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The summer sun may not be shining quite yet, but Hotel Chocolat have already launched their seasonal range. To celebrate my 1000th product review on this site, a few weeks ago I asked you guys the question 'what four slabs comprise the Hotel Chocolat Summer Peepster Selection Box'. Just as so many of you answered, the correct answer was of course 'Tutti Fruitti, Eton Mess, Cookie Creme & Banoffee', and it has now come round to the time that they all have a crack at the ChocolateMission rating system. ChocolateMission addicts will know that last year I reviewed the Tutti Fruitti Giant Slab - to read that review See HERE. Today it was the turn of the Eton Mess Slab, which came described as 'a timeless summer favourite, with strawberry and vanilla chocolate, cookies, meringue and strawberry pieces'.
This slab came portioned in a 100.0g single piece that I shared amongst a few willing taste testers aka my family. It has been a while since I had one of Hotel Chocolat's Peepster Selections but the presentation was every bit as good as I could remember, and the exterior cream and lime coloured cardboard packaging cut a fitting fresh and summery look. Additionally I thought the Eton Mess slab looked every bit as wonderful - with the two tone white and red colour chocolates magnificently decorated by the pieces of meringue, dried strawberries and cookies that lined the surface. Whilst looking the part, the slab also smelt gorgeous, with a waft of fruit and cream rooted scents emerging once the plastic packet was opened.
My expectations of this slab were sky high given the quality of the presentation and the evident smell, but I was most hopeful due to my previous experiences with Hotel Chocolat's Eton Mess truffles (See HERE). Transferring the elegance of those individual chocolates, to this slab was going to be no easy task, but I am glad to say Hotel Chocolat did a cracking job. Hearing the words strawberry white chocolate always gets the alarm bells ringing in my head, as it is very common that the mixture of the sugary chocolate and sweet fruit and can prove to be a little too much. This consequence was nicely avoided here, as the vanilla flavoured white chocolate had a fluent, cream based taste that had just a touch of a yoghurty tang to it. This yoghurt like influence nicely contrasted with the red berry sweetness of the strawberries, which came through in the taste as a very genuine fruity influence. The realness of the strawberry flavours were of course helped no end by the pieces of frozen dried fruit placed on the top of the slab, which alongside the meringue and cookie pieces created a pleasant crunchy element within the smooth, thick melting chocolate base. Shared amongst three other family members, a third of a slab in a sitting was just about the right amount to provide what I felt was a plentiful serving.
Overall this was a product that not only encapsulated that summer feeling perfectly, but also proved to be a great tasting chocolate. During the summer I like my chocolates on the lighter side (i.e. not heavy dark chocolates!), so nicely balanced fruity, white chocolates are very much the thing that are in order. In terms of meeting this criteria Hotel Chocolat are completely on the money with this Eton Mess Slab. The white base was devilishly creamy and not too sweet, whilst the strawberry element was incorporated well, and in a non-artificial tasting manner. In terms of the meringue and the chocolate cookie pieces, neither created a great impression on the taste, however they did bring enjoyable variances texture wise, and they certainly added colour and intrigue when it came to visual impact. I probably needn't say this as it must be blindingly obvious, but I would very much recommend this slab for white chocolate and strawberry lovers - the summer has arrived!
8.7 out of 10
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30 comments:
It didn't take them long to redeem themselves did it. I love the colours of this slab.
2 8.7s in a row wow the standards are high this week. I have never seen milk chocolate bits in an Eton Mess. Apart from that it looks really pretty doesn't it. I really love dried strawberry.
You are going to love the banoffee chocolate I know it :-)
In my humble opinion it is one of their best ever chocolates.
On the balance of things would you prefer one of these Eton slabs or a few of the individual Eton chocolates? Personally I would go for this slab because it will be the more substantial of two. That isn't to say that people shouldn't buy me the chocolates if they are reading.
It is good how they still put the meringue in there. I can envisage it getting lost in the taste what with all the stronger tasting bits, but it is still good that they pay attention to detail.
Whats up with the chocolate cookies though? Since when have they been in Eton Mess :S
Rxxx
I know what you mean about fake tasting strawberry sweets. A lot of confectionery companies just use fruit flavourings, and they can just end up tasting sugary and disgusting. I'm not really surprised that Hotel Chocolate decided to do things properly. They don't come across as a company that cuts corners. Thanks for the review.
You dressed this slab up nicely in the picture brilliant work jimbob. It looks most impressive because you can see how deep the white chocolate goes in to the strawberry chocolate i.e. you can see that it is more than just a pretty pattern on the surface. All the bits on top make it looks ultra spectacular.
