great chocolate in London
How appropriate that the next post on my chocolate travel blog will come on Chocolate Day! Chocolate truly is the international language of love, as no matter where you go in the world, if you arrive with a fine box of chocolates in hand, you will be well received.
The British certainly love their chocolate, and based on figures detailing chocolate consumption around the world, the Brits are near the top on every list I have seen. And they seem to be willing to spend more on their chocolate, as I have found their chocolate to be quite pricey. But definitely worth it!
In the last post, I introduced you to two of my favourite chocolate masters from the UK. But there is so much more great chocolate in London! In our celebration to Chocolate Day, I’ll briefly introduce you to a few more.
great chocolate in london
I was fortunate to be in London for the launch of Hotel Chocolat’s signature 66% dark chocolate, introduced at their Rabot Estate chocolate boutique in Borough Market in London. I loved exploring Borough Market and meeting Angus Thirlwell, co-owner of Hotel Chocolat and the Rabot Estate. I can’t wait to get to St. Lucia and visit their cacao plantation and chocolate spa that makes Hotel Chocolat stand out as the chicest of chocolate makers.
chocolate tasting at Rabot Estate, Hotel Chocolat’s boutique bistro in Borough Market
If you’re looking for chocolate with a feminine flair, then Rococo Chocolates is the place for you. Founded in 1983 by Chantal Coady, Rococo was the first brand of luxury, artisan brand chocolate in the UK and is characterized by the labels and packaging that show off Chantal’s amazing talent as a textile designer.
Chantal Coady, the creative force behind Rococo Chocolates
This is designer chocolate in a soft, subdued fashion, offering 25 flavours of fresh truffles and exotic bars with flavours such as Cardamom, Caramelized Onion and Moroccan Mint. Rococo makes some of its chocolates from cocoa beans grown on their plantation in Grenada.
I also had the pleasure of meeting Paul Wayne Gregory of Paul Wayne Gregory Ltd. How could I not love a guy whose motto is “Indulgence is everything”? Paul is another extremely creative chocolatier with a Caribbean connection. His family hails from Jamaica, and many of his chocolate flavours celebrate tropical treats such as passion fruit (Paul’s personal favourite as well as mine) which took him 18 months to perfect! Yes, Paul admits to being a perfectionist and it shows in his creations. They are simple, yet delectable.
Paul Wayne Gregory’s chocolates are simple in design and intense in flavour
This post has introduced you to three more exotic masters of chocolate from the UK. There are many more! I hope you’ll now realize why Britain is leading the Chocolate Revolution and changing the way we make, eat and enjoy chocolate.
Please continue to share your thoughts with everyone here. I love hearing from you! And don’t forget to come back, as we take our next chocolate journey along the Chocolatour.
I had no idea that there was such a thing as chocolate day! What a fantastic excuse to over-indulge in one of the best guilty pleasures out there. I lived in England for eight years and although I was definitely no chocolate connoisseur, I found that even English high street chocolate made the chocolate that I had previously sampled from North America taste like glorified plastic! I will never forget the first time that I tried a Galaxy Caramel bar, as lame as it sounds it blew my mind! Rococo Chocolates sound especially mouth watering and I will definitely give them a try the next time that I venture over to the UK! Thanks for the recommendation.
Hi Danielle, and thanks for joining us here on the blog.
There is no question that the UK has undergone an amazing chocolate revolution over the past 5 years. The Brits were previously known for their overly sweet chocolate. NO MORE! They are now leaders in the world of premium chocolate and have some of the most innovative chocolatiers I have met in all of my travels. You’ll be quite surprised at what you will find, but you can’t go wrong with recommendations I have made on this site.
I lived in Switzerland for a year in the 80s and got to taste some of the worlds best chocolates. I live in the States now and the chocolate I miss the most is Galaxy
Thanks for your comment, Julie, and for joining the blog.
Yes, Switzerland does have amazing chocolate. But it’s just a tad too sweet & creamy for me, although there is an increasing amount of good dark chocolate being produced. Don’t think I’ve tried Galaxy. I’ll have to look them up!
Hope you’ll join us here again soon.
