I have to admit, this is a big one. I ended up having to share this because it was just so massively huge. Isn’t that what Easter is all about though? Massively huge Thorntons Easter Eggs that look and taste lovely?

This one is actually 430 grams of chocolate and meringue and candied lemon peel.  Actually, the meringue and candied lemon peel is covered in white chocolate and mainly in a stained glass window in the front of the egg.

The white chocolate is flavoured with a deliciously, slightly tart, lemon flavour. The whole white chocolate egg is studded with meringue and while light, it is lovely and crunchy, meaning the white chocolate has a deliciously crunchy edge.

The front stained glass window has the candied lemon peel and the meringue and some of it I think is a bit chocolate covered. It has thick chocolate here and with that thickness is more yumminess. Lovely stained glass window lemon meringue pie with lovely lemon chocolate.

There is a lot of chocolate here and the tart of the lemon does balance off against the sweet white chocolate. The meringue pieces adds to the mix to make this an awesome egg. At only £14.99 it is also an awesome deal.

Ummm… OK, I know I’m not supposed to love this egg but I do. Yep, I love this egg and it was sweet yummy goodness. This Thorntons Banoffee Pie Easter egg is sweet yummy gooness with toffee goodness and banana goodness.

So why do I love this egg?  Well, the stained glass window has slices of banana and pieces of Thorntons Special Toffee in the front, with pieces of Special Toffee also speckling the shell. I think it is the toffee in the shell that has driven me a bit batty here.

I was happily enjoying the banana slices with the toffee and milk chocolate and then I took a bit of the shell.  You can see the darker flecks in the shel but it isn’t until you bite into it that you actually realise what it is – toffee!

Yep, this is an egg for the sweet-toothed among you and at times I am unashamed to admit that I have a very sweet tooth. I enjoy a bit of sweet milk chocolate and to marry that with the sweet toffee which gives it that bit of extra texture – well, sweet yummy deliciousness all around!

If you know someone with a sweet tooth who loves toffee and milk chocolate, this is going to be their favourite egg!

Right – this is it folks. We are at the day before Valentine’s Day and you NEED to make sure you have some chocolate and flowers and jewellery and cards or some combination of the aforementioned traditional Valentines treats.  Now, most of what I have covered off is actually already unavailable but the popular high-street names of Godiva and Thorntons.

Thorntons is very popular as a high street chocolate brand. Even as the years have gone by, the popularity of Thorntons seems undaunted. The competitions I have run with Thorntons chocolate have always been the most popular. So it is unsurprising that Thorntons have come out with what will probably be some of the most popular chocolates for Valentine’s Day.  And you still have time to rush down to a Thorntons right now and pick some up. Just go and find some and you’ll find these ADORABLE little boxes of love.

These three small boxes are just perfect with three chocolates each inside. Get one of each for a perfect suite of cute chocolaty numminess. The three options I got were the classic champagne truffle, the strawberry and champagne truffle and the continental viennese truffle.  These were all traditional Thorntons flavours (slightly sweet but still lovely) and because they are Thorntons you know what to expect flavour-wise.  You also know you can trust Thorntons and that most shops will have all three of these boxes today (and likely tomorrow too) so that you can grab three last minute miniatures with that bunch of non-roses. It’ll sex up any bunch of flowers and since it is a variety you can make a little basket out of them by adding something she loves or a bit of jewellery in a small gift bag or open basket.

There is also the option of spelling out how much your love means to you with one of their boxes of message truffles.  Not only will your love had a very special card with your personal message, it’ll be shaped like lots of little chocolates The message chocolates are wonderfully delightful and while they are all the same flavour, who cares? What is going to matter is that you cared enough to spell out a special message of love to the one you love. Mine were sweet but still nummy.