Put it this way I wouldn't give it a second thought if someone offered me some
Its a nice idea putting loads of mini slabs in a single pack. It means you can try them out before splashing out big time on the large ones.
If anyone is wondering which is the best I thought the banoffee and cookie creme were.
That was a quick turn around. You went from killing the brand on Monday to lavishing with praise the next. You are hard to please aren't ya.
I have only just read your Tutti Fruitti review from last year. Do you remember when they used to make Tutti Fruitti ice cream? For some reason you never see it made anymore.
The only place that I know makes it still is a local shop in my town. Lol I sorely sorely miss it.
For 14 pounds you can buy one big slab or four mini ones. I think I am going to see which one you rate the highest and then buy myself one of them. No pressure now Jim - make sure you pick the right one =)
I know you sometimes get accused of favouritism but it cant be a coincidence that these guys always score well. Your reviews are great I wish I could write like you can.
Please can you review the banoffee slab next. Out of the four it is the most unique sounding in my opinion. The cookie creme sounds a bit boring TBH.
Whorahyyyy!! The summer is here.
The weather outside is gorgeous today. I agree I think this would be a perfect summer time chocolate. Moving from the cold winters to the hot summers I always find that I like to eat cooler tasting chocolates if you get what I mean? In the winter I am all for dark chocolate, but as it warms up I always tend to find I eat more white chocolate and milk chocolates that aren't as heavy. Im probably not alone in this.
this looks delightful, it's not one of my favourite combinations since I don't like white chocolate all that much but this sounds really nice and looks amazing apart from the slightly odd cookie bits.
@Katie S: I know what you mean, I think Thornton's still do it though in their icecream chillers. My local choc shop does it aswell I think.
This looks like strawberries and cream in pure indulgence chocolate form. I think my g/f would be so pleased if I bought her one of these.
Lmao Karen did you HOOOOORAY? I think you got the spelling a bit wrong there lol.
This is the sort of chocolate that really appeals to me. I love strawberries, espcially during the summer when they are in season nothing beats fresh ones from the field. It sounds like Hotel Chocolat have done a brill job making sure the strawberry comes across as really real tasting.
Dx
Yep this is defo worthy of some praise. The first thing I ever bought from Hotel Chocolat was a big slab of this and it was love at first bite.
Sometimes I wish I never bought it because since then my standard when it comes to chocolates have got so high. Not even my old time favourtie Galaxy chocolate tastes as good anymore.
I had something similar to this from HC before, I think it was their strawberry smoothie bar. That was delicious so I can imagine how nice this must be! I think I prefer the smaller bars because with the big slabs, I always end up eating too much and feeling sick.
Wow, I'm off to get some right now!!! I loved the Eton Mess truffle and got all excited when I saw this slab on the website. Seems to be as good as I imagined it!
I can imagine this being really sickly if you ate it in big amounts.
I dont like white chocolate so I don't think I would every buy it. The Banoffee definitely shows more promise though. The tuttie fruitti just looks weird.
It didn't take long for Hotel Choc to get back in the good books did it. I don't know if you have done anything special to make the chocolate look more appealing but I can't take my eyes off your photo. Lovely jubbly.
Im loving this selection at the moment, wait until you get to the Banana :P.
The white chocolate is so creamy and rich its amazing.
Though do you find you can eat alot of this stuff way to quick lol i can much my way through a 100g bar in no time :( lol. More Gym i suppose......
I am going to have to put another Hotel Chocolat order in before all the good stuff runs out. I made that mistake and Christmas and by the time I got around to buying not all of the range was still available. Thanks for the review.
Oh my. I think I will need to get this selection box very soon. This one looks incredible, but I really love the sound of the Banoffee one!
YES this is just thigh-slappingly good. One might even say exquisite. I pondered if you would deem this over-sweet (since I seem to be immune to the effects of sugar)but HA! It wasn't just my childlike wonderment of the divineness of this slab that was clouding my judgement.
I do love HC and their slabs. They're kind of eccentric yet classy and swish at the same time. I am in perpetual awe.
P.s. I think the cookie bits were necessary to break up all the sweet creamyness. Stop hating on them people!
PART 1 - lots of feedback again today thank you.
David
It certainly didn't - only a matter of 48 hours.
Kim
The dried strawberry was a nice touch wasn't it. I wasn't too sure about the milk chocolate either, but hey it hardly took anything away from the product.
Golden
Well I guess we will find out what I think about it in a few weeks.