Long ago memories came flooding back after reading this. My dear husband, Philip, who died far too young in 1983, always brought me a box of Terry’s All Gold chocolates on Friday. He would arrive home with a bunch of flowers and the little gold box. We would enjoy them all weekend in our tiny flat. In the days of a flat tummy and 24″ waist, I scoffed them without a care. Now I just hope I can hide the extra pounds somewhere. Life’s too short, and too much fun, not to indulge.
Thanks for sharing your memories with us, Christine. I do love the Terry’s break-apart dark chocolate oranges that come out at Christmas time. They are delicious! Didn’t realize they were a British company!
You’re right. Life is FAR too short not to indulge in our favourite things.
Sorry I never got to meet Philip. He sounds like a gem.
Even the packaging looks good enough to eat!
Here is something you may find interesting about chocolate: http://www.shockmd.com/2008/10/31/sex-chocolate-and-the-brain-or-why-women-prefer-chocolate/
You’re right, Marianna! Packaging is very important in the chocolate industry, as afterall, 80% of chocolate sales are made to women, and you know how much we women like pretty things!
And re the “women prefer chocolate to sex” thing, that is definitely true and worth looking at. I intend to have a chapter about it in my book. Stay tuned!
Happy belated birthday, and thanks for linking my http://TravelEater.wordpress.com to your blog! (One day I’ll add links there too!)
I’ve had a look around your blog and my mouth is watering. I’d be curious about your views on Vancouver’s Thomas Haas and Calgary’s Bernard Callebaut chocolate – have you tried them? You’ve inspired me to keep a closer eye out for good chocolate when I’m travelling – thanks! I look forward to seeing your book when it comes out.
Thanks for your comment, Johanna.
Thomas Haas makes excellent chocolate, as does the Bernard Callebaut company. (I understand there has been some change in ownership there.)
We are most fortunate to have some excellent chocolate makers in Canada. My favourite is undoubtedly SOMA of Toronto, but both the ones you have cited are indeed wonderful. Please visit us here again soon, and we’ll talk much more chocolate.
yummy what an amazing chocolate journey! If any of your followers are in South East London then visit zenoria espresso bar in ED Warehouse, East Dulwich for delicious Paul Wayne Gregory Chocolate bon bons.
Thanks for stopping into the blog and for sharing your location. We definitely do have some Londoners reading the blog, so knowing where they can pick up Paul Gregory’s chocolates is valuable information. His champagne truffles and chocolate caramel lollies are terrific, and I hear he’s working on a new recipe for the champagne to make them even more irresistible. Paul is a true perfectionist & his products are continually evolving.
So funny to see this post, as I was in London last week having my own mini chocolate tour! Tried a few of the ones you described, all yummy 🙂
That’s awesome, Isabelle! Let me know if you have a particular favourite.
Lovely to have you drop into the blog. I hope you’ll return again soon.
Doreen you are indeed lucky! Looking at all those chocolates is making me want to head down town to get some! There is a particular shop in Singapore that has British made chocolates….. 🙂 Thank you for dropping by Scribbles of an Electronic Gypsy!
Thanks for dropping by the blog, Rose. Yes, I have a wonderful job indeed! Very fortunate to have been able to taste so many terrific chocolates & visit so many great places. Perhaps I’ll even make it to Singapore one of these days! Let me know if there is a particularly good chocolate maker there.
Breaking News! I’ve just published the first issue of “Chocolatour News” — an li-paper specifically for anyone who loves chocolate! We’ll be publishing the best tweets of our favourite chocolate makers, chocolatiers, chocolate enthusiasts, chocolate industry personnel and information about chocolate services and events. Subscribe for free at: http://paper.li/wizardofwords/1310439305.
Thanks!
Two of my favourite things – chocolate and travel. I just had to share your blog with my readers – http://wanderlustandwords.blogspot.com/2011/07/flavourful-saskatoon-july-11-2011.html
Thanks so much, Penny! Great to have you onboard, and thanks for sharing my blog with your readers. Much appreciated! Stay tuned for more great chocolate adventures.
I personally love the Lindt Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt. Can’t get over how good it is. I would LOVE to be a chocolate taster. A chocallier? xo
Thanks, Marie and Molly, for dropping into the blog.
Molly, I love the Lindt with sea salt, too! It’s great chocolate for the money.
