Hotel Chocolat Open Your Heart To Me box and Competition

It's always a happy day when a parcel from Hotel Chocolat arrives on my doorstep and especially when it's in the name of love! January is nearly over and that of course means that Valentine's Day is just around the corner.

When it comes to Valentine's Day gifts chocolate is always a sure fire winner in my opinion -  you don't have to find a vase and keep it watered and there's no risk of secretly thinking that it's not quite your style. And chocolate is good for you, right?

On this occasion I was very pleased to discover that my parcel contained one of Hotel Chocolat's Open Your Heart To Me gift boxes.

The first thing I noticed when I ripped open the paper was the beautiful box. This one is a bit more unusual than boxes I've received from Hotel Chocolat in the past. I love the elegant, grey and white feather pattern on the top with the contrasting dark pink inner box underneath.

Hidden inside is a chunky milk chocolate heart (the top half isn't shown in my pictures) concealing eight dark, milk and white heart-shaped chocolates. There are four flavours to choose from - the deeply rich Dark Mousse, tangy Lemon Berry Tart, sweet and creamy Strawberry Swoon and the smooth and nutty Caramel Praline.

All are delicious, as is the milk chocolate heart surrounding them. It's clear that both the heart and the individual chocolates are made from good quality cocoa which really makes you feel like you're getting good value for money.

There's no doubt that this would make a fantastic Valentine's Day present if you're looking for a gift to impress.






The Open Your Heart To Me box costs £25.00, however there are lots more gifts to choose from, from the dinky Passion Meringue Pie for only £1.95 all the way up to the awesome looking Sealed with a Kiss selection box for £45.

Hotel Chocolat are offering the chance for one lucky reader to win one of their Open Your Heart To Me boxes. To be in with a chance, just have a look at their Valentine's Day selection and let me know what you would choose for your loved one. You can enter by leaving a comment below or on my Facebook page. Alternatively, you can post the following message on Twitter...

I've entered the @HalfaPotofCream competition to win a @HotelChocolat Open Your Heart To Me box - http://tinyurl.com/b8ub5cu

The competition closes at midnight on Sunday 3rd February and I will announce the winner a couple of days later. Only UK entries allowed I'm afraid.

Good luck!

Hotel Chocolat's Rocky Road to Caramel Egg & a Giveaway!

Do you remember that 80s advert for chocolate mousse which had the tagline "sssh...don't tell the children"..?  Well those were the words that popped into my head when I unwrapped this lovely looking package from Hotel Chocolat that arrived on my doorstep earlier this week. Unfortuntely, my two can sniff out chocolate a mile way and my telling them that it's grown up chocolate doesn't seem to be washing!

No matter though, as this is one of Hotel Chocolat's Extra Thick Eggs which are very generously proportioned eggs with plenty to go around. This one, the Rocky Road to Caramel egg, is split into two halves, both wrapped in luxuriously thick gold foil and made from Hotel Chocolat's 40% milk chocolate.  One half sports a coat of milk chocolate, puffed rice, cookies and chocolate chunks and the other a layer of caramel chocolate over a base of milk chocolate.

Concealed inside each half is tempting selection of chocolates, 12 in total, most of which have either a crunchy or caramel element. Not surprisingly there weren't any I didn't like but if I had to pick favourites I'd probably choose the Caramel Praline, the Billionaire Shortbread and the Sticky Toffee.

All of Hotel Chocolat's Extra Thick Eggs cost £26.00, or if you really want to push the boat out you might want to try one of their indulgent Ostrich Easter Eggs.  For a more moderate budget, I really like the look of the Beastie Egg selection and of course, there's a good selection of gifts for children.

And yes, as the title suggests, Hotel Chocolat are offering one very lucky reader the chance to win one of their Rocky Road to Caramel Eggs.  To be in with a chance, just have a look at their Extra Thick Easter Egg selection and let me know which you find the most tempting.  You can leave a comment below or on my Facebook page. Alternatively, you can post the following message on Twitter...

