Hotel Chocolat

Recently I was asked by Hotel Chocolat to write a review of a number of their products, to sample, test and feedback to my following. My first thoughts were ‘that’s crazy, you’re in training and chocolates are not the solution!’ however I’ve always been of the opinion that everything in moderation is ok and rewarding yourself every so often for all the hard work and effort you’ve put in is necessary. 

So I was given the opportunity to choose from a wide range of their products (and they do have a huge selection, more than I ever would have thought). It got me thinking about what potential gifts I’d give to friends, family and co-workers, because Christmas is only round the corner. 

I chose the Classic Christmas H-Box and The Nano Slab Gallery. 

When they arrived they came in this well-packaged bag that was tied with black ribbon. Inside there was a personalised message addressed to myself which I could already tell wasn’t your average box of chocolates. It was a unique touch and my thoughts were that it would make a lovely gift (taste pending of course!). 

Classic Christmas H-Box
I have never tasted a selection box quite like this before. Most of the chocolates were specifically designed around the theme of Christmas and included chocolates such as Mince Pie Brownie, Brandy Butter and Xmas Cake.

Out of the two box selections I was sent, this was my favourite because trying each individual chocolate was exciting and I cannot remember the last time I had that feeling with a box of chocolates!

I also liked the fact that the box was not dominated with plain chocolate. There were milk and white chocolate options, as well as truffles, mousses, praline. It was something of everything and gave a really good overall selection of what Hotel Chocolat had to offer.

Talking specifically, I adored the Xmas Cake because it actually tasted like a Christmas Cake. I don’t know how  they do it but I was impressed. 

The Mince Pie Brownie also tasted how it’s name suggested. You could tell this box had not been rushed through production just to be ready in time for the Christmas period.

The Mousse au Chocolat was rich, indulgent and the perfect quantity of centre, without being too rich or overpowering.

My personal favourite was the Brandy Butter. There was just the right amount of liqueur inside that made the chocolate so indulgent I felt that having only one inside the box was just not enough!

Some people might suggest that giving someone a box of chocolates for Christmas is a bit of a ‘cop-out’ and perhaps an easy option, however if this was gifted to me I think I’d be thanking them right through to next Christmas! I only wish that the box was bigger because having only one of certain chocolates just didn’t seem fair!

The Nano Slab Gallery
From their selection they had a number of the large 500g slabs I could’ve chosen, however having not tried them already, I had no idea if I’d enjoy them and thought a small quantity of each of the slabs would provide me with an overall picture of what I liked best, before buying the larger one. 

The first thing I always think of when I open up a selection box is ‘which is which’ and with the gallery of slabs on display, some of them did look similar. Thankfully Hotel Chocolat were clever and listed the chocolates in number order, from left to right, making the process of choosing more straight forward. 

This was a selection of some really fine chocolate. Despite visiting Brussels last year, I’m not a chocolate expert! But you could just tell there was quality in every mouthful, whether I liked the flavour combinations or not. 

And I liked the majority! The 40% Milk With Caramel & Sea Salt was beautiful and a real favourite of mine. The salt hits you first, then the chocolate followed by the caramel at the end to leave a delicious after-taste. 

For fans of Banoffee Pie this chocolate is a real winner. The banana flavour comes through immediately along with the crunchy banana granules, it was original and one of my favourites. 

The Nano Slab Gallery did have a large proportion of slabs that were dark chocolate. I was ok with this but I know a lot of people prefer milk chocolate, perhaps one or two more milk chocolate options would have made the product more of an all-rounder. 

Final Thoughts

Due to my strict diet, the hardest part of the whole review process was limiting myself to two chocolates per evening. It was a real exercise in self-control but well worth it because real thought, originality and brilliance had gone into each piece. 

The quality was there from the packaging, to the personalised card, right through to the taste of the final chocolate. Perhaps the price is a little high for some, but the pleasure and level of flavour you get from each of the boxes, justifies the price for me. 

Finally I like the fact that this is a British Chocolatier that has its own ethics around fair-trade and supporting the industry as a whole. It means they care for local communities and help keep the chocolate trade flowing fairly. 

Thanks for reading,
Adam

If you’d like to taste the chocolates for yourself, you can order them online right here!