Writing is a long-distance sport. And lonely. Many’s the night or early morning I’ve been closed in my office, working on a longer project and feeling the weight that no one but me can tippety tap those words out. But it’s also a time of discovery. This is when I look for inspiration among chocolate bars. The past few weeks some of Aurosó’s Sunrise Florins (left, £8, 75g) have been keeping me company. I love the delicious crisp of the very dark chocolate (90%) topped with sour cherries, blackberries and granola – that’s a concentrating treat.
When the words won’t come and I have needed comfort, solace and a bit of ‘there, there’, this has been found in Pump Street’s wonderful, buttery, limited-edition 62% Croissant Bar (I know: genius!) (£6.25, 70g), which has croissant not only blended into the chocolate but flaked in, to provide something extraordinary. (Not chocolate but if you do order via the PS website, slip a box of eccles cakes, £15 for six, into your basket, they are superb.)
For the home stretch – when I’ve broken the back of the piece – Chocolate Detective’s Silver Ox (a play on silver fox) 61% dark milk (£6.95, 70g). This is an unassuming-looking chocolate that yet deserves wider recognition as a very fine, high-cocoa content milk indeed.
But that glorious moment when the piece is over, it’s done and I feel podium triumphant, I’ve indulged in Tosier’s exquisite – you really have to try them – limited-edition Freddy Rocks (£12, 150g); a softly crunchy hazelnut and feuilletine filling, richly swirled in 70% Haiti chocolate.