I've entered the @HalfaPotofCream competition to win a @HotelChocolat Extra Thick Easter Egg - http://tinyurl.com/729h8u9 

The competition closes at midnight on Wednesday 28th March and I will announce the winner a couple of days later.  Only UK entries allowed I'm afraid.

Good Luck!

Hotel Chocolat Classic Christmas Selection Review & Giveaway

Despite the uncharacteristically mild weather there's no escaping the fact that Christmas is just around the corner. The shops are putting up their decorations, supermarkets are stocking up with Christmas goodies and sentimental adverts are appearing on the television (John Lewis will be receiving my bill for tissues shortly). I know some complain that the Christmas Season begins too early in this country but I say bring it on!

It's great to have a reason to brighten up the darkening days and last week a little sparkly ray of sunshine arrived on my doorstep in the form of a package from Hotel Chocolat. It's no secret that I'm a fan of their chocolates so I was delighted when they offered me the chance to review one of their Christmas Chocolate Boxes.

The package in question contained their Sleekster Classic Christmas Selection Box, a Christmassy version of their fabulous selection boxes containing 28 chocolates, including pralines, caramels and truffles, all spiced and flavoured with seasonal delights such as mulled wine, gingerbread, cinnamon and even chilli, to name just a few.

I couldn't possibly pick a favourite, but some of the highlights for me were the gorgeous, comforting flavours in the gingerbread truffle, the light and fruity Christmas Mess and the very festive Zesty Marzipan Star. All were delicious though and there's no doubt that one of these boxes would be very gratefully received by any chocolate lover this Christmas.

This box retails at £22.00, or you can currently buy 3 for £20, and can be found online or at one of Hotel Chocolat's many high street stores.

And now for the really good news. I'm delighted to be able to offer my readers the chance to win one of these fab boxes of delight just in time for Christmas. If you would like to be in with a chance of winning, all you have to do is have a look at Hotel Chocolat's Christmas Gifts Collection and then leave a comment below, or on my Facebook page, telling me which one of the goodies on offer you would like to receive this Christmas. For an extra entry, you can also post the following message on Twitter

I've entered the @HalfaPotofCream competition to win a box of @HotelChocolat Classic Christmas Selection chocolates http://tinyurl.com/77u4c9r

The competition ends at midnight on Sunday 27th November and I'll announce the winner a couple of days later. Only UK entries allowed I'm afraid. Good luck!

Hotel Chocolate - Adventurous Chef's Collection Part 2

In my previous post I told you about the arrival on my doorstep of a Hotel Chocolat Adventurous Chef's Collection hamper and my adventures with the sweet items included in the box. This time, it's the turn of the savoury items.

First up is their Cocoa Honey & Mustard Dressing, which is a classic mix of honey, dijon mustard and balsamic vinegar with the addition of some crushed cocoa nibs.

I used this in a salad recipe I found on the label, which combined salad leaves with cooked chicken and peppers. This turned out really well and the dressing added great flavour to the dish, although it was quite heavy on the mustard.

Next up was a jar of Chocolate & Chiptole Chilli Sauce, a ready-t0-use sauce that be used in a number of ways - in hot dishes, as a salad dressing, in sandwiches etc.

I used this first of all as a dip to accompany some grilled pork steaks with roasted vegetables and potato wedges. The sauce had lots of smoky, spicy flavour and really added interest to an otherwise quite plain dinner.

I also added it to a marinade for chicken that I found in Thomasina Miers' book, Mexican Made Easy, together with a sprinkling of the cocoa bean shavings that were also included in the box. The marinade gave the chicken loads of delicious flavour and I could definitely taste the smoky chilli sauce in the background.

Chicken Adobado (Marinated Chicken)

(adapted from Mexican Made Simple by Thomasina Miers)

For the marinade

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, chopped

8 cloves of garlic, chopped

4 heaped tablespoons tomato puree

juice of 2 oranges

45ml red wine vinegar

2 chiles de arbol, finely chopped

1 tablespoon Chocolate & Chipotle Chilli Sauce

30ml soy sauce

1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried

30g brown sugar

1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce

1 tablespoon cocoa bean shavings

a few teaspoons of sea salt and some black pepper

1 medium-sized free range chicken, segmented, or 12 chicken pieces

1) Whiz all the marinade ingredients together in a blender and pour over the chicken pieces. Marinate overnight or for at least a few house in the fridge. Remove the chicken from the fridge at least half an hour before cooking to allow it to come to room temperature.

