Tribute to Thorntons

I expect many chocolate lovers will be aware that Thorntons are to close 120 stores across the UK over the next three years as shoppers move to the internet for their favourite snack. Whilst this seems harsh I for one think this makes good business sense especially as rents are at a premium according to the press. I can't imagine what it must cost to rent a space on UK stations where 000's pass through every hour of the day. Just over a year ago Mike Davies, Chief Executive of Thorntons, shrugged off declining sales, stating that the number of stores remaining open would depend on the flexibility of their landlords. How right he was. 

How long will it be before other chocolate retailers follow suit? Selling through the internet and supermarkets also makes good sense. Apparently, Thorntons is going to save several million pounds by reducing central and supply chain costs.

Once the news broke that Thorntons was in trouble I was amazed at the venom that was focused on the company especially by the wife of Commons Speak John Bercow. It was reported in the Evening Standard today that, "Sally Bercow claimed Thorntons, which is closing 120 shops, were a "yuck tasting rip-off" - adding she preferred Hotel Chocolat. Well, Sally also went on to lambaste several other British retails. Surely Sally Bercow should be supporting a great British product? Isn't she aware that Thorntons is Britain's biggest confectioner. What message is this sending out to the workforce of Thorntons and the general public.

It is very easy to sit in positions of power and make sweeping statements especially when circumstances change! Thorntons may not be the best chocolate producer in the country but it serves a purpose and provides a great service in many different countries, not just the UK. It provides and promotes Organic and Fairtrade chocolate. Is Sally actually saying that these organisations are also "yuck"? Sally Bercow is not doing the British chocolate industry any favours with her comments.

Hotel Chocolat provides a great service but it's not perfect. I've tasted product from their stores that fails to make the mark especially in terms of taste and price. Has Sally actually tasted any chocolate from Thorntons? I very much doubt it. We're not all on salaries that allow us to shop at Hotel Chocolat every week! That's what retail is all about providing a product at the right price that satisfies a demand, speak to Alan Sugar about that if you're in any doubt.

Thorntons is not a bad company and they don't produce "yuck" product. They may have overstretched themselves and I hope under the stewardship of Jonathan Hart, ex Caffe Nero, things will change. Good luck with the restructure and long live Thorntons in whatever format as long as it keeps people in jobs! Shame on you Bercow.

Marc De Champagne Truffles

No 1 husband, well let's be exact, my only husband, kindly purchased some champagne truffles from Marks and Spencer for me to review tonight. Alarm bells ringing. What has he done now?! Allegedly, nothing, it seems he's just being generous in his old age. Apparently, he decided not to buy them in London in case they were damaged before photos could be taken. Which is good thinking but strangely enough the price in Chelmsford's M&S store was more expensive than in Moorgate, London. Shock, horror!

Marc De Champagne Truffles

Packaging: Marks and Spencer you've spoiled us! An attractive looking box with the truffles held in a clear cello bag. Brown tissue paper ensures there is not too much movement in the box. The design for the packaging is reminiscent to their chocolate bars that I featured a few months ago. Well done to the marketing team for keeping the costs down and saving themselves a lot of stress and sleepless nights over the design. Show some imagination please! 

The Chocolate: A milk chocolate with a 31% cocoa content has been used to make these little babies. Ingredients include: sugar' dried whole milk, cocoa butter, cocoa mass, glucose syrup, invert sugar syrup, Marc de Champagne, Brandy and preservative E200. Hence why the shelf life is almost forever, well to be precise, 17/01/2012. For those of you new to chocolate, Marc de Champagne, is a colourless brandy that is produced by distilling the grape skins, seeds and stalks which are left from the pressing process at the first stage of champagne making. 


There is a thick coating of icing sugar over each of the truffles and the aroma is a mixture of brandy and sweet milk chocolate. The outer casing of chocolate is very sweet and there is not a lot of cocoa evident. The ganache centre is soft and sweet with a strong brandy taste as you'd expect. For me there is probably too much icing sugar as it makes the whole thing very sweet and slightly astringent on the back of my throat. However, the Marc de champagne is good and I like the overall mouth feel.


These are reasonable truffles even though they have a shelf life higher than some forms of radiation! There is also far too much sugar for my liking and cocoa content is a bit low. However, when you consider the price at £5.25 for 10 truffles/145g they are excellent value for money. Overall 6/10 for price and flavour. And by the way M&S you owe me 25p! Explain the price difference please!


An alternative - Traditional Marc de Champagne Truffles from Charbonnel et Walker are priced at £11.75 for 8 truffles/135g. 

