December 10th: Bits n Bobs - Jim's Christmas 2011 Guide Part #1

Hi All,

It's that time again when I run down my recommendations for Christmas. Today I bring you Part #1 featuring Elizabeth Shaw, McVitie's, Heavenly Cakes and Hotel Chocolat to name a few. These reviews will be short, sharp and concise. Any questions, thoughts and opinions are welcome - just drop off a comment.

Just to clarify, not everything featured will get a JCM score or recommendation. This guide is here to give my own personal opinion on what's 'hot' and what it is 'not'. I hope you enjoy the post.

N.B. Please contact me via Twitter if needs be @ChocMission - please do not attempt to leave comments on this post.
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Mint - Kcal 504 Fat 31.6g Fat(sats) 19.9g Carbs 48.6g (per 100.0g)
Butterscotch - Kcal 524 Fat 28.8g Fat(sats) 18.1g Carbs 60.1g (per 100.0g)

Elizabeth Shaw is one of those brands that we always seeing pop-up around Christmas time here in the UK. One would normally associate the brand with it's widespread Mint Crisp Mini Chocolates, but last week I found these new bars on shelf in my local Sainsbury's priced at £1.89 each which made them a more affordable option compared to the bigger 'Mini Chocolate' packs. The chocolate wrappers were nicely presented but I was disappointed that each bar had no decoration patterns or branding. The dark chocolate mint bar was the nicer of the two given with it's better contrasting semi-sweet to sugary mint honeycomb focus. For me the milk chocolate and butterscotch was just a little overpowering on the sugar front with the honeycomb pieces in that one more coming across like balls of clustered sugar rather than the desired floral noted honey taste. I wouldn't buy either again but if you wish to try them for yourselves before buying the bigger packs then they could be of use.

Dark Chocolate Mint - 7.6 out of 10
Milk Chocolate Butterscotch - 6.9 out of 10
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Heavenly Cakes Midnight Mint Cake- Kcal ??? Fat ??? Fat(sats) ??? Carbs ???
This isn't a review but more a recommendation and a 'heads-up' that Heavenly Cakes have their seasonal Midnight Mint Cake back in-stock on their site (See HERE). You may recall this was a cake of their's that I reviewed last year (See HERE). I commented that this 'milk chocolate brownie base, topped with a layer of mint fondant and Belgian dark chocolate' was 'the best Christmas themed cake' I ate that year, so suffice to say it is well worth your attention again this year. Achieving a score of 9.0 is no mean feat here on JCM and I can confirm that this years batch is every bit as good as the last. Fans of dark chocolate mints will fall in love with this cake, I'm 100.0% sure of that.
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Hotel Chocolat Yule Log Hazelnut & Ginger - Kcal ??? Fat ??? Fat(sats) ??? Carbs ???

Was it likely there was ever going to be a JCM Christmas Guide without a Hotel Chocolat product featuring!?? No obviously not :D For the third year running (Yes, I know I've been doing this to long!!), my pals at HC sent me a 'Yule Log', with this years flavour being their ginger and hazelnut variety. With the past experiences in fresh memory (See HERE & HERE) this was one that was welcomed with sheer delight when the grand unveiling of our Christmas sampling package took place. Suffice to say this wasn't one that let us down and it was met with an even grander seal of approval than the logs that had come before. The base praline gianduja was utterly indulgent, and had a rich cocoa nuttyness that was in a real standout class of it's own. The woddy nut focus of the base was further compounded by the whole hazelnuts pieces that littered the top of the entire log. The more savoury flavour focus beautifully contrasted with the sweet, syrupy ginger slithers, which with their softer jelly like texture created an intriguing mix up of textures. A portion of this tucked alongside a dark coffee is an experience worth investing in.

8.6 out of 10



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Cake Bars - Kcal 141 Fat 7.1g Fat(sats) 3.6g Carbs 18.1g (per Bar)
Biscuits - Kcal 50 Fat 2.9g Fat(sats) 1.5g Carbs 5.6g (per Biscuit)

