"hotel chocolat" news and stories

I'll admit I haven't gotten into too many different brands of chocolate beyond Hershey's. Well, OK, I love Lindt and Ghiradelli, but those are the mainstream (yet terrific) gourmet chocolates. I'm talking about the more exotic chocolate pleasures that many of us don't try. Here are some gift ideas for the chocoholic on your list who might want to try something a little bit different.

Vosges has a rather intriguing selection of chocolates, brownies, cakes, and ice creams. At first I thought it was some sort of art site or perhaps a fashion site. Godiva has some nice baskets and other gifts.

Apparently the pressures and rivalry that come with being one of Britain's leading chocolatiers sometimes cause men to do strange things. Witness the case of Barry Colenso, the erstwhile master chocolatier of the prestigious Thorntons who was forced to resign after a "truffle-squishing" incident at a rival store.

That's right folks. We said, gasp, "truffle squishing." Actually it's no laughing matter. The man who has been likened to Willy Wonka and who you see standing before a chocolate billboard he created last Easter went on a truffle vandalism spree at rival store Hotel Chocolat where he mangled some $130 of confections. Store staff knew something was up when they noticed him pawing at the various truffles. Hotel Chocolat issued a statement saying, "This was an extraordinary act of truffle-squishing. We can only guess at what provoked it."

I know said something about this not being a laughing matter, after all it was highly unprofessional behavior, but I can't help thinking of the scene in Tampopo where the elderly female shopper roams through a store squeezing and destroying a wide array of items. It also begs the question, did they sell the damaged goods at a lower price or remake them or what? Personally, I'm not above eating a squished truffle or two.

[via Boing Boing]

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One of the best chocolate retailers in the UK, Hotel Chocolat, has a special offer on its latest tasting pack.

Each month they send out a new selection of chocolates created by a variety of artisan chocolatiers. They are offering £6 off the regular price taking it down to just £9.95 including delivery. For this you get 28 chocolates, a full descriptive list and tasting notes, a tasting note scorecard for feedback, a copy of their magazine, The Chocolate News and a handbook detailing their Chocolate Tasting Club.

I often buy my family a selection of chocolates from Hotel Chocolat; the fact they never save me any is a good indication of how good they are!

(Note: They only send to the UK)

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