2) Either grill or barbeque the chicken until cooked through and nicely coloured (approx 6 minutes on each side).

Serves 4

Finally, I tried out the Chilli & Cocoa Glaze for Fish & Poultry. At first I thought this would be a sauce but it is simply unsweetened cacao chocolate with added chillies. It was very straightforward to use - I just added a tablespoon or so to the fish cooking in the frying pan and it melted away into a smooth sauce.

To be honest this was probably my least favourite item in the box as I found the flavour a little too dark and spicy for my tastes however my other half tells me he liked it.

Overall, this collection of goodies would make an excellent gift for any keen chef, especially one who likes their food with a bit of extra kick.

A big thanks to Hotel Chocolat for providing me with this fantastic selection to sample.

Hotel Chocolat's Adventurous Chef's Collection - Part 1

A few weeks ago I was very excited to receive a large parcel from Hotel Chocolat which contained one of their amazing hampers from their Cocoa Cuisine range. This particular hamper is their Adventurous Chef's Collection and contains a range of both sweet and savoury products beautifully presented in a large white box bound with black ribbon.

The first, and most intriguing, product I tried was their Penne Cocoa Pasta. This is just traditional penne with unsweetened cocoa powder added to it and can be used in both sweet and savoury dishes. The uncooked pasta had a lovely chocolatey smell but when cooked I found the flavour a bit more subtle than I expected, hence the addition of the chocolate chips to the recipe below.

Not surprisingly I decided to use it in a sweet dish rather than savoury and created a dessert version of a pasta bake, inspired by a favourite Cheesecake Brownie recipe. This turned out really well and the chocolate pasta worked really well with the rich cheesecake topping and sharply sweet raspberries.

Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Pasta Bake

125g penne cocoa pasta

handful chocolate chips

1 egg

200g cream cheese

75g caster sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Handful of raspberries

1) Preheat the oven to 180c/gas mark 4. Cook the pasta as normal until cooked then drain and empty into a small oven-proof dish. Sprinkle with chocolate chips.

2) Beat the cream cheese, egg and icing sugar together until smooth then pour over the pasta.

3) Top with the raspberries and bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes until just firm.

Serves 2

Next up was a packet of Pure Cocoa Bean Shavings. This is just pure cocoa, with nothing else added to it, and it can be used in sweet or savoury dishes.

These are ideal for adding to savoury dishes to add some depth of flavour or to sweet dishes for an extra chocolatey kick and were perfect for a smoothie recipe I tried out recently. Have a look here for the recipe. I also added some to a chicken marinade I made using another of the products from the hamper and the recipe for that will appear in my next post.

The third and final sweet item was a packet of 70% Dark Chocolate Drops. I've used these before and they are definitely one of my favourite Hotel Chocolate products, mostly because the chocolate drops are so practical for cooking with and they come in a generous 400g bag so will usually last for two or three recipes.

Most of this particular pack were used to create a fantastic marmalade version of the classic chocolate brownie. Have a look here for the recipe - this is definitely one of my favourite recipes so far this year!

As I mentioned above, the hamper also contained three products designed for savoury dishes and the details of these items will follow in a separate post in the next couple of days.

Hotel Chocolat - The Summer Desserts H-Box Selection

Hotel Chocolat contacted me recently to tell me about their new Birthday Gifts Collection - a tempting array of chocolatey goodies packaged in a variety of ways and suitable for a range of budgets.

From this little Happy Birthday Message Box.....

...to the guaranteed-brownie-points-earning Summer Picnic Hamper....

...and lots more in between.

Also included in the range are a number of Hotel Chocolat's H-Box Selections, which I'm already a fan of, so I was especially happy when they sent me their Summer Desserts selection to test, taste and review.

