Just as Christ was shaking off his shroud to rise from the dead (remember I am Catholic, I can make these jokes; you can’t), I tested some Chocolate Detective ‘mini’ eggs. They came too late for my Easter roundup. But that’s OK because, despite being eggs, they are really a celebration of spring. Chantal Coady, aka the Chocolate Detective and a very knowledgable name in the world of chocolate, is behind them.
These eggs are so delicious no one who tested them was left unmoved, and not a little bereft when they had gone. They come in various ornithological combinations (robin’s eggs, song thrush, quail, partridge or blackbird), but are basically either hazelnut pralines with shards of caramel, or salted caramel ganache. Twelve beautifully handpainted eggs with crunchy shells, in an egg carton (£12.50). I went crazy for the pralines, hiding mine in my office, emblazoning the carton with ‘Annalisa’s eggs, do not touch!’ I urge you to get yourself a box.
Chantal also works with the Grenada Chocolate Company (‘The Original Tree-to-Bar Chocolate Company’), and I tested its Organic 71% (£6.95), which won silver at the Academy of Chocolate awards. The cocoa used is a trinitario bean from a co-operative that part-owns the Grenada Chocolate Company and the chocolate is made in the Caribbean rainforest. It’s a really unassuming bar, but actually so complex and delicious. Watch out for a special-edition Chocolate Detective bar using this same chocolate in the next month or so.
Follow Annalisa on Twitter @AnnalisaB