Orange and Spice - Fairtrade The Co-Operative

Exams! The Evening Standard had a piece on exams yesterday which brought back such fond memories. Yeah, right. Fond is probably not the right word. The person writing this piece actually said that learning Latin was easy. Well, let me tell you she was wrong. I remember trying to learn Latin and amo, amas, amat, amamas, amatis, amant was the best I could do. I can also decline (is that correct?) Bellum.....but let's not go there. Typically I only remembered the words for love and war! Love em or hate em we all have to take exams at some stage in our lives. Whilst we all have to do them I still remember them with dread. I can remember falling asleep on my bed and waking up from a dream not knowing what day it was and almost believing that I had slept through them all! I can still summon up that feeling of panic! If you're in the middle of taking your exams good luck and fingers crossed for August! 


I think this is my first review of chocolate from The Co-op. In 2002 the Co-op switched their entire own brand chocolate bar range to Fairtrade. Their range is produced by Divine Chocolate, using high quality cocoa beans of Kuapa Kokoo, a co-operative of 45,000 farmers in Ghana. Click on the Kuapa KoKoo link to find out more.

Orange and Spice

The Chocolate: 98% of this product is Fairtrade using sugar from Malawi, Cocoa  Butter and Cocoa Mass from Ghana and spices from Sri Lanka. Spices include cardamon, Cinnamon and orange oil. The cocoa content is 51% which is low for a dark chocolate.

A well presented 'thin' bar of chocolate which has a good overall shine the lower cocoa content gives it a milky appearance. The chocolate melts quickly releasing the orange oil which provides a good citrus mouth feel. Initially the cocoa flavour is lost to the stronger orange and spice flavours. However, a slight 'tobacco' flavour pops through at the end.


I can't get overly excited about this bar but I'm not having any problems demolishing it! For a Fairtrade product it has to score reasonably well and 6/10 is a good score in my view competing well with the Maya Gold from Green and Blacks. Oops! I can't find the price for this bar so I'll have to update it later. Enjoy the weekend even if it is raining! 


Posted by Richard.....

Abanico- Chocolat de Création

My problem with birds of the feathered variety seems to be continuing. Not only do they wake me at 4am with their lovely bird song but they're now using me for target practice. It was probably my mistake as I spooked a Wood Pigeon this morning and for my troubles it promptly deposited a little gift on my shoulder! I've been told it is good luck so, I'm off to buy a scratch card. If I never blog again you'll know I've either died or won the lottery!  


Abanico - Chocolate de Creation - When it comes to patisserie and chocolate delights the French are up there with the chocolate Gods. Agreed. I know the French scoff at our English cuisine but you have to admit they are pretty good at the sweet stuff. Well, when Chloe from Abanico offered me the chance to sample some of their chocolate I jumped at the opportunity.

History: Victoire Finaz is the creator behind the label and Abanico was launched over a year ago. A brave step in these difficult times. Their range of chocolates have been designed to awaken the senses for an enhanced tasting experience. To quote, "Meaning "fan" in Spanish, Abanico's chocolates open up a world of flavours. Our exquisite selection offers something for every taste; from crispy and delicately crunchy pralines to our salty caramel-filled palets. We take pride in developing recipes that bring together different tastes in perfect harmony". They also have their own blog page, Pas un Jour sans chocolat, where they talk about their passion for chocolate. 


To produce their fine range of chocolates they procure cocoa beans from Costa-Rica, Tanzania and the Islands of Vanuatu (east of Australia) and from Papua New Guinea. Apparently Victoire selected these regions because of the aromas produced by their cacao beans. In fact, they use all three types of cacoa to give their chocolates their unique taste. The Trinitario beans are sourced from Papua New Guinea and the Island of Vanuatu, Forastero from Tanzania and the Criollo from Costa Rica. 

The Chocolate: Typically the English weather sent temperatures sky high and then spiralled out of control as the heavens opened! I'm afraid the fine selection of ganaches and pralines are slightly dull, possibly due to temperature fluctuations over the weekend. 

From top left Caramel Ganache; Blue Flower Tea;
Ali Baba; Praline Feuillete and Moroccan Mint

These are particularly delicate and the chocolate casing is wafer thin.  For the benefit of doubt this is the definition of a praline:


Praline - Praline refers to two different confectionery products: either almonds cooked in boiling sugar, or a thick chocolate candy filled and coated with chocolate.  Praliné - A paste ground more or less finely, composed of powdered sugar, almonds and/or hazelnuts, oven-toasted and caramelised.


