the bars with added stuff are made with 60% chocolate which is more than adequate to give the bars a solid flavour foundation. The wrappers rather generously describe the additions as chunks when the pieces are actually pretty small. The good thing, however, is that there is a lot of it added ensuring there the chocolate is actually tastes like the little picture on the front. That is particularly true of the coconut which has a lovely chewiness after the chocolate has all melted away. Also at the top of the pile was the Orange bar which had both a nice rich flavour with a really interesting crunchy texture that makes it stand out from a crowded field of citrus bars. A great addition to their line up.
As for the others – well, the little bits of freeze-dried raspberries help to give that bar some zing, and the balance in the espresso bar is just about right so the coffee isn’t overwhelming. The banana was my least favourite simply because the banana-chocolate combination never works that well for me – other people who tried it were much more enthusiastic for reasons that I will never fully understand.
So now that the Pineapple bar has been retired, Theobroma have a range of bars without any weak varieties. If you spot their slender bars anywhere then go ahead and jump in with both feet because you won’t be disappointed.