This box contains thirteen chocolates all inspired by classic desserts, and at 11 pounds is, I think, reasonably priced. For your money, you get one or two of each of the following:

Eton Mess - Very creamy with a mild hint of strawberry

Coconut Bombe - Smooth and chocolatey with a coconut flavour that wasn't overpowering

Summer Pudding - Very smooth and fruity, I could really taste the raspberries in this one

Chocolate Brownie - A delicious combination of chocolate and praline

Red Berry Mousse - Nice gentle fruity flavours

Chocolate Mousse - Very dark and rich - one for the dark chocolate lovers

Neapolitan - Somehow they managed to capture that slightly fake-but-in-a-good-way strawberry flavour you get in neapolitan ice cream - lovely

Lemon & Passion Fruit Tart - This had a lovely lemony flavour, however I wasn't so keen on the layer of dark chocolate hidden underneath.

All in all I thoroughly enjoyed sampling this selection and would happily recommend them as a present for chocolate-loving friends or family.

Thanks to Hotel Chocolat for sending me this sample to review.

Hotel Chocolat - Easter Egg Review

I was very excited to find another delicious parcel on my doorstep a couple of weeks ago - a fabulous Hotel Chocolat Easter Egg.

This particular specimen goes by the name of The Eggsibitionist, which is one of Hotel Chocolat's fantastic range of Extra Thick Easter Eggs. Wrapped up in a handsome, sturdy box and bound with black ribbon, it consists of a chunky milk chocolate Easter Egg cleverly hiding a dozen dinky little miniature eggs. The mini eggs come in six varieties...

Caramel Egg - Liquid caramel in a 50% milk chocolate shell

Milk Praline Egg - Smooth hazelnut praline in a 40% milk chocolate shell

Mousse au Chocolat Egg - Dark and rich chocolate ganache in a 70% dark chocolate shell

Strawberry Egg - Sweet white chocolate shell covering a delicious strawberry ganache

Vanilla Custard Egg - Soft and custardy vanilla ganache in a smooth milk chocolate shell

Chocolate Brownie Egg - Milk chocolate shell surrounding hazelnut praline and cocoa crispies

Don't ask me to pick a favourite - they were all equally gorgeous!

The egg itself is a wonderfully thick shell made from Hotel Chocolat's classic milk chocolate. which I think is fast becoming my favourite. It's milk chocolate without a doubt but with just a hint of darkness in the background to counterbalance the sweetness.

This egg was a real hit with me and my husband (I generously shared some of it!) and, although not the cheapest egg on the market, with 400g of chocolate in the box you do get a lot for your money. If you're looking for something special to buy someone who loves chocolate this Easter then this would fit the bill perfectly.

You can find details of the full range of Hotel Chocolat's Easter Eggs and Easter Gifts here.

Rock Cakes & Hot Chocolate

When I received my delicious box of treats from Hotel Chocolat last year they also included a jar of their Liquid Chocolat drinking chocolate.

Not surprisingly I have thoroughly enjoying putting this to the test over the last few months. I was sent the Classic Milky version which has lovely rich, but not overly sweet, chocolatey flavour. Dark Chocolate fans might prefer the Classic Dark version, or, if you have a sweeter tooth, the Caramel might be the one for you. This has done a great job of warming me up through this chilly grey winter served, as you can see below, with the obligatory squirty cream and marshmallows.

I've served it here with one of my favourite afternoon teatime treats - the humble rock cake. If I fancy something quick and easy to rustle up I often turn to these, using a recipe from my old reliable Dairy Book of Home Cookery.

I'm not so fond of the traditional raisiny recipe and more often than not substitute them with the more indulgent chocolate chips.

Rock Cakes

(adapted from The Dairy Book of Home Cookery)

225g/8oz self raising flour

100g/4oz butter

75g/3oz caster sugar

100g/4oz mixed dried fruit

1 egg, beaten

10-20ml/2-4 tsp milk

1) Preheat the oven to 200c/400f/gas mark 6. Grease or line a baking sheet.

2) Sift the flour into a bowl and rub the butter into it until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

3) Add the sugar and fruit (or chocolate chips) then mix to a stiff batter with the beaten egg and milk.