Whereas it seems the rest of the market are content with slapping a picture of Santa/Rudloph on the front of their packs and calling their products 'Winter/Christmas Editions', McVitie's appear to have chosen a slightly different strategy. Indeed it seems that McVitie's are happy just pushing their 'Temptations' product line, a range that started out as just biscuits, but have now followed up with some cake type offerings. I purchased the two products you see today at Tesco (£1.00 of course), where on a aisle end they had all types of different 'Temptations' varieties. The white chocolate with inner milk chocolate biscuits turned out to be just as nice as than the previous Praline variety I had tried (See HERE), and the light milky flavours went nicely with the buttery biscuit base. Whilst the biscuits were the nicer lighter option of the two, the Cake Bars provided a more substantial snack and they tasted pretty good to boot. The base cake and outer chocolate components established a Galaxy like creamy sweetness, though it was the 'creamy topping' layer that gave me greatest pleasure. This element was heavily vanilla noted in taste and brought a highly desired moistness alongside the chewy chocolate caramel. Neither of these will fill you with Christmas cheer, but bravo McVitie's for breaking the mould and not jumping of the bandwagon.

White Chocolate Truffle Biscuits - 7.3 out of 10
Chocolatey Cake Bars - 7.7 out of 10

December 7th: Artisan du Chocolat O Magic Collection

If you thought Artisan du Chocolat were content with showcasing just the one Christmas 2011 offering this year on JCM you better think again because today we have this 'O Magic Collection' giving our tried and and tested rating system a run for it's money. Yes indeed, following on from my review last week of their 'Christmas Chocolate Pudding' truffles (See HERE), this 'limited edition twenty piece box of dark, milk and white chocolate O discs filled with seasonal coulis' was also sent my way from Artisan. With the 'Old Man' on photo duty, and my Mother providing her "expert opinion" :D we today embarked upon our latest Artisan du Chocolat festive experience.

As described above this was a box of chocolates that contained twenty disc shaped chocolates weighing 130.0g and retailing online for £15.00 (See HERE). Last week we were all falling over ourselves lauding Artisan with praise for the quality of their presentation. I hope you will agree that once again this level of appreciation should be merited to them again with this 'O Magic Collection' as it was every bit as beautiful. If you look at the Old Man's photography you will be able to see the level of care they went to once again here. The outer box was wonderfully decorative in it's detail and the chocolates had some of the most intricate pattern and design work I've ever seen on any chocolates before. Just look and admire.

Within this special collection, Artisan were offered five different flavours: apple and cider, red current, Champagne, whisky and cherries and spiced wine. Contained within various different chocolate types depending on their suitability e.g. red current with white chocolate, these flavours were all well matched and I think the total package was much better for having white, milk and dark options rather than just designating all to just the one type. As you can see in the photos the discs were thin in stature and broke with a distinct snap sound that reassured me of the fresh ingredients. The extremely smooth melt of the chocolate and cool sensation of the coulis created a luxurious mouth feel which only further substantiated the sense this was a premium chocolate product. Thankfully this was all matched by the flavours offered by the majority of the different flavours, with the only partial disappointment coming in the form of the underpowered whisky offering. That flavour aside, the fruit flavours were terrific and created sweet, real tasting, tarty/zingy fruit experiences that contrasted perfectly with their sweet milk and white chocolates shells. For such thin, elegant chocolates we were all surprised at the volume of flavour each delivered - perhaps we shouldn't have been given past experiences. If we had to pick-out a stand out flavour, the champagne offering came in for particular praise from my Mother who instantly expressed her delight with a resounding 'wow'.

Overall this Artisan du Chocolat O Magic Collection has to go down as one of the best things I have tried whilst doing all my reviews for Christmas 2011. Everything about the total package, from the way it was presented, to the taste of the actual chocolates again just felt like it was done with a touch of class. This box of chocolates successfully managed to give me that feeling that I was lucky to be reviewing these for the site, and that every chocolate I was sampling from the box was an exciting and potentially delicious prospect. Speaking as someone who tries their fair share of chocolate (understatement of the century) this has to be regarded as no mean feat. Artisan du Chocolat O Magic Collection offers a festive themed flavour experience that I would recommend to anyone who appreciates good quality chocolate. The bonus of it all is that the package is presented in a near perfect form. A purchase of these for yourself or a significant other wouldn't be a decision resulting in regret.

8.5 out of 10

December 5th: Hotel Chocolat Desserts Selection

Today we have these two new Hotel Chocolat 'Desserts' Selections, which are mini collections featuring four truffles styled on popular and seasonal flavours. Both of these sell online for £6.50 and can be bought instore or on the Hotel Chocolat website HERE.

