Chocolate Unwrapped 2012: The Tastiest Bits
Alas, another Chocolate Week has come and gone. Hopefully if you’re a chocolate fiend, you were able to partake in some of the celebration. If not, don’t fret too much, Chris Osburn has a round up of the best of the week and there’s also some more chocolately goings on for the rest of the month.
There are actually a few lingering and month-long happenings still listed on the Chocolate Week events page, such as the Paul A Young pop-up shop at The Folly bar in the City of London. And obviously, there are all sorts of amazing chocolate makers and retailers around Britain for you to visit anytime of the year. Indeed, I reckon there’s more fine chocolate floating around the UK than there even was this time last year.
Chocolate Unwrapped 2012, the ultimate all-things-fine-chocolate culmination of the week, certainly seemed bigger and more varied than those in the past. Unwrapped was a lot of delicious fun to visit this year too. The 2012 venue (London Film Museum’s new Covent Garden space) was centrally located and roomy enough for browsing. And I was pleased to see (and sample) some of my favourite exhibitors from last year had returned while still discovering amazing new stuff as well.
Anyway, I’m sure you’re far more interested in reading about what chocolate finds you can eat rather than have me continue pontificating about how much fun I was having. So, here’s a list of the highlights of Chocolate Unwrapped as per my taste buds. Enjoy!
A newcomer to the London scene, seeking to create an unforgettable chocolate experience for its customers. Their super fiery suya mango truffles were certainly memorable – and delicious while their Nigerian Guinness truffles with Ghanaian cocoa intrigued as much as they pleased.
Quirky handmade chocolates in the shape of hamburgers, dentures, moustaches … you name it … from a mother daughter team in Bedfordshire.
Dolci Liberta
Fine chocolates pralines, drages, truffles, chocolate bars and spreads made by prisoners in northern Italy. Eligible detainees join training courses and upon successful completion are given a qualification that is recognised outside of the prison, thus giving them a “great opportunity to re-integrate with society”. FYI: the chocolate’s really tasty too.
Friis Holm
Award winning Danish chocolatier, Friis Holm, blew me away with his small but impactful range of single bean dark chocolate bars.
Grenada Chocolate Company
Having watched and loved Nothing Like Chocolate earlier in the week, it was great to meet the documentary’s protagonist and co-founder of the Grenada Chocolate Company, Mott Green. It was also very cool to snatch up a big bag of their organic cocoa powder for only a fiver!