4) Place 10 spoonfuls of mixture, in rocky mounds, on the baking sheet, allowing room between each one as they spread slightly).

5) Bake for 15-20 minutes then cool on a wire cooling rack.

Thanks again to Hotel Chocolat for supplying me with these lovely samples to try out.

And the winner is....

Following on from this post, I'm pleased to announce that the winner of the Hotel Chocolat Chocolate Santa Giveaway is......

The Caked Crusader

Congratulations!

If you'd like send me an email with your name and address a box of chocolate santas will be winging it's way to you very soon!

Thanks again to Hotel Chocolat for sponsoring this giveaway.

A Hotel Chocolat Giveaway!

When Hotel Chocolat sent me a little box of goodies recently, they included a box of their Tiddly Caramel Chocolate Santas for me to sample. The good news for you is that there is another box of these ready and waiting to be given away to one lucky reader!

Each Santa is made from solid caramel milk chocolate so you get the creaminess of milk chocolate combined with a hit of sugary caramel. If you like your chocolate dark and on the bitter side then these may not be for you as they are very sweet. I, however, loved them and they definitely brightened up a windy autumn evening.

Hotel Chocolat also sell little boxes of Tiddly Milk Chocolate Reindeers and Tiddly White Chocolate Snowmen as part of their Christmas range and all three boxes cost £5 each. Any of them would make a very special addition to someone's Christmas stocking.

So then, if you would like to be in with a chance of winning a box of these little Santas you just need to do the following:

1) Have a look at the Christmas range on the Hotel Chocolat website and try and decide which item you would most like to find under the tree on Christmas Day

2) When you've managed to narrow it down, let me know your answer by leaving a comment in the comments section below this post. Alternatively, you can post your answer on the Half a Pot of Cream Facebook page.

3) The closing date for the giveaway is Friday 26th November at 6pm. The winner will be annouced after 6pm on Sunday 28th November.

4) I'm afraid the giveaway is only open to residents in the UK.

Good Luck!

Oh, and what would I choose? Well, this Classic Christmas H-Box Selection is clearly made for me! Not that I'm dropping hints or anything ; )

Hotel Chocolat's Cocoa Cuisine Range

Hotel Chocolat contacted me recently to ask if I would like them to send me something to sample and review.

Hmmm...let me just think about that for a minute...

Actually I didn't think about it at all. I've been a fan of Hotel Chocolat for quite some time (dissecting and sampling their Tasting Club selection boxes has become a something of a family tradition) so I was embarrassingly quick to reply with a firm yes please!

When the box arrived and I had ripped it open like a kid at Christmas I was delighted to discover two fat bags of chocolate drops, one containing 40% Milk Chocolate Drops and one containing 70% Dark Chocolate Drops. Each bag weighs a substantial 400g and, ingeniously, has a resealable opening (although on the down side this makes it far too easy to sneak handfuls each time I pass by!).

These chocolate drops can be found in Hotel Chocolat's new Cocoa Cuisine range, which offers a lovely selection of chocolate products designed for use in the kitchen (although unlike some "cooking" chocolate they also taste fabulous just as they are). Each bag costs £7.50, which works out at about £1.87 per 100g. A reasonable price, I think, considering the quality of the chocolate (as a comparison 100g of Green & Blacks 70% Dark Chocolate retails at around £1.89). Needless to say I'm very much looking forward to putting these to good use and will be posting about the recipes I've lined up to experiment with over the next week or two.

Also included in my box of delights was a bottle of Hotel Chocolat Classic Milky Liquid Chocolat, a drinking chocolate made with 72% dark chocolate and 50% milk chocolate.

Their drinking chocolate comes in a number of varieties including the very enticing Gingerbread and Winter flavours. All sound like the perfect way to warm up as the weather cools down. I can't wait to sit down with a big mug of this and will post my verdict soon.

Finally, there was also a little something included from Hotel Chocolat's Christmas Gifts range. More on that, together with a little giveaway, in a couple of weeks as we get closer to Christmas.

Many thanks to Hotel Chocolat for sending me these great samples to review.