At a recent event I had the fortune of being able to try a number of Aldi wines and their amazing chocolate chip brioche.  I am a firm Aldi convert.  They have some amazing food and the stuff coming out for the holidays is going to make you a convert too.  Trust me and remember to pop on for their cheese selection platter from Dec 18th (I believe), their bacon wrapped sausages (best I’ve ever had for personal flavour preference), turkey (deliciously moist) and of course, Moser Roth.

In addition to the great food, they have some great wines.  Now, I won’t lie and say they are all great because they aren’t and some were far too young and raw for my taste (avoid the chardonnay unless you like your gooseberries and elderflower really strong) but you know they would do well as a mulled white or red because of their unique flavours.  This, however, was a sparkling white.

Champagne has long evoked images of decadence and opulence and as such there are a number of sparkling wines on the market that attempt to bring some of that indulgence to a budget that suits all.  Frankly given the flavour of a lot of the champagne I have tried, including Dom and Bolli, you get better flavour in some sparkling wines anyway.  Cava and prosecco are two popular sparkling non-champagne tipples.  Each has a distinct flavour range and each has a country of origin.  This offering from Aldi is slightly different.

Bottled in what we recognise as something similar to a champagne bottle, we immediately know it is a sparkling wine.  Chilling it for a full two hours like any fine champagne should, we popped the cork and in some lovely martini glasses we enjoyed our first sip.  The flavour was a combination of a young light chardonnay and a sweet prosecco, blended together to calm both elements into something very drinkable.

If you’re buying for a party, this would be a great welcome drink on its own or the flavour profile I think lends itself specifically towards a Kir Royale so pour a little of this in a glass, slowly add some crème de casis and then carefully top it off.  Or make yourself some Mimosa by combining orange juice with this sparking wine.  In a tall champagne flute these drinks are easier to make than struggling with the wider champagne glasses.  Finish off a Kir Royale with a blackberry on the side of the glass or have some blueberries or actual blackcurrants in the bottom of the flute for a bit of extra something.  Mimosa can be finished with a thin half slice of orange on the side of the glass or a very thinly sliced piece of rind curled in the glass.

Whatever the occasion, if you’ve got a lot of people to buy for whether you are on a budget or not, Aldi is becoming the choice for taste, not just price.

After announcing that they have won silver in the Taste of the West 2011 awards for their champagne truffles, Melchior Chocolates from south Devon sent me a massive box with a bag of their truffles secreted within enough packing to ensure they survived the trip.  This is a company that clearly has lots of experience with Royal Mail.

I’m kind of picky about my Marc de Champagne truffles.  The ganache tends to be wet, too loose and poorly made.  Well, I’m a little confused about why this won silver – the ganache is about as firm as you can make it, the chocolate is delightful and I love the cocoa dusting.  Maybe the judges didn’t like cocoa dusting?

The chocolate is indistinct – I’m not clear of the quality but it is a very nice dark chocolate.  The chocolate itself is a thin shell containing the ganache which has been moulded and filled then capped and coated and rolled in cocoa powder.  Or at least that is what it seems from munching my way through most of the bag.  It’s been an awfully long time since I enjoyed munching through chocolates and shared with husband.  Usually it is a stress to taste them and describe but because I had a bag I was able to actually enjoy these and I have and will continue to do so.

Funny thing is, I could swear I’ve visited them before and given husband’s parents used to live in Barnstaple and we used to visit them I probably have

Did I like them?  Yes.  Would I buy them – absolutely.  In fact, I’m a bit sad the in-laws have moved because I’d go on my next visit.  You can buy some online though or you can visit where the magic happens.

Champagne is perhaps the ultimate indulgence and by extension so is a champagne truffle.

These champagne truffles led me on an adventure. One part of the adventure was finding a box which I almost bought, which were well past their best before date. Expired chocolates on sale at Liberty – tisk tisk.

I love the box design at Co couture, a company run by brother and sister pair. They have been at the Southbank chocolate festival and they have a twitter account you can follow. They are passionate about chocolate and work very hard.

The chocolates are very nice and they have won good taste awards. The champagne chocolates had a firmer ganache than I am used to. I’m used to a runnier ganache which is soft and almost liquid where as these are firm. The flavour is still distinct and clear and the flavour is yummy. The flavour of the champagne and sugar does drown out the chocolate a bit but this is champers! Who cares?

They are still lovely. They are delightful, beautiful and delicious. If you come across them in Liberty, check the expiry date before buying but don’t be afraid to grab a box and enjoy them!

There is something about a good macaron that I find hard to find. I think I’m picky. I wasn’t fussed on the Pierre Herme macarons and that’s probably down to individual taste. I thought as I was in Brussles what could it hurt to investigate come of the local creations.

The macarons were in a cute counter in a chocolate chop whose truffles bore a striking resemblance to other chocolates I had been seeing around town. It looked like there was a chocolate cartel or something so I went for the macarons and hadn’t seen a Verve Cliquiot macaron before and went for that and chocolate.