I'm not entirely convinced that words are even needed today - well done to the 'Old Man', this I would say is his finest work to date ...
Hotel Chocolat say: "Discover our irresistible twist on classic petit fours – as treats at elevenses, for a touch of afternoon tea elegance, or for relaxed after dinner nibbling. With stunning chocolate recreations of silky soft Chocolate Mousse, Tiramisu, Crème Brûlée and fruity Strawberry Trifle"

Strawberry Trifle - A delicious, tarty berry truffle with real tasting fruit flavours and a creamy finish. Very Good.

Tiramisu - Disappointing as a Tiramisu flavour as it lacked rum or coffee flavour notes. There were tones of mascarpone amongst the creamy chocolate at least. Standard.

Chocolate Mousse - Part of me believed this plain option was unnecessary for a four-pack of chocolates, but the chocolatey flavours were rich and bold making for a sensational, pure chocolate indulgence truffle. Superb.

Creme Brulee - Multi-layered/textured and with a compelling creamy, butterscotch taste that captured the Creme Brulee dessert amazingly. Superb

8.5 out of 10



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Hotel Chocolat say: "Discover our irresistible twist on classic petit fours – as treats at elevenses, for a touch of afternoon tea elegance, or for relaxed after dinner nibbling. Contains: Caramel Pecan Pie, Christmas Mess, Chocolate Souffle, Apple Strudel"

Chocolate Souffle - Is this really a Christmas/Winter flavour!? Whatever, this dark chocolate truffle had the creamiest milky centre ever and it tempered the strong earthy cocoa tones brilliantly. Very Good.

Caramel Pecan Pie - This had a wonderful variety of flavours that took you from a taste of savoury, salty nuts, to sweet sugary caramel. Just lovely. Superb.

Christmas Mess - Hotel Chocolat's Eton Mess is one of my favourites so I never doubted I was going to love this. With the simple replacement of cranberries for the strawberries this was just as brilliant. A creamy, fruity truffle of utter class. Superb.

Apple Strudel - The delightful apple flavours were evident from the first few seconds of the melt, and the taste had a progressively creamy edge. The dried fruit pieces were an outstanding finale. Superb.

8.7 out of 10

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Overall these were both excellent mini-truffle packs that I believe delivered on Hotel Chocolat's usual exceptional standards. Quite how they managed to pack such flavoursome and variable taste bites of some of these desserts in to such small pieces is a mystery to me, but without exception they execution all to a Very Good standard. Would I buy for someone for Christmas? Sure I would! Exceptional stocking-filler potential here I think.

December 3rd: American Soda - Wonka Exceptionals 2011

Stuck for present ideas for someone this year? One option you could consider is putting together an American themed chocolate and snacks package like the one above from AmericanSoda (See HERE). I'll be using this very collection for a Secret Santa scheme I'm participating in this year - fingers crossed they like it!!!


As you will see above, my Secret Santa package features one of the latest Wonka Exceptionals bars. A few weeks ago AmericanSoda gave the opportunity to try the two newest flavours, the Fantabulous Fudge Bar and the Triple Dazzle Caramel Bar. Below are my thoughts on them both.

Wonka Exceptionals Fantabulous Fudge Bar
Kcal 200 Fat 12.0g Fat(sats)7.5g Carbs 21.0g (4 pieces - 40.0g)

'Milk chocolate filled with chocolate fudge' - One of the things that surprised about this Wonka range (produced by Nestle) when I first tried it last year (See HERE) was just how tasty the chocolate was. Indeed for a chocolate that must be targetted at a younger demographic, I would of thought a few corners would have been cut in terms of the actual product delivery. To my delight I found much differently, and this was the case yet again with these latest offerings. This Fantabulous bar was simple in construct - a blocked milk chocolate bar with a gooey softer inner substance within each piece. The chocolate was sweet and sugary, yet it had a clean, crisp delivery of it's milk flavours - uncomplicated by pleasant nonetheless. The gooey centres didn't do much in the way of differentiated flavour progression, though they did seem to be incremental to the chocolatey flavour volume and provided a bit of interest for the mouth feel. It was very moreish and I found it easy but satisfying to eat the four block suggested serving portion.

8.0 out of 10



Wonka Exceptionals Triple Dazzle Caramel Bar
Kcal 200 Fat 12.0g Fat(sats)7.0g Carbs 21.0g (4 pieces - 40.0g)

'Milk chocolate filled with caramel' - I never like reviewing milk chocolate caramel bars now because as you can see looking at my ChocolateMission Leaderboard I have some firm favourites already in place. Well it wasn't like I could turn down free chocolate so this Wonka Tripple Dazzle got a shot at the JCM rating system and I'm glad now it did. Just as described above the milk chocolate was surprisingly good. Just like the fudge centres above the caramel was portioned at the heart of each block and texturally matched it for softness and smoothness. Taste wise the caramel exceeded expectations with it's heavy sweet butterscotch tones highlighted immensely by just the most subtle touch of salt. It's unbelievable how much better a caramel can taste with just that little simple ingredient. Again this was a very moreish bar, and one that I found easily edible in the two suggested portions. This gets a JCM thumbs up.