Godiva has long been looked to as a more posh version of the high street chocolate. Godiva are constantly innovating and coming up with new types of chocolates in new styles and new flavours and they’ve come up with these new Mont D’amour flavours that are available either in a cool clear plastic branded sleeve or in this cute little box and they are nummy! They are slightly sweet but I tried the ones I was sent with coffee and WOW. I certainly appreciated the fact the shells were not too think! The Cassis Marron was way better than I expected as it includes chestnut and yet it was delightful with the cassis. The Green Tea was actually a bit sweet but I think someone just trying out a green tea chocolate will find it strongly flavoured and so perhaps more flavourful and less challenging. The Fraises des bois was sharp and tangy and the real gold made it a super winner. The Fraise was delicious and *extremely* strawberry to the point I swear I got seeds stuck in my teeth – WOW! And the noisette citron was fun and really different for a lemon mousse. So you know this is going to be both appreciated because it is Godiva and delicious because they have done some great things with these chocolates.

So hurry – take your lunch hour as a rush trip to your local Thorntons or Godiva and grab some of these chocolates and make a splash tomorrow!

I got sent this heart of 625g of Thorntons Valentine’s chocolates specifically to give away and so I shall.  But here was the problem – how do I give it away in a fair way without automated entries getting in the way of genuine people who genuinely read the blog and the Facebook page getting a fair chance so here is what I’ll do:

Post a poem in the comments to enter. It has to be a unique poem and as such I will not approve any comments until the competition is over. I will accept any form of poetry but I will be judging on originality so I will be checking to see if it is original. It should be about love since these are Valentine’s Day chocolates.

What about the chocolates? Well, the Thorntons site says: “Say ‘I love you’ with this beautiful chocolate gift. Hand-selected by our Master Chocolatier, this pretty chocolate gift box features only the finest luxury chocolates from our favourite Continental, Milan and Paris chocolate ranges. This stunning gift box is filled with 50 of the most popular Thorntons Continental chocolates, including scrumptious pralines, yummy chocolate truffles and delicious mousses covered in milk, white and dark chocolate.” YUM.

But since it is Valentine’s Day I will also give away some lovely Green & Blacks bars as a second prize!

To enter:
1)    Leave an original poem in the comments for me to judge
2)    Share this post on Facebook by clicking “share” on the wall post about this blog post on the MostlyAboutChocolate Facebook page (I’m not asking for “likes” as I understand that is frowned upon by Facebook – just share this specific blog post)

The rules:
1.Random.org will be used to determine if Facebook (1) or blog comments (2) will be chosen from to win the Thorntons chocolates. Once the Thorntons chocolates have been awarded, the Green & Blacks bars will be.
2.The competition will finish at noon GMT on Monday 13th February 2012.
3.The selection of winner will be based on originality of poem for blog comments, and by using random.org for Facebook shares.
4.Only available to UK mainland addresses.
5.No cash alternative available.
6.I reserve the right to exclude entries that I feel are inappropriate or not in the spirit of the competition. No pornographic poems please.
7.Your details won’t be passed onto anyone else and will not be kept in any way.
8.I reserve the right to remove entries that I believe aren’t human created or are an attempt to gain an unfair advantage such as automated entries.
Thanks to Loquax for the guidance on competitions!

Wow… I cannot tell you how long I have coveted this box.  Oh the joy! This box of chocolate showcases chocolates from when Thorntons started in business 100 years ago and also includes a selection of the newest most modern collection.

This collection is delivered in a really heavy faux lacquer-ware box with 2 further matching trays that once you’ve eaten the chocolates from within it will make the perfect show-off serving dishes. The design is gorgeous and absolutely stunning.  For any Thorntons fan this will be a treasure. A forever keepsake once the chocolates are gone.

The collection has only 28 chocolates in it with a block of chocolate.  The box though is massive and weighs a ton. You really are paying for the box which will last forever and has the centenary artwork inlaid into it.  I decided to go through each chocolate from the past and the present and see whether I liked it.

The chocolates  from 100 years ago:

Caramel Cup – This was quite sweet and I have to admit I guess I wasn’t in a sweet mood as it was a bit too much for me. It was OK but the milk chocolate and sweet caramel was a bit too sweet for me to have more than one

Almond Rocher – I loved this one. It was delightful. I loved that there wasn’t too much chocolate, lots of slivers of nut and fresh, fresh, fresh! I loved this one and could have done with more than 2

Lemon Manon – this is really interesting – really lemony and zingy but slightly sweet for me possibly because it is white chocolate. I did like it though I could only manage a half a one.