Michelle
I would personally go for a few of the individual chocolates myself. They have something so poignant about them, they are so classy.
Rachel
No idea why the cookies were in there but I don't think they held the product back in any manner.
They do have a great habit of playing attention to detail.
Steven
No they aren't ones for skimping on the finer details. I have said it before that strawberry chocolates are hard to make - Hotel Chocolat have done a great job.
Nick
Thanks for the nice words about the photos. My father actually took them this time so I can't take credit. You are right it is good seeing the chocolate is more than skin deep.
Anon #1
The peepster selections are great aren't they. I would recommend them to people who haven't had much experience with Hotel Chocolat chocolate before.
Chris
I don't quite get where you are coming from? I hardly 'killed' the brand on Monday ... all I said was that I didn't rate one of their products too much.
Katie S
I had a discussion about this with my old man when we were doing the photographs. I haven't seen Tutti Fruitti ice cream for years. I think it is something for the kids of the late 80s and early 90s. Its a shame that kids nowadays wont even know what it is.
Richard
Trust you to pipe up with the pricing info :D I hope you enjoy the rest of my reviews over the coming weeks.
Max
Thanks for the nice words. No you are right Hotel Chocolat's high scores aren't a coincedence at all. They are a great brand.
JT2000
I think the Banoffee slab is up last so you might have to waite a few weeks to see it appear.
Karen
The weather was nice down south today. I also like lighter tasting chocolates in the summer. You are right in saying that dark chocolate can seem a little 'heavy' for the summer time. That is why these refreshing fruit chocolates make for a nice change when this time of year comes around.
Alan
There is so much hate for the bits of cookie - its not as if they took anything away from the taste or anything.
Thorntons do Tutti Fruitti? That is cool to know. I will investigate next I am in one of their stores. Its been a while since my last Tutti ice cream.
Paul
Why dont you treat her to a slab then? I'm sure she would appreciate it. You can always nick some yourself aswell :D
PART 2
Daisy
I think she must have meant something along those lines.
I'm not a great lover of strawberries but yeah I agree the best ones are the ones we get here in England during summer time. HC did a great job of making the strawberry taste nice and real.
Lauren
I am glad to hear that you similarly thought this slab was good. It is always great to hear I am not alone in my thinking.
I get what you mean about Hotel Chocolat making other stuff look bad. I guess it is just a consequence I'm afraid.
Phil
I think that this Eton Mess is an upgraded version of that strawberry creme (basically just the same with extra strawberry and meringue bits). I always think the smaller slabs are better because the bigger ones don't keep as fresh given the time they take to eat. Still though I'm not particularly fussy.
Susanne
Please let me know what you think of it. I always love to hear your views.
Simon
Banoffee having great promise eh!? I guess we will see in a few weeks eh ;)
Kieran
No it didn't :D the amount of stuff they have sent recently I have to pack it all in the next few weeks to get it up for summer time.
Matthew
Sounds like you go to the gym a bit too much. Very keen of you indeed.
Its great to hear you are enjoying all these chocolates. I look forward to hearing your views on the banoffee one in more detail.
Andrew
That is a wise decision to make. They do end up running out of stock nearer the end of the decision. It is a wise decision to get your orders in early.
Gemma
Everyone seems desperate to see the Banoffee review don't they. Without giving too much away I would really recommend this selection. It is very good indeed.
Lottie
I am glad to hear that this meets your seal of approval ... and more by the sounds of it.
The slab idea is genious isn't it. It makes even the simplest idea look all that more extravagant and cool. A perfect example is their milk fusion, which is bassically just milk and white chocolate. One swirly pattern in a slab shape later and it turns into an awesome looking beast.
I have no idea why the cookies are attracting so much hate. Like I said it is hardly like they were detrimental to anything.
Thanks for the feedback everyone - I got a note from my HC contact today who I know passes on all your feedback.
Cheers
JIM
Lol I wouldn't say hate, just a curiosity as to what they were in there for :P esp if they add nothing to it, but there you go, another wonder to ponder lol
Wow. That is all I have to say on the taste, which totally exceeded my expectations. Except that I didn't know Eton Mess had chocolate cookies, but if it doesn't, plus points for whoever decided to throw them in. And, this was even minus the full flavors...don't do this at home, but being no longer able to ignore the rave reviews from CM and readers, I successfully braved the potential for an allergy-induced headache by scooping out the meringue bits on top before enjoying. My only regret is that I didn't get enough of these to be able to use my 10% coupon :)
PS I would wait to add feedback from the people I plan to share the rest with, but their bit is shrinking surprisingly quickly.
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