The chocolate was OK but lacklustre. I think the Pierre Herme one outshines this one but who knows which batch was fresher. It could have been that the chocolate one I had was older as the macaron itself was chewy without the crisp outer crust I am used to. The inner filling was OK but nothing to write home about (and barely deserves a blog mention really). I figured that star would be the champers one as they did charge more for it.

My first impression was of a slimy interior. I’m not sure quite what went wrong here but ewwww… the next thing I notices was that macaron casing itself was not crisp but soft and almost soggy. It did have a strong champagne taste but it did not shine by any means. It was really not a shining example of the macaron makers’ art.

All in all I was disappointed but perhaps I was expecting too much. I was in the heart of the tourist area and yet slightly off the beaten path and I was there on a Saturday at the end of the say. Maybe I got an old batch, maybe I got the one bad one. I loved the effort they had taken with the presentation and the shimmering gold of the Verve Cliquiot macaron. Or maybe they just aren’t up to scratch. Why not pop in if you’re in the area and add your thoughts here?

Darker and chocolaty does not have to mean bitter though as I have discovered recently it cam mean sweeter than milk *ptwey*  Thus it was with some anticipation that I got and tried these dark chocolate truffles.  I’ve had mixed experiences with Charbonnel et Walker but I’m always willing to try in the name of fairness anything pretty much (yes, I promise I will try the chocolate covered liquorice soon).

These chocolates are quite luxurious in look.  There is the traditional round box with the gold foil printing.  This is somewhat iconic and so when I saw it with some Harrods-own chocolates in the airport I wondered if Charbonnel had a whiskey truffle.   You break the crown seal which reminds you these chocolates are by royal appointment to HRH.

The first impression I had was that these did not smell as boozy as the pink champagne truffles I had tried.  This is likely because they are made with a dark chocolate whose scent will be competing with the booze of the marc de champagne smell.  The dark chocolate shell is thick but not too thick.  It has a cocoa powder exterior which *always* means I end up with brown splotches all over my nice beige sweaters but who cares

The dark chocolate here is slightly sweet and the thickness of the shell and composition of the chocolate means there is an additional firmness that isn’t present in the pink champagne making it slightly more challenging to bite in to without making a mess (and says as she tries to get cocoa powder out of her shirt).  The flavour of the ganache is sweet but not as sweet as with the pink champagne.  The ganache isn’t too firm but it has a thicker consistency meaning it was firm to the touch and when bitten in to, held the impression of my pearly whites.  The flavour of the marc de champagne (Marc de Champagne is made from the wine press residue of Champagne production – it is not actual champagne) is less aggressive in these truffles and yet still comes clearly through.

I like both slightly sweet and quality chocolate so for me these were lovely.  At over a pound a truffle (they retail for £11.75 for they would be a welcome gift!

When I opened up the package and saw the pink box, I thought it was so cute.  I’m a sucker for beautiful packaging and the Charbonnel et Walker Pink Marc de Champagne truffles certainly come in a cute box.  The pink box with its gold lettering was sealed with two gold stickers so I knew the treasures inside had not been scoffed by anyone else.

The first scent that reaches you when you open the box is boozy.  The smell of what must be the champagne rises up to greet your nose and promise alcoholic treats within.  Each of the truffles as you look down at them invites you to enjoy them slowly.  Their white chocolate exterior is coloured pink and dusted with powdered sugar.

I can sort of imagine the luxurious surroundings these chocolates were once enjoyed in.  I can imagine a romantic period drama, the drawing room… Ladies in their posh frocks sitting around drinking champagne or tea delicately from the most elegant china or crystal.  The chocolates themselves, having arrived from a chocolate shop with a royal warrant, placed on a sterling silver tray and offered to the guests.  These guests would see the beautiful white chocolate exterior and, biting in to one, the darker chocolate ganache within. It might really tickle their fancy to see that kind of contract and would be just the kind of thing Victorian England would find delightful.

Fast forward to today and chocolate is no longer a luxury enjoyed by only the posh for special occasions (or the traders dealing in stocks and shares).  It is common and available everywhere.  The Charbonnel et Walker name endures and while their chocolates are no longer dried on the rooftops of London they are still located in the heart of London.  These rather large pink champagne truffles are actually kind of sweetly nice.  They are not Paul A Young or William Curley or Paul Wayne Gregory but those gentlemen are pursuing a different quality in their art.  These chocolates, while offering the perception of being posh, are more accessible to the mass market.

I can understand why these are a best-seller these days.  They are strongly scented and we taste with our nose.  They are not challenging and they are sweet.  This means they have a mass-market appeal a black sesame chocolate might not have.  Champagne is still seen as a luxury and while they may not have real Dom Perignon in them like the offerings from Demarquette (who should send me some for review of course) they still have that luxury association and that sells.