Grand Marnier – This is apparently truffle centre and with the darker chocolate it is nice. The taste of the Grand Marnier is extremely strong and I think that the dark chocolate is slightly sharp for me after all the sweet.

Rio Butterscotch – I’m not sure what I think about this one… It is really kind of nice and weird and crunchy and nutty but well balanced. I like it I think but I’m not 100% sure if I love it. But I definitely do like it and I think I’d buy it as a one-off.

Noisette– this apparently has Marc de Champagne mousse encased in dark choc finished with white choc and a sprinkle of croquant granules. This one was a bit sweet for me but overall I think there is a theme of sweet in here.

Crudo Chocolate block – this is apparently how chocolate would have tasted 100 years ago – gritty and intense with vanilla notes, cinnamon, and intense nutmeg. Not unpleasant but not my personal favourite.

Chocolates from today:

Raspberry and Rose – an award-winning chocolate this had raspberry jam with raspberry ganache and subtle hints of rose. Absolutely delightful. The perfect balance of dark chocolate flavours, sharp acidic flavours and sweetness.

Mango and Orange Creme – zingy mango with a sweet orange it has a distinctly mango flavour which overpowers the orange until the end when you are left with a lingering orange hint.

Lime & Chilli  – a dense chocolate with a strong immediate flavour of lime which lasts before you get a light warming hint of chilli. I liked it though it was a bit dense – I might have liked something a bit smoother – more ready to melt.

Crunchy Salted Praline – apparently this was a hazelnut praline with Cornish sea salt and croquant topped with a whole hazelnut. I’m not a huge fan or praline so this was not a favourite. It is well flavoured though and I think a praline lover is going to love this.

Nougatine Tile Gianguja –this had cool nougatine circular tiles which are propped around a gianduja of almond and hazelnut meaning I liked this one more. I liked the sweetness and the nuttiness but one was enough.

Crunchy Caramel Praline – Apparently pralines are the most popular form of chocolate at Thorntons. I’m not a huge fan. Since this has crunchy bits of caramelised sugar I tried it and liked it but again it was a bit too much for me.  Again I’m thinking praline fans are going to dig this one!

Cut Praline – hazelnuts, toasted almond flakes, orange peel and waffle pieces. What’s not to love? This is going to be a praline lovers delight but again as I’m not a massive fan I was finding my hand once again hovering over the Rio Butterscotch…

Strawberry and Balsamic Ganache – the balsamic vinegar is layered into the strawberry jelly making it a really interesting flavour treat. It is unique and different and I liked it despite kind of feeling worried about the balsamic vinegar. It has the flavour but not too strongly making it a pleasant chocolate.

Was it worth it?  For a Thorntons fan this is going to be worth every penny as for years to come they will have a memory of the delightful chocolates. On a per chocolate basis, these are quite expensive but they are special and as a numbered limited edition I have to admit had I not received one I would have been sorely tempted to buy my own box.  Want one of your own? Go to the Thorntons site and special order one fresh! It is really expensive though at £100 so really only someone special will receive one.

As a North American 9proudly Canadian) whenever I hear Lemonade I still think Old Tyme Lemonade that was sweet but tart, still not fizzy and yummy.  Over here in the UK it just isn’t – it’s just Sprite really.  So when I got three of these bars I thought I would give them all away but decided to try one just in case.

Popping candy (pop rocks) is fun.  I remember many an afternoon spent with pop rocks in my mouth, mouth open, just to make an EVEN LOUDER FIZZING NOISE.  And let me tell you – when one of those big ones went off you sure as heck knew all about it!  Given my recklessness with life and limb and choking hazards, I’m often shocked I made it to adulthood.  I certainly had an angel on my shoulder as I added two or more bags of pop rocks to an already fizzing head, tilted back.

There is an interesting flavour of lemon here I can actually taste.  The white chocolate is such god quality it had stated to soften in the heat.  You won’t find your Milky Bar softening at the same temperature I’ll bet   The lemon does come distinctly through and the popping candy just adds a lovely fizz like fizzy lemonade.  This is actually kinda cool!  I’m actually really enjoying this bar.

