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Hi All,
It has been an extremely active week on the site with a record number of contributions from readers :D Keep it up please it is always great to hear from you.
Today '7Days of Chocolate Reviews' takes a slightly different form - starting off with my ramblings here, a bit of chocolate news, and then lastly a special look at a Hotel Chocolat Halloween special.
This week I had over 10.0 kg of chocolate produce arrive from several different companies .... it must be nearing Christmas time eh!? All I can say is be on the look out for more reviews from Hotel Chocolat, Ritter Sport, Kschocolat, Heavenly Cakes and more crazy Japanese chocolates all coming very soon.
I have come so over burdened with chocolate as of late I will be running yet another Twitter based competition for some free chocolate this week. Keep a close eye out for that - See my Twitter feed HERE.
Have great weeks and please keep on adding your opinions to the site. It makes it all the better if it's not just myself rating and talking about these products.
JIM
News from the chocolate market
* This Marmite chocolate story has certainly been receiving a lot of coverage ... See HERE
* If you like the Galaxy Bubbly you will be pleased to hear it is being made in a bigger size ... See HERE
* It's been chocolate week and I have failed to attend any sort of event ... See HERE
... luckily some of my twitter chums at Chocablog, ChocolateReviews, ChocolateEcstasyTours have all been doing the rounds at several of the events. Check out their sites for some amazing coverage.
* Green & Black's have made their mini bar selection even bigger - See HERE
* Thanks to CM reader Thea for this one ... the V&A museum in London has a chocolate themed exhibition on ... See HERE
* Thorntons own brand stores are starting to struggle, this is what happens when you spread yourselves too thinly chaps ... See HERE ... let's just hope their Christmas range delivers the goods ... See HERE
* Here is an interesting report by Datamonitor which documents the rising sales of chocolate in the recession ... See HERE
* Please tell me this is a joke ... Cadbury already talking about their 2011 Easter range ... See HERE
* If you like chocolate truffles this will tickle your fancy ... See HERE
* Lastly .... Chocolate is good for us ... the latest story from the Daily Mail ... See HERE
JIM's HALLOWEEN RECOMMENDED
You may have noticed that my Halloween reviews started earlier this week with my review of the Hotel Chocolat Little Box of Horrors (See HERE). Well given the wide range of Hotel Chocolat's Halloween this range this year I wouldn't possibly have the chance to give each them a full separate review, so over the coming weeks I will quickly showcase the ones I think are most deserving of your consideration this year on the end of my weekly '7Days...' posts.This weekend I've picked these Hotel Chocolate Boo! White Chocolates. These were pretty much identical to the original milk chocolate BOO! I featured in 2008 (See HERE), though with the obvious adaptation of being made of white chocolate. The Boo! package weighed in at 180.0g and contained 16 'ghoulish pieces' including Bewitching Bats, Scrummy Skills and Tasty Tombstones. The shapes were not only fun looking and well crafted, but the 31% milk solids chocolate was also about as delicious as white chocolate comes. With the taste heavily rooted in a rich creamy milkyness, there were additional notes of honey and bourbon vanilla which made for a naturally progressive and incredibly moreish overall experience. Hotel Chocolat simply know what they are doing when it comes to white chocolate, so if you want your fill this Halloween I highly recommend these. Just please don't go wasting them on pesky tricky or treaters.
8.4 out of 10
Posts
31 comments:
It's lucky we have a full weekend to read all of those news posts lol. There is a lot to read up on.
Thanks for the reviews again this week Jim they were all great.
I haven't even given Halloween a second thought yet so it's funny seeing you have done a few reviews already. I think I need to take a closer look at the Hotel Chocolat site to see if I want anything. I think I'm going to go for quality over quantity this year.
I don't mean to knock your review (which is v good btw!!!) but the Boo chocolates aren't the sort of thing I would buy from hotel chocolate. If I buy anything from them I want it to be special and worth the money.
At the end of the day those are just shaped white chocolate aren't they! There isn't anything that special about them like their slabs.
