Chococo has long been one of my favourite chocolate companies. Underneath the brightly coloured packaging and quirky, fun, seasonal gifts, there’s a family business that really cares about quality. They consistently use high quality chocolate and fresh local ingredients, so whatever you buy you can be sure it’s going to taste as good as it looks.
This chocolate cocoa pod is no exception.
The shell of the pod is made from 44% milk chocolate with a dark and white chocolate decoration painted onto the mould, so it really does look good. They chocolate is very pleasant, and at 44% it’s not too sweet. It’s a big step up from the chocolate you often find in these kind of seasonal gifts.
Inside the pod is a bag of 12 chocolates including chocolate shapes in milk, dark & white chocolate, sea salt caramels, and my favourite – ‘Fizzy Puddings’.
These Christmas pudding shaped chocolates contain a praline, subtly flavoured with orange and spices, and a little bit of popping candy to give it a fizz. They’re great fun.
The sea salt caramels are made with cornish smoked sea salt. They’re nice, but I have to admit they were a little too sweet for me. Generally that means that the average Chocablog reader will love them though!
At £21.95, it’s not the cheapest Christmas gift, but it’s made from quality ingredients and weighs a hefty 350g. This of course is just one item from Chococo’s Christmas range, so it’s worth having a look around their website to see what else is on offer.
I love mince pies and I love brownies, but when I heard about Paul A Young Brownie Mince Pies, I wasn’t immediately won over by the idea. My favourite mince pies are rich, fruity and very moist. They’re not at all brownie like, and I would never think of combining a mince pie with chocolate.
Having said that, my favourite brownie in the whole world is Paul A Young’s Easter Simnel Brownie. That’s rich and fruity, and with big chunks of marzipan it would make an equally good Christmas treat – if it were available at this time of year.
As you can see, these look like large, open mince pies. There’s a layer of brownie on top and mincemeat underneath, although they layers aren’t particularly distinct.
Of course, the important thing is the taste, and that’s where these don’t quite work for me. They’re pleasant, but they don’t have the rich fruity flavour of a mince pie (or Paul’s Simnel brownie for that matter), and they’re also not particularly chocolatey. The brownie is more cakey than the usual Paul A Young offering, and when combined with the pastry, it’s just a little dry for my taste.
I don’t think they look as good as they could either. That may not seem important, but I’m used to everything I buy from Paul A Young looking drop dead gorgeous, and that feeling of luxury and indulgence is why I’m prepared to pay a premium.
This is as much down to personal taste as anything else though. I know as many people that claim to hate mince pies as I do people who love them. I’m in the latter category, but these don’t evoke my own childhood mince pie memories. Neither do they have they intense chocolate flavour and wow factor of Paul A Young’s amazing, indulgent brownies. I think in this case, I’d rather have the two separately. I will certainly be buying some of Paul’s chocolates as gifts this year, but I don’t think it will be these.
Paul A Young Brownie Mince Pies can be bought from his three London shops. They are not available to buy online, but you can usually arrange delivery if you call the shop.
I actually reviewed a similar one of these crackers five years ago, but I thought it would be interesting to write about this year’s version of the Hotel Chocolat Rather Large Christmas Cracker to see how it compared.
The most noticeable thing about this is that it really is rather large. At 65cm (over 2 feet) in length, it’s a good job it comes in a box with a carrying handle, because it really would be quite difficult to transport otherwise. And yes, it still looks like you’re carrying some kind of weapon when you’re walking down the street with it.
The sheer size of the thing also means it’s quite difficult to photograph, which is why I’ve used the official product shot as well. We generally like to use our own photos rather than marketing images so you get a better idea of what the product looks like in the real world. In this case, even the official photos don’t really do it justice.
Of course, being a Christmas cracker, only the central portion is filled, but you do still get a hefty 450g of chocolate inside.
You might be expecting this just to be a giant cracker-shaped box of chocolates, but it is actually a functioning Christmas cracker, complete with banger. I strongly suggest you don’t pull it over the Christmas dinner table though, as there are 40 chocolates, 12 party hats and an envelope filled with (very bad) Christmas jokes inside.
The chocolates are wrapped in pairs, and as with the previous version we reviewed, there’s a lot of alcoholic chocolates in there. The good thing is that they are clearly marked, so you can easily pick your favourite flavours out or avoid the alcohol without having to open every chocolate.
The chocolates are typical Hotel Chocolat. They might not compare with the fresh chocolates you buy from your local chocolatier, but they’re pleasant enough and packed with interesting flavours. I’m not going to review each one as there’s far too many and I may not survive trying every single flavour. If you’ve ever had a box of Hotel Chocolat chocolates, you’ll know what to expect.
The cracker costs £38 which isn’t cheap, but it is a fun alternative to more conventional individual Christmas crackers and can make a great centrepiece decoration. With the contents being shared, there’s no arguing over who gets the most interesting toy inside their cracker, which is a definite plus. On the downside, the cracker jokes are just as bad. I’ll spare you those.
It’s been a while since I reviewed anything from one of my favourite chocolatiers, Matcha Chocolat’s Katie Christoffers, so I jumped at the chance when she offered to send a box of her Christmas selection to sample.
The Christmassy feel in this particular assortment comes purely from the flavour. As you can see, there’s no Santas reindeer or glitter on the packaging and no novelty shapes. Just sleek packaging and gorgeous looking chocolates.
The selection takes some of Matcha’s best selling core ganache flavours (Santo Domingo, Vietnamese Cinnamon, Fresh Mint) and adds four seasonal flavours into the mix; Mulled Wine & Yuzu, Spiced Fig, Gingerbread Coffee Caramel and Winter Apple Caramel.
Santo Domingo
A pure ganache made with single origin Dominican Republic chocolate. This simple, beautifully smooth ganache is both intense and light. You’d have to go a long way to find an unflavoured ganache as delicious as this.
Vietnamese Cinnamon
Another ultra smooth ganache, but this one gives you an instant hit of warming cinnamon. Wonderfully balanced flavours, and a great choice for a Christmas selection.
Fresh Mint
I’m not a big fan of mint in chocolate as it usually tastes artificial. In this case though, it’s fresh, natural and delicious. Again, the flavour is well balanced and never overwhelms the chocolate.
Mulled Wine & Yuzu
Mulled wine and yuzu! In a chocolate! I adore this one, but you really need to try it for yourself.
Spiced Fig
Another perfectly balanced ganache, with a warming fruity and spicy flavour that builds as the chocolate melts.
Winter Apple Caramel
This one is perhaps a little sweet for my tastes and the apple didn’t come through very much, but is still delicious.
Gingerbread Coffee Caramel
This is an interesting one! A gooey caramel with a unique flavour. First you get the coffee flavour, then the warm ginger notes build. A perfect choice for winter.
So there you have it. Another immaculate collection of utterly delicious chocolates from Matcha Chocolat.
I’ve said before that I think Katie Christoffers is one of the best chocolatiers in the country, and this collection only reinforces that opinion. Her mastery of flavours is easily up there with the big names.
I can’t recommend these chocolates highly enough. They are as good as anything I’ve had all year and would make the perfect Christmas gift for someone you really care about. Go and buy them now.