Defo a candy bar and wow – look at that I have two of these bars left.  So leave a comment or tweet “I’d like a cloudy lemonade bar like this http://bit.ly/o9Ub4T from @mostlyaboutchoc KPLSTXBAI” and I’ll pick a winner on Sunday!

Binky & Dolly Faraday win!

I’m Canadian and as such, I don’t really have the kind of experiences others have with Bakewell Tarts.  My experiences are all around my mom’s pecan tarts and butter tarts.  Mom has always made her own pastry and I just love how she leaves out the raisins for me – YUMMY!

But given that, I haven’t had much experience with Bakewell Tarts and having no real love of marzipan or maraschino cherries, I have never really ventured to the tart side.  Give me a nice home-made brownie any day or even better – my mom’s baking.  So I’m a bit of a Bakewell Tart virgin.  I know the theory however and so loving chocolate and having had a positive experience with marzipan in my chocolate with the Coppeneur Ocumare, I decided to give it a go.

The instant marzipan flavour with intense cherry before crunching in to tiny biscuit pieces and raspberry seeds is quite the experience.  It is quite overwhelming and while most of the time the chocolate seems like a transition vehicle for the cacophony of flavours, it comes through on its own after the initial burst.  Keith here has chosen a 37% Costa Rican milk chocolate and it does show through during the full frontal assault on your taste buds.

This is not a bar for the meek.  This is a bar for someone who loves Bakewell Tarts and wants that instant hit of full frontal flavour without any of the mucky crumbs and with an added chocolate hit. Fun and nicely done – one to ship to the rellies overseas me thinks!

Today I thought it would be a good day to post the review of the Thorntons Rose chocolate bar.

Of course, when this review goes live the news about the closure of 180 stores will have hit the news and there will have been stories of the demise of Thorntons and the like. What I think is sometimes lost is how Thorntons survived two world wars and times of severe austerity. They have had to make some difficult decisions and refocus but they are trying to survive. I hope they make it.

Thorntons are celebrating 100 years of being in business with this bar and their £100 100th anniversary box of chocolates but I feel that the term ‘box of chocolates’ kind of does it a disservice. It is red beautifulness in chocolate… But we’re here to discuss rose chocolate.

The chocolate here is 80g of 64% Peruvian cocoa milk chocolate. It is slightly sweet but not as sweet as others I have tried. It is nice and enjoyable and while it isn’t Duffy’s it doesn’t try to be. It is a delightful milk chocolate though and has been tamed. By tamed I mean it isn’t some sickly sweet disgusting confection but a yummy, very edible milk chocolate which is slightly darker than you might be used to.

The rose in the chocolate is in pieces – it is not rose flavoured chocolate. The rose is sugared and it is likely why the milk chocolate is not overly sweet – the rose petals in the chocolate are sugar-coated and sweeeeeeeet. There is no noticeable rose flavour to me though but I was having these in the afternoon and I can taste more subtle flavours in the morning. The sugared petals did combine with the chocolate and it made it much sweeter.

All in all this is a decent milk chocolate and nothing to be sneezed at. It is delicious and delightful and is a really fun celebration of 100 years of chocolate. This is not some Turkish delight chocolate flavour but a really nice take on the traditional English rose. Don’t get it if you want sickly sweet artificial chocolate – this is a bar for someone looking for more sofistication.

A master chocolatier is crowned in the UK by the Academy of Chocolate based on the number of gold award winning chocolates they produce. As a judge I have tried the best and worst that 2011 had to offer and I remember distinctly one of these chocolates which stood out to me as I was judging. We didn’t know who had made it so imagine my surprise when it turned up on my doorstep (at work – I then had to hide it).

I was a tough judge. If I was anything, I was the archetypical “Russian judge” who looked for and demanded technical perfection. Instead I often got mediocrity and once… I just don’t want to have to remember that… But perhaps I was too tough though conversations with other judges led me to believe I wasn’t overly tough and was probably just right

But to the chocolate. How awesome to get these chocolates! They are a small subset of the new £100 gift box which I covet. It is this beautiful liquor-wood-style nestling box of one larger box and inside there are two smaller boxes, each holding one old and one new selection. I saw one at a show and fell in love. Who would have ever thought that *I* would fall in love with a box of Thorntons chocolates?!?