8.2 out of 10


Overall these new flavours are well worth taking a look at if you enjoyed the previous Wonka offerings. Out of the two the Triple Dazzle Caramel was just about my favourite, though the Fantabulous Fudge certainly surpassed my preconceptions. If you are UK based and want a 'safe' set of chocolates to gift that aren't available in this country normally then these new Wonka editions are certainly worthy of a look at.

*Apologies but no comments again weekend as I'm away on business with no access to the site. Please feel free to contact me on Twitter @ChocMission

November 30th: Heavenly Cakes Christmas Crimbo Crumble

I loved this cake even before I opened it's packet :D I thought I was the only person left on this planet who was sad enough to still use the word 'Chrimbo' (I used it in the office last week and was shot a number of funny looks). Seemingly @BettyBakes saw fit to dub one of her creations this year the 'Crimbo Crumble' so I can't be as out of touch as I first thought :D ... enough with the rambling and on to the cake!! Step up to the ChocolateMission plate Heavenly Cakes Christmas Crimbo Crumble ...

@BettyBakes and co sent me a few single servings of this 2011 Christmas creation and it came packaged in the usual cellophane packet, cardboard sleeve packaging. Take a peak at the score chart and you will see that the presentation of the cake let itself down. Indeed this was THE STICKIEST cake ever reviewed on ChocolateMission. It stuck to packet, it stuck to my plate and most certainly stuck to my fingers. It was unavoidable feeling messy eating this cake, lucky enough this was to be the only drawback involved here. Aroma wise it smelt great with the sugary spice smells putting me straight away in the Christmas mindset.

As I said above, the stickiness of the cake was the only drawback so I've already given away the game away that it tasted great. Comprising of a 'Shortbread base with mincemeat covered with crumble & icing drizzle' this was indeed a total delight on all the senses. The shortbread base initiated things providing a crumbly butter biscuit led taste that melted in the mouth like a dream to uncover the soft chewy layers of fruit and spice above. The mincemeat placed on top was well proportioned to the additional crumble and icing toppings and was neither over dominant or underplayed in the grand taste. It was sweet, fruity and had strong tones of nutmeg and cinnamon coming through with terrific balance against the sugary sweet icing and partially salted crumble mix. This was a cake bursting with Christmassy flavours and left me feeling 100.0% satisfied alongside my mid-afternoon coffee.

Overall this Christmas Crimbo Cake can go down as a total home-run as a seasonal cake from Heavenly. Once I got over the fact that my hands, kitchen and camera were all covered in a mixture of sticky mincemeat, glitter and broken off bits of icing it was all plain sailing from there - this cake made me truly feel like Christmas was on its way with sensational mixture of spicy sweet flavour elements - this was Crimbo in optimal cake form. If you like cakes like Mince Pies or Mr Kipling's Christmas Bakewells then this Heavenly Cakes Christmas Crimbo Cake will be right up your street. My challenge to the Heavenly Cakes guys next year is to find a way of delivering this same experience, but within a form that makes the cake a little more glamorous looking and without the necessity for so much finger licking :D Ignoring that I still feel happy as pie giving a big time JCM recommendation.

8.5 out of 10

November 28th: Artisan du Chocolat Christmas Pudding Couture Box

The Christmas reviews are well underway here on JCM and I'm delighted to bring you my thoughts on this Artisan du Chocolat Christmas Pudding Couture Box today (Website See HERE). A few weeks ago one my contacts at Artisan contacted me saying they had some very special lines of chocolates lined up for Festivities this year. The sound of these 'Christmas pudding flavoured couture chocolates' certainly got my attention, and I was very pleased indeed to receive a box just over a week ago.