Please drop in again soon, It’s always great to hear from both of you.
Doreen you’re making my mouth water! I missed the chocolate during my adventures in London last time. Thanks to your blog I know what to watch for – and thanks for dropping by my blog too.
Right on, Carmel, and thanks for joining our salute to chocolate. I promise to keep the conversation tantalizing. Enjoy!
I’ve been reading your blog Doreen – what an education – I’m marking my calendar too for Chocolate Day – not that I need an excuse to eat chocolate (lol)! I remember my last trip to Switzerland and the lovely chocolate I had there. Thanks so much for sharing all of this with us Doreen – keep up the great work! – Off to enjoy some chocolate and wine at a friends house!
WONDERFUL! That is just so amazing that you got to meet so many great chocolatiers while you were here in the UK!
I hope you’ll be back again soon – chocolate week is always a good bet!
Thanks, also, for your help in connecting me with the right people so quickly, Judith. In the other countries I visited, the tourism folks helped arrange appts for me. Visit Britain was not helpful in that respect. How lucky I was to connect with you!
I doubt I’ll get back to the UK until my book launch, but if there’s any way I can swing it, you’ll be one of the first to know!
Cheers & Ciao for now.
Thanks to Suzanne, Catriona and Zoe for your recent comments!
Glad you enjoyed the Paul Gregory chocolate, Catriona. He truly is a perfectionist. And the good news is that his chocolates may soon be available in North America. Right now, chocolate lovers have to get to his shop in Croydon to indulge. Is that anywhere near you, Zoe?
And thanks again to Suzanne, for joining me on this delicious leg of the Chocolatour. When it comes to artisan handmade chocolate, I like to think of it as passion meets perfection. There’s nothing like it!
Such yummylicious treats Doreen 🙂 Must nip over to the Spar and get some – until I can get to London!
Tried the Paul Wayne Gregory chocolates recently. They are amazingly smooth and flavourful, truly decadent!
So many wonderful chocolates in London. I really enjoyed tagging along with you on this trip. You opened my eyes to an amazing world. It’s not just about the sweets, it’s about the people and their businesses. They’re all amazing artists and entrepreneurs. There is so much hard work and trial and error that goes into making something for consumers’ discerning pallets. Chocolate is about taste and presentation, and so much hard work and passion that culminates in perfection!
I never knew that was an International Chocolate Day! How neat! I had the opportunity to try some of Doreen’s chocolate from the Chocolatour and they were really good! I like how on the packaging it described what wine you should have it with to get the full experience. One of the photos above shows the packaging of chocolate… it really makes me understand that the store bought ones (Mars, Snickers, Twix, etc) are entirely different than the “professional” chocolate you are learning about!
Cathy is referring to Brix Chocolate. It is indeed wonderful, and ideal for pairing with varietals of wine. But alas, Cathy, it was not British. It is American, but certainly of excellent quality. (Unfortunately, you had been absent from the mtg when I brought the amazing British chocolate truffles from Hotel Chocolat. I can assure you, they were quickly snapped up and enjoyed by all.)
You are very right in realizing that the chocolate sold as candy and confectionery in department and grocery stores is definitely not of the same quality as the artisan, handmade chocolates I am featuring in Chocolatour. They are 2 very different products, and of course, each carry a very different price tag. But I’d rather have just one small chocolate of excellent quality than a whole bar of store-bought “chocolatey” candy.
Absolutely, Emma! Hotel Chocolat has a store in Boston and ships worldwide.
Rococo and Paul Gregory only ship within the UK, but I know William Curley (see the previous post) ships overnight via Fed-Ex to North America. It’s expensive (a charge of 25 pounds to get a box of chocolates to the US) but if money’s no object, it would be one very special treat.
I still have some Thortons for you if you happen to be passing by …
Happy Chocolate Day, my chocolate-loving friend.
Doreen, do you know if it is possible to get any of these chocolates over here? I was thinking perhaps someone imports them. Just a thought. I am not planning to be in London anytime soon, and am drooling over the pictures!
Em
Right on, Esther! Every day is the right day to eat chocolate, but it’s especially nice on special days like today. Happy Chocolate Day!
I must put this auspicious date into my calendar on “repeat each year”!!! 🙂