Rxxx
Trust the daily mail to write a story about chocolate being good for us all. Does anyone in the world actually believe that eating chocolate is better for you than brussel sprouts? lol Daily Mail readers must do.
Jim did you see this thing for Chocolate Week?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/cardiff/2010/oct/14/london-to-cardiff-oy-bike-app-wales-blog-awards
Someone built at 12 ft chocolate version of the Eiffel Tower :-) I did at first think why? It does look cool though lol.
Jim why didn't you attend any of chocolate week? I thought you would have been first on the list for a lot of the exhibitions.
p.s. Uber jealous about hearing about your '10k of chocolate produce'. How did you manage to wrangle all of that off people.
Hey Jim
Thank you for all your efforts again this week mate. Top reviews.
I got my predictions for this week for you:
Man u 3 - 0 West Brom
Liverpool 1 - 1 Everton
It's so good to be rid of those american idiots.
Wow chocolate week has totally passed me by. When did all that happen?
Who the hell decides that it is chocolate week anyway? It's probably just a completely made up week by all the chocolate companies to get a load of PR for themselves. Lol not that I would mind that. It's not a bad idea at all.
All those things for next easter that cadbury are planning sound so rubbish. I thought they were on the right idea this year when they started making mugs again :) I know its not cadburys but I got myself a well cool smarties one that Im drinking out of right now :) A curly wurly egg just sounds dull to me.
Thank you for the reviews Jim. Have yourself a nice weekend full of chocies :-)
Dx
Some of the Hc chocolates look too good to pass up on this year. Im going to order myself a little shop of horrors box, some mini vampires and some lollies. Dont worry Jim I wont be giving them out to trick or treaters ;) I might be nice enough to share with my brothers but no greedy little kids are getting their hands on my goodies.
Hey that is so unfair! Those white chocolate boo weren't up on their website when I put my order in last weekl. Grrr that is so annoying I would have definitely bought them instead of the dark chocolate ones. Boo.
Maggs
Jim have you seen those things called dead heads yet? They are caramel eggs with red coloured caramel. They look nasty but taste amazing. Can you review them please.
Is there any danger of you ever giving us an unbiased opinion about some hotel chocolat make? Its so boring everday reading about how great this and that is. You dont even try and hide the fact that you love them nowadays.
The Thorntons Xmas range sounds horribly like the cheap tacky crap they made for easter this year. I think you are right about them spreading themselves to thinly now. I was in a service station the other day and even they had shelves of thorntons chocolates on sale.
Its really silly what they have done now. People used to think they are really high quality but now I bet the majority of people seem them as just a more expensive version of cadburys and Nestle.
Didn't you post both of the top two news items last week? Sorry if you haven't it might just be me going mad lol.
I wish Mars would have made something better than just a bigger bubbly bar. They seem content on making things that people don't really want.
I don't have twitter. When are you going to next be running a competition through your website.
I would just sign up but I dont want to get involved with all that social networking stuff. All my friends have got obsessed with it, I keep telling them they are too old for all that now.
I don't have twitter. When are you going to next be running a competition through your website.
I would just sign up but I dont want to get involved with all that social networking stuff. All my friends have got obsessed with it, I keep telling them they are too old for all that now.
p.s. Jim you said you would tell us who Homesick American are? What are they doing on your blog?
@Ryan I haven't ever been to the eiffel tower but if I do that is the one I want to see lol.
Thank you for all your reviews this week jim. My favourite one was the one you did on chocri => I cant wait to see what you have made from them next.
Those chocolates are so cute I have to have them. I don't normally buy special chocolates for halloween but I don't think I can resist this year. I'm going to have to buy just a few little treats for myself. Anything you can recommend for me? (doesn't have to be from hotel chocolat)
Sorry this is me being random but is that a cat shaped chocolate I see sitting underneath the bat and the skull? How does a cat relate to Halloween at all?
I wish I could afford more of these things you tell us to buy. The day I get a credit card will be amazing.
looking forward to the upcoming reviews, I always love to live vicariously through your heavenly cake tastings; and am always up for a ritter sport.
Oooh I look forward to more Heavenly Cakes reviews :) Have you found the caramel Kitkat Senses yet Jim?