These chocolates are going to be very popular this Valentine’s Day and I can see why.  Cute pink and gold box, large round white chocolate exterior, non-challenging interior, sweet, smells boozy and has the real look and feel of luxury.  For an awful lot (thousands I’m sure) of people, this is luxury.  And I’ll have another one please

When I first saw these, I was struck by how perfect they were for Valentines day.  They are a chocolate version of the aphrodisiac oyster and the romance of the pearl.  You can buy Champagne and Oysters in chocolate form from Hotel Chocolat.  Here instead of slimy oyster and inedible pearl we have a lovely praline oyster and a champagne pearl (well, 6 oyster shells and 6 champagne pearls).  It is just so romantic…

Opening the box, you can smell the champagne truffles.  I’m much more used to smelling the overwhelming praline when opening a box that includes praline but in this case the champagne truffles announced themselves first.  The smell rose up and greeted me promising more…

The champagne truffle got indulged first.  The interior is a wet milk chocolate ganache so quite sweet but also wet so it isn’t solid.  The shell is thick enough to keep structure but not so thick that you can’t just break it with a light bite.  I like the champagne truffle from Hotel Chocolat because of the strong flavour.

The praline oyster is really interesting.  It is milk chocolate but a dark chocolate top to make it look like a real oyster but in brown.  The inside is a nice praline which I don’t find too overpowering.  I actually enjoy this praline and while I might not choose it often, I’m happy to eat it on occasion. The chocolate is just thick enough and the chocolate strong enough that I liked this praline – a rare occurance for me!

I loved this box as a brilliant Valentine’s product.  It is actually really nice and quite delicious and as a gift it is just so unique and different.  I got 2 boxes from Hotel Chocolat and I just can’t keep this to myself though as I love them so much so I’m giving a box away!  I’m going to pray that the post works and I will draw one lucky winner of these late Wednesday Feb 8th so you’ll have it before Valentine’s day.

That’s right – WIN A FREE BOX of these lovely chocolates worth £12!  Just leave a comment saying who you’d love to give a box of these to and/or tweet “The @mostlyaboutchoc blog has the sweetest giveaway from @HotelChocolat at http://bit.ly/f2wZs7  ” BY 8PM and I’ll put all the tweets and comments into a spreadsheet and use random.org to pick me a winner!

sereeh HAS WON!!

The pink champagne truffle from Hotel Chocolat has to be one of the most alcoholic champagne truffles I have ever had.  It almost rivals the Prestat champagne truffles in alcoholness.  When I opened it, it didn’t quite have that scent of alcohol that can leap up and greet you.  I was, I must admit, a tiny bit disappointed by the cardboard box but that was only the casing for the delights within.

The shell is lighter and softer than the Prestat truffle and the filling certainly packs a kick.  I was a little sad that my box had three crushed ones but that meant that I simply had to eat them all up

They are nice and for someone looking for a special gift, it is a fair fight between Prestat and Hotel Chocolat. I have to admit that the box for the Prestat truffles is my favourite with its lovely purple box.

Ever had one of those moments when you find chocolate you didn’t realise you had? Well, I found this lovely little box of chocs from Hotel Chocolat and although they were past their best before date I thought I’d try them anyway.  I mean, what’s the worst that could happen?

I tried the cinnamon praline first.  I’m not a huge fan of praline as it is often gritty and the strong nutty flavour overwhelms the flavour of anything else.  WOW… I’m a cinnamon fan as readers will know and this was like a warm Christmas choccy in my mouth.  Brilliant.  A bit of a nutmeg topping and I think we’ve got Christmas in a choc.

Caramel crunch wasn’t quite as dramatic but was still OK.  Both chocolates were sweet but I found the caramel crunch a bit over my sweet tolerance level regrettably.

The sea salted caramel was OK but again the sweetness of the chocolate detracted from the overall experience for me.  Perhaps it was just my mood but it was just too much sweet for me.

Saving the best for last I had the Marc de Champagne star. It was lovely and age had not dimmed it though it too was quite sweet.  It was probably just me but I did feel the white chocolate was quite over sweet.

I’m very sure that a lot of people would love a selection like this.  It may be sweet to me but I’m sure other people more familiar with popular brands of chocolate will love these.

As you open the box, you can smell the champagne and the inside of the lovely purple box holds a bunch of these lovely balls of goodness just waiting to be shared.  There are plenty in each box and a thick chocolate shell on the chocolate ensures none will be broken when they are received.

Each chocolate is covered in powdered sugar on the outside.  Biting through the think chocolate shell you bite in to a lovely, almost liquid centre of the champagne ganache.

This truffle is very sweet – from the powdered sugar outside through the sugary chocolate, it is sweet all the way down.  Too sweet for me.  The chocolate as well is not the highest quality but it is firmly better than some other chocolate shops.  The trade off between high quality chocolate and shelf life has been measured and weighed and balanced as carefully as possible, meaning Prestat seem to have worked to create a transportable great quality chocolate.

A special treat, it is likely to be enjoyed by everyone and the beautiful box is extremely sturdy so it’ll survive being moved – if there are any left to be moved once the box is opened!

There’s something about champagne truffles that makes them wonderfully special no matter what.  These have earned a firmly wonderful place in the “great” chocolate section.