I'm sure to the disappointment of no one we have somewhat of a photo frenzy going on today. You guys can thank the 'Old Man' for that, he got very keen with snapping away with these and I can't say I blame him. If you take a peek at the score chart below you will see I have awarded Artisan a 10 out of 10 for their product presentation. These were nothing short of stunning looking and I can't say enough good things about the quality on show here. My whole family agreed that this was a beautiful box of chocolates - everything from the suave outer leather box, opening mechanism and the chocolates themselves just oozed class and sophistication of the highest order.Once we built up the courage to disturb the elegantly packed box there was only one thing left to do and that was to run these milk and dark Christmas pudding flavoured chocolates through the JCM taste test. With expectations sky rocket high I have the disappointing news to report that I was totally underwhelmed with my first taste. Opting for one of the milk chocolates I was surprised at the total lack of flavour generated by the inner Christmas pudding centre. Not to be perturbed I straight away tried another, thankfully it was about a hundred times better - phew :D Yes indeed, like the first one I tried, their were no qualms with their chocolate whatsoever. It delivered a delightful fresh, crisp creamy cocoa flavour base and melted with a soft, flowing mouth feel. To my relief, with the second chocolate, the stodgy cake filling was packed with different festive flavours, with elements of cinnamon, nutmeg, sweet citrus fruits, nuts and salt providing a taste journey that was multi-depthed and compelling. The dark chocolate variety were heavily favoured by the 'Old Man' who said that even in the chocolates where the centre Christmas Pudding filling was more subdued, the richer, earthier cocoa flavours were more than compensatory.

Overall this was a highly enjoyable box of chocolates and one certainly worth taking note of for Christmas this year. On the balance of things it was agreed by one and all that it's positive features in it's glorious presentation and unique Christmas Pudding concept, vastly outweighed it's only negative in the consistency of it's flavour strength delivery. There were definitely more chocolates packed to the brim with the desired Christmas Pudding flavours, but just as my unlucky first experience panned out there were instances where other chocolates in the box were equally as flavourless. This Russian roulette style flavour strength may suit other options better, but for a box of chocolates that is presented with such grandeur it would no doubt of been better if they had a little more consistency given just how wonderfully tasty they were at their best. So would I buy them? I sure would! Their looks sell them alone.

8.2 out of 10

November 26th: '7Days of Chocolate Reviews' - Hotel Chocolat Christmas Nuts

SITE UPDATE

Hi All,

I've had a crazy last week but I'm still endeavouring to bring you guys the best coverage possible of what's available for Christmas 2011. The posts this week for Hotel Chocolat Alternative Mince Pies (See HERE) and
Niederegger Liqueur Flavoured Marzipan Selection (See HERE) appear to have gone down rather well, thanks again for all the comments and feedback, I know all the ones about the photography go down very well with the 'Old Man'.

I've been horrendously busy with the day job, but I've still managed to make some great headway through all the samples I've received for the site this Christmas. I won't give you any spoilers but I can confirm there are some very attention worthy things coming up on the site site next week and beyond. Who knows, I might even throw in a few cheeky Twitter competitions to get rid of all the excess - visit @ChocMission and follow me to keep a look out for that.

Be sure to swing by the news page folks (See HERE). I should be updating it before the end of the weekend. Until then ... happy chocolate eating :D

JIM

***NB - Please do not attempt to leave comments today. If you need to contact me please do via Twitter @Chocmission

SNACK OF THE WEEK ..... a new part of '7Days of Chocolate Reviews' which will feature any manner of snacking product I have been products munching on in the week
Courtesy of our pals at Hotel Chocolat, we have a two-in-one SOTW feature this week. Indeed, as you may have gathered from the photos my family and I have been feasting our way through these two Hotel Chocolat nut offerings which both came in 250.0g tins (£10.00 each before you ask haha!).

Presentation wise Hotel Chocolat were never going to be able to make much of chocolate coated nuts, but we thought these tins were a novel way of containing them for both freshness and also establishing a premium feel. As for the nuts themselves we had mixed feelings in regards to which were superior. The 'Old Man' thought the dark chocolate covered brazil nuts were just fantastic and he expressed his delight at how the earthy cocoa flavours were a perfect foil for the buttery sweetness of the nuts. On the flip side, my mother and I were bigger fans of the cinnamon noted milk chocolate almonds, which I personally believed had more of moreish taste to them with their salty spiced creamy flavours. Whilst we were disagreed on our favourites, one thing we were all aligned on was just had wonderfully fresh both the chocolate and nuts came across in taste and texture. These were both a cut above the ones you will find in supermarkets that's for sure.

Dark Brazil Nuts - 8.5 out of 10
Milk Cinnamon Almonds - 8.5 out of 10


Have you seen the Hotel Chocolat Christmas line up this year? SEE HERE
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