The three we got in our special box are as follows:

Crunchy Praline – I’m not a praline fan but it is nicely crunchy, has a not too overwhelming flavour. The praline was smooth, complimented nicely by the crunchy feullitune in there and despite myself I found that I enjoyed it. I used to scorn praline and now I have to admit I’m OK with it. It isn’t bad and as a praline non-lover I have to admit I’d eat the second one… oh, wait… I already have

Vanilla Caramel with Cornish Seasalt – I have to admit I’m not as much of a fan of vanilla as others and this could explain why on some bars I get harsh with ones that have added vanilla (among other reasons). I liked this caramel but must admit my tastes have swung more to the more heavily sea salted caramel as the additional sea salt seems to tone down the sweetness. Add to that the milk chocolate shell (or sweet lighter dark chocolate) and it was slightly too sweet for me but still extremely good. I’m not at all surprised that it achieved a gold award.

Raspberry & Rose – Awesomeness in a chocolate. Look at that sexy indent with the red and white speckled against it. I remember this one so well and seeing it not it brings flooding back the memories of the day plus how I enjoyed this chocolate. I could not wait to eat this one and I think if they ever have it at the counter loose near where I live I will gain even more weight as I buy more of them. They are a bit Turkish Delight-ish but still – sexy!

All in all I did enjoy them. With Thorntons doing such great award-winning work I have to admit I’m surprised there is such low awareness in the shops about this great work and also in general. I hope they get more awareness and recognition of the great work they are doing.

Before Easter (as evidenced by the photos) I attended the launch of the Thorntons Chocolate Liquor. Now, I am a veteran of chocolate alcohol and I know just how badly wrong it can go. Trust me when I say you *want* to read this review.

Chocolate liquors are nothing new. I remember the first one I became aware of I gave a bottle to my mom thinking it excellent as it was white chocolate combined with alcohol. I mean, how could that go wrong? I was young in my defence and hadn’t tried it. It was rank. Vile just doesn’t encompass how foul that stuff was.

Next I tried another attempt – a brown one this time. I mean, it said it was chocolate but I guess it resembled chocolate as much as a candy bar does. That is in colour and scent but not in taste. BLEURGH! GAH! How can you possibly get chocolate *that* wrong by adding booze? Surely it should make it better.

Godiva bought a chocolate liquor I had tried before and the mental scars have never left me and so I declined to buy some. If they invite me to a launch party for something and I can try it there then I will otherwise I just can’t justify subjecting myself to that horror once again. Then along come Thorntons and I get invited to their launch… and I go.

Now you, intrepid readers, may be questioning my sanity at this point. Sure it is Thorntons and sure it is a launch event and sure it is alcohol but given my past experience how can I possibly risk it? Well, I did. I got to the launch late and by that time the demos of how to cook with it (well, make desserts) had finished. I was ushered to the back and given a shot over the rocks. A generous shot of this alcohol. And then it all came flooding back. The horror, the fear, the trepidation all threatened to make me bolt as I picked up that glass and took my first sip…

… at this point I’ll pause a minute and just reflect on the horrors that had gone before. Now, given my past experience I can assure you that it can get worse. Melt some Hershey’s and add alcohol. There you go, worse. Now here I am standing, talking to Kate with a generous slug of this chocolate alcohol in my hand about to find out whether or not this is better or worse.

Once I let the alcohol-infused chocolate drink pass my lips I can say shock and awe ensued. It was a smooth, liquid velvet which was both extremely chocolaty and not too thick. It was like a chilled hot chocolate with vodka and it was so nice I immediately asked where I could buy it. Asda is the first wave of launch stockists as well as some bars and lounges. It’ll go into Sainsbury’s later and as someone with only an Asda warehouse near me and not an actual shop, I cannot wait until it comes into my local Sainsbury’s. The launch is local, not global and it is delicious. While not currently available in Thorntons high street shops, I remain hopeful that it will be because this is absolutely gorgeous. In fact, I hope it also makes it into World Duty Free so I can take some back to Toronto with me and show friends and family that chocolate liquor can be BEAUTIFUL!