I've tried it, but I'll wait until your review before giving my opinion.
Thanks for the reviews this week Jim. They were your best yet I think ;) I especially enjoyed bits and bobs this week. I love those ones.
Another great read thanks Jim :D The HC Boo look fun, but again not something I can see my self buying.
I found this just now:
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/5/20101016/tuk-luxury-chocolate-makers-seek-tasty-a-45dbed5.html
I can imagine that beinga very interesting job!
@Tricky I know what you mean, but I'm sure they have plenty of other things coming up for Easter. These are just two new fun (I think) additions to the kids range. At least theyre bothering lol. Again the stuff Mars and Nestle churn out is same old same old all the time these days.
I think the Boo chocolates are nice looking but if I was going to bother buying something from hotel chocolat it would have to be something a little more extravagant.
@Alex - Must you criticize Jim constantly? That's what gets boring.
I also found another choc news story:
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/5/20101017/tod-feast-your-eyes-on-world-s-biggest-c-870a197.html
I wonder what it actually tastes like!
Hi All,
Good to see that most of you appreciated my efforts rounding the news stories up :D
This weekend I have been taking the most ridiculous amount of photographs for all my upcoming chocolate reviews for this Christmas. That will all be really kicking off in November after we get the small matter of Halloween out the way.
Golden - Well you better start thinking about Halloween now chap. It's only a few weeks away.
Rachel - I see your point there. They do make some more decorative products I will give you that. That doesn't stop these tasting just as excellent though.
Ryan - I didn't see that no :D That is a pretty cool model I have to say. I haven't been to the real Effiel tower yet, let alone eaten a chocolate one.
Kim - Unfortunately I had the day job to attend to this week. I would have liked to have gone to a lot of the events but I simply didn't have time.
Nigel - Wrong on both accounts matey. :D Leave your predictions next week to see if you can do any better haha.
Matt - I have no idea who decides its chocolate week!? It must have been made up by someone but I have no idea who.
Tricky - They don't sound particularly inspirational do they. Lets hope that isn't there only thoughts for next easter eh!?
Harry - The Cadbury Dead Heads review is upcoming this week matey. I'm having difficulty finding myself a screme egg mind you.
Alex - Please stop commenting if you dont have a constructive view.
Duncan - Before we judge the quality of their Christmas line up lets give it a chance. I do hope they step up their game from some of their offerings earlier this year though. Some of them were pretty dire weren't they.
Stu - I might have done. Apologies if you had already read the stories.
Linda - I'm sure there will be one on the run up to Christmas. It would be nice to get a Hotel Chocolat one up wouldn't it.
David - Homesick American are just a new site sponsor who have placed an advert for their service on my page. When I have some experience with what they offer I will tell you all more if thats ok.
Beth - I don't want to spoil the rest of my Halloween reviews so let me hold off saying for the minute. The rest of the reviews will be up in the next few weeks so dont worry about that.
Charlotte - Witches have cats don't they! I know nothing about Halloween but even I know that haha!
Phil - Thanks for your support chap. No I still haven't got myself a Kit Kat Senses Caramel yet. I'm so focused on getting all these Halloween and Christmas reviews prepared I keep forgetting to look out for it. I look forward to hearing your views about it.
Stan - Bits & Bobs returns tomorrow you will be glad to hear :D
Alan - Thanks for the nice words chap. Perhaps you should apply for that job at Green & Blacks :D You have an experienced chocolate background! Stick in you CV and I will be your reference haha! I did post that story about that chocolate bar a few weeks ago. It was so random that it was made in Armenia don't you think!???
Thanks for all the comments this week everyone. There will be plenty to discuss and debate this week aswell so be sure to keep up your input in to the site.
JIM
Spot on recommendation, I was of Rachel's mind about these until they were giving samples out at HC so I tried some & of all their chocolates I got that day they were the best.
PS Whatever became of the promised non-Twitter Halloween competition, I was looking forward to it :( I don't think the mobile salesman will understand when my answer to 'reason for upgrading model' is 'to be able to enter chocolate competitions' lol.
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