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Welcome to Dipping into British Chocolate - from our ongoing Little Green Book series. We're cocoa-crazy with a treasure trove of FoodLovers Approved chocolatiers, chocolate shops, chocolate workshops, and chocolate-themed places to eat, stay and visit. Of course we have recipes to cook, books to buy and coming soon... notes on how to taste chocolate from our Chocolate Expert.
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For more artisan British chocolates to buy online visit Online Chocolate
Surrounded by the Lammermuir hills Friederike Matthis of The Chocolate Tree works with care to create own-made chocolates and organic bars...
Raw Chocolate is the superfood on everybody's lips - get yours from Pure Flavour...
Indulge yourself with a chocolate fondue or hot chocolate from The Mortimer Chocolate Company...
Sample the rich flavour notes and unique melting sensation of Davenport's Chocolates - all artistically decorated by hand...
Sir Hans Sloane's Master chocolatier Bill McCarrick’s success is his unique in-house conching machine...
Marc Demarquette's own-made chocolates are made from Cornish and Hampshire cream and local fruits...
Vanilla's chocolate fondue pots are blended by hand in small batches...
Angel Chocolates make their satisfying chocolate slabs from pure Valrhona...
Cocoa Loco use only organic ingredients to make their truffles, bars and chocolate-y goodies...
Dore Valley's chocolates - made with local hedgerow fruit and real cream - can be found in shops around Herefordshire...
Escry's artisan-made chocolate squares are made with single-origin chocolate...
I Should Coco's farmers market stall in St Ives sells their own-made single-origin, organic chocolates, filled with clotted cream and local apple brandy...
Audrey's old-fashioned fondant creams, such as violet and rose, are hand-made with theri own-blended dark chocolate...
From a jewel-like shop tucked away in a back alley in Richmond close to the green, William Curley creates and sells sensationally good chocolates...
Montezuma still make all their chocolate in their factory in West Sussex, using local ingredients...
Run by Chantal Coady, Rococo is London's wittiest chocolate shop, packed with chocolate treasures...
Auberge du Chocolat make personalised chocolates - from figurines to cards - by hand...
One visit to Cocomaya will not do - there is so much to admire and take in about this exquisite chocolatier ...
At L'Artisan du Chocolat's treasure trove of a shop, you can buy just one to a whole boxful of perfectly-formed own-made chocolates...
Cocoa Mountain's Chocolate Bar is one of the most stunning places - feast on truffles while gazing out over the beaches of Balnakeil Bay...
Paul A Young's chocolate shops in London are worth a visit for the quirky flavours and spectacular centre pieces...
Melt in Notting Hill make all their chocolates in-house, using only the most carefully-sourced ingredients...
The Chocolate Alchemist's stylishly packaged chocolates - from buttons to bars - are organic as well as own-made in their Guildford shop...
Gorvett and Stone's artisan chocolate shop is where you'll find their own-made fresh cream truffles...
Visit Melchior in Devon to pick up a selection of their own-made Swiss-couverture cream and liqueur truffles...
The Wicked Fruit Company produces novel, wickedly indulgent confectionery, combining delicious fruit and best quality chocolate
The Chocolate Gourmet in Ludlow sources chocolate from around the world...
Selfridges Food Hall is being transformed for Valentine's with independent chocolate makers taking pride of place...
Harvey Nichols Food Hall is a great place to find independent artisan chocolatiers for a treat for any time of the year...
Liberty's Chocolate Shop has a real flair for artistic, stylishly-packaged chocolates from British chocolate makers...
Learn how to temper and mould chocolate with the Craft Bakers from Betty's Cookery School...
Steve Bulmer's infectious enthusiasm make his Chocolate & Dessert workshops huge fun at Brook Hall...
Amateur chocolate enthusiasts can learn the basics of tempering at Coghlan's School of Wine, Food & Dining...
Chocolate Ecstasy Tours take you round some of London's finest chocolatiers and cafes, tasting as you go...
Rococo's School of Chocolate in their Motcomb Street branch caters for everyone from kids to chocolate connoisseurs...
Manor School's Chocolate Heaven course will teach you everything from eclairs and tortes to own-made truffles...
Look out for Britain's only choc-mobile around the country as Choc Star sells everything from ice cream to spicy hot chocolate...
Enjoy a Chocolate Raspberry Martini or a Dark Chocolate Milkshake at Bar Chocolate...
The Chocolate Cafe's chocolate pizza has become something of a legend locally...
Indulge yourself with a decidedly upmarket chocolate fix at Harrods Chocolate Bar...