Caramel Ganache flavoured with delightfully fruity raspberry. The texture of the ganache is 'jelly' like and it reminds me of a Jaffa Cake centre. It is delicious. The dark chocolate works really well with the raspberry.

Caramel Ganache

Blue Flower Tea - Described as a dark ganache with a romantic blend that conjures up images of lazy summer afternoons. A good dark ganache but lazy summer afternoons, no. I don't get this one at all. The flavour is so delicate and subtle that I can't describe it at all.

Blue Flower Tea

Ali Baba Praline - I love the name. Adorned with tiny shards of sesame seeds and boasting caramelised nougat. Soft milky ganache with toasted sesame seed is fantastic and I wish there was more.

Ali Baba Praline

Moroccan Mint Ganache - Described as a creamy and refreshing dark ganache with hints of Moroccan mint. The dark ganache has a lovely tobacco aroma and the ganache is certainly creamy. Brush your hand through fresh mint and this is the taste sensation. Excellent! 

Moroccan Mint

Praline Feuillete - Last but not least. This little praline is described as offering almond and hazelnut with a laced crepe. Not sure about the crepe maybe this is lost in translation? A truly nutty, crunchy and concentrated almond ganache. They've maximised the nutty flavour in the praline which works really well. 

When I saw that the chocolate was a bit dull I thought this is going to be disappointing. However, ignoring the finish the flavours were excellent and I enjoyed tasting and experiencing them. If you want to stuff your face then these little beauties are not for you. They're sophisticated, delicate and definitely something that you should savour and contemplate. Great for that special occasion.


Wearing my 'green' hat the packaging was a bit over the top however they were beautifully presented. Overall 7/10 for taste and presentation. I definitely want to taste more. Prices based on 15 chocolates, 60g, expect to pay 10.50€ which equates to £9.26 including taxes and dont'f forget to add delivery. Abanico are heading to the UK so expect a boutique to open soon! If you can't wait until then they will deliver to the UK.

Maya Gold

Cadbury's the mother ship of Green and Black's has received a lot of flack recently from the English press. Cadbury's is no longer British owned and was in fact taken over by the American giant Kraft in February 2010, a deal worth $19 Billion. Irene Rosenfeld, Executive Chairman of Kraft, recently refused to attend a Commons Business Select Committee meeting with MPs. Cadbury's did break their promise when they closed the Somerset plant so you think the least Ms Rosenfeld could do was turn up to face a few angry MPs. As Ms Rosenfeld is rated as being the second most powerful of the top ten business woman by Forbes. I'm sure she would have parried and deflected their questions easily. A missed opportunity perhaps.


On 3 June Cadbury's had to apologise for any offence they may have caused to supermodel, Naomi Campbell and her family for their apparent racist advert. I didn't see the advert in question but it allegedly compared Naomi to a Cadbury Dairy Milk Bliss chocolate bar. Cadbury's has apologised and has withdrawn the adverts pledging not to use them again. 

According to the tabloids sales of Cadbury products have begun to slide in all regions. Some people have even talked of boycotting their products, which in my opinion is madness. Our businesses are having a hard enough time as it is without knee jerk reactions such as this. Many of the top executives have left, up to two thirds of the original Cadbury executive have gone. A new broom sweeps clean! I'm sure this is the norm in terms of takeovers but I think PR and confidence building ought to be top of the agenda at Cadbury's monthly Executive meetings. How long before Cadbury's = Hershey?


Ok, let us hope that they can turn things around. In the meantime lets taste some chocolate from Green and Black's. 


The Chocolate: This particular bar of chocolate has been infused with a twist of orange and delicate spice. As the blurb on the back of the bar states, 'Traditionally, the Maya people in southern Belize flavoured their cocoa with spices'. The spices used in this bar included cinnamon, nutmeg and a hint of vanilla. This chocolate is both organic and Fairtrade. 

This particular chocolate has a cocoa content of 55% which is low but maybe this is the norm when it comes to mixing spices with chocolate? Orange is the overriding flavour coming from this bar. The bitterness from the very citrus orange works really well with the slightly sweet dark chocolate. I can't pinpoint the nutmeg or cinnamon but there is a hint of spice. The orange flavour does hang around for a long time. I'm not usually a fan of orange and chocolate but I enjoyed this bar.


Overall 6/10 for a good blend of flavours and priced at £1.82 for a 100g it has to be good value. Tesco currently have this bar on offer, 2 for £3.00, click here.