Stop by Butler's Chocolate Cafe in Westfield for a free chocolate truffle with your coffee for a spoiling pick-me-up...
Visit the Hanover Galleries, then make sure to stop by their Chocolate Cellar for a real hot chocolate...
Needless to say, Bar Chocolat's menu is all about high-quality chocolate - run by James of James Chocolates, it should be...
A perfect stopping place for a warming chocolate treat after a walk, 1657 Chocolate House is also gorgeous to look at...
If you're a complete chocoholic, a weekend at The Chocolate Boutique Hotel, complete with workshops, is a must-stay...
Chocolate can be good for you - try the Chocolate Spa at the Courthouse Hotel Kempinski...
For budding Willy Wonkas, a trip to The Roald Dahl Museum is an absolute must in holiday-time...
The kids will love a day out at Pemberton's Chocolate Farm in Wales...
Ramsbottom's Chocolate Festival on 5 April 2009 is the event for all chocoholics - expect chocolate beer, pizza and more...
HOW TO TASTE CHOCOLATE - THE EXPERT'S GUIDE
Sara Jayne-Stanes of the Academy of Chocolate gives her expert guidelines on how to really taste chocolate.
Extracted from Chocolate: The Definitive Guide by Sara Jayne-Stanes, published in paperback by Grub Street at £12.99
How to recognise good chocolate
- The quality and provenance of the cocoa beans and the manufacturing process is vital just as it is for fine wines.
- The country of origin or the genetic variety of the bean (“Criollo”) have become marketing tools used by mass market brands as well as fine market brands. Even if true (origin) the process and added ingredients will determine the final quality of the chocolate. These criteria are not necessarily signs of quality.
- Ideally chocolate should contain a minimum cocoa content of 60%+ for dark and 30%+ for milk. However, just because a chocolate contains 70% cocoa does not automatically mean it is good – if the cocoa beans, original ingredients and the production processes are inferior, then you are probably being short changed on your chocolate. It is as irrelevant to select a chocolate from the cocoa solid percentage as it would be to select a wine by alcohol percentage.
- Chocolate shouldn’t really contain anything you don’t recognise – if you see an ‘E’ number, artificial preservatives or hydrogenated fats, think again. The longer the list of ingredients, the more suspicious the chocolate.
Tasting Notes
- Appearance: Chocolate should be flawless, evenly coloured and a deep shade of mahogany ‘Black’ is rarely an indicator of good chocolate. There should be no cracks or air pockets, streaks or sugar bloom.
- Touch: Chocolate should feel silky, not sticky and should just begin to yield to the warmth of your finger
- Aroma: The chocolate should smell good as you unwrap it, with a complex fragrance. It should be sweetly fragrant but not overpowering.
- Sound: Take a piece and break it – it should snap cleanly – if it splinters or crumbles it may not be good. Take a look inside; it should be solid all the way through with no blemishes or holes.
- Mouthfeel or texture: Most tastebuds are on the front of the tongue which is where you should start tasting the chocolate. If it doesn’t start to melt straight away this is probably a sign of poor quality or improper crystallisation of the cocoa butter. Here is chocolate’s biggest test – the taste explosion. It should be smooth and buttery, gently dissolving into a creamy liquid filling the mouth with its complexity of flavours. It must not be grainy or gluey. If it’s waxy or ‘clacky’ it sometimes means the cocoa butter has been replaced with vegetable fat – and it’s not real chocolate.
- Flavour: The flavours from where most of the chocolate experience comes are located on different parts of the tongue: Sweet (front); Sour (front/sides); Bitter (back); Salt (back/sides). Essentially chocolate is going to be bittersweet, deeply fruity and spicy with a harmonious balance of acidity and should be subtle rather than overpowering.
- Aftertaste: You want flavour to linger for several minutes with a clean aftertaste and no residue and certainly not be overpoweringly sweet. Robert Linxe, the French champion of great chocolate, maintains that you should be able to taste good chocolate some 45 minutes after you’ve eaten it.
Mortimer Chocolate Company's Chocolate Whisky Cake
Henrietta's Chocolate Pudding with Orange Cream
William Curley's Chuao Chocolate Tart
Chocolate & Lemongrass Mousse
Chocolate Techniques: Making Chocolate Curls
Chocolate: A Definitive Guide by Sara-Jayne Staines
101 Best Loved Chocolate Recipes by Hotel Chocolat
Crave by Maureen McKeown
Chocolate Connoisseur by Chloe Doutre-Roussell