Charbonnel et Walker - Sea Salt Banana Caramel Truffles

If you follow The Amazing Blog closely, you know how excited we get when we receive delicious snacks to trial, especially when they're chocolate! This week, the delectable treats we speak of come courtesy of our friends at Charbonnel et Walker. Having sampled the brand a few times before, we knew what a divine experience we were in for, and were not left disappointed. We were lucky enough to try the new Sea Salt Banana Caramel Truffles, which are a new spin on their traditional Sea Salt Caramel Truffles, and equally decadent.

Charbonnel et Walker have been crafting indulgent chocolates since 1875, making them one of Britain’s first chocolatiers. Given the royal seal of approval, they serve as chocolate manufacturers to Her Majesty The Queen, and if they’re fit for royalty, they were definitely fit for the girls and I here in the office. The Sea Salt Banana Caramel Truffles are hand-crafted with dark chocolate couverture, giving the chocolate shell its signature luscious and silky taste. The centre is filled with gooey, sweet and salty caramel that has subtle hints of banana,  the truffles finished off with a light dusting of icing sugar. Packaged in Charbonnel et Walker's signature handmade boxes, complete with satin ribbons and complimentary gift wrapping, these luxurious sweets are perfect for any special occasion, or for the occasional office splurge! To get a taste of these ‘amazing-approved’ sweets, visit Charbonnel et Walker instore or online, where they are available for £12.50.

A&G Choclatl - Pure & Mayan Hot Chocolate

With Easter over, we here at The Amazing Blog are still craving a chocolate fix. Lucky for us, A&G Choclatl were kind enough to send over two delicious flavours of hot chocolate – Choclatl Pure and Choclatl Mayan. The name Choclatl (pronounced choc-lat-il) is a direct translation from the ancient Mayan language, using the words xocol + atl, which literally mean chocolate and water. A glance at the ingredients reveals that it really is that simple. Where most hot chocolate brands contain highly processed ingredients, unique brand, Choclatl uses only pure and basic components, making for a delicious mug of pure chocolate bliss.

I’m a big fan of short food labels which have a list of ingredients that I can actually pronounce, as it gives me peace of mind to know exactly what goes into my body. Choclatl Pure has only two ingredients: cacao and cane sugar. The taste of this hot chocolate is divine, richer than any other hot chocolate I have ever tasted. The Choclatl Mayan, which contains cacao, cane sugar, almonds, and cinnamon, was just as bold as Choclatl Pure, but the notes of almond and cinnamon added a unique and delicious twist. It’s no surprise that Choclatl Mayan is A&G Choclatl’s bestseller!

Preparing Choclatl hot chocolate is very simple. Remove the Choclatl from the Chocpot and place into a saucepan. Add water using a 3:1 ratio (one mini Chocpot is 100g so we used 300ml water) and bring to boil for 5 minutes. Then simply wait for it to cool a little, and serve! You can enjoy some delicious Choclatl at home or in the office without breaking the bank – a 100g Chocpot is only £3.50, and you can place orders online here.

Friday Favourites - Easter Holidays

With Easter weekend finally upon us, most of us excited for the celebrations ahead! However, for those who have left things a little late, or even those who just want to try something a bit different this year, there’s still time to go out and grab some more Easter treats! We here at The Amazing Blog have found some Easter-themed gifts to help you impress your friends and loved ones during this Spring holiday.Lush never fails to deliver quirky gift ideas for the holidays, and they certainly haven’t let us down this year with their creative selection of Easter cosmetics. This season, they are offering an array of ‘Egg-ceptional’ Easter themed handmade products, including bath melts and bubble bars in the shape of eggs and carrots! Made from fair trade and organic ingredients, Lush’s Easter cosmetics include a Golden Egg Bath Bomb, Bunny Bubble Bar, Carrot Soap, and Brightside Bubble Bar just to name a few. If, like us, you are struggling to choose from the wonderful selection of products on offer, Lush are also offering the Funny Bunny Rabitty Wrap – an organic cotton knot-wrap containing four of the most popular limited edition Easter cosmetics. Because the Easter Bunny is packaged by hand, the selection of goodies inside each wrap is different!  However, if a gift you are planning is one item short of complete, the holiday products are available to buy individually for very reasonable prices! Find the Egg-cellent collection here. To add some chocolate with a twist to your Easter celebration, Demijohn has created a Chocolate Orange Cream Liqueur.  This alcoholic chocolate is the adult version of a creamy dark Easter Egg, and the addition of Devonshire Cream, Apple Brandy and Orange Zest make this the perfect springtime tipple.  The thick and creamy liqueur would be a great option for those Easter family gatherings; something for adults to enjoy as the children tuck into their Easter treats.  Demijohn recommends serving the Chocolate Orange Cream Liqueur directly from the refrigerator and over ice for the best taste. Be the life of the party this Easter and present your family and friends with a 500ml bottle of Demijohn Chocolate Orange Cream Liqueur, available here for £24.60 (500ml). You may have noticed our attempt to stray from the typical Easter gift, but who are we to keep your loved ones from indulging in chocolate this Easter?  Charbonnel et Walker offer a new twist to the traditional chocolate egg with their Pink Marc de Champagne Truffle Easter Egg.  Combining their finest milk chocolate with their best selling Pink Marc de Champagne Truffles, this treat is so much more luxurious than your typical Easter Egg.  Housed in a pastel coloured window box with a pink ribbon tied around it, this delicious Easter Egg would make the perfect gift any loved one. It can be purchased here for £35, along with a selection of other delicious chocolate creations, including a Dark Chocolate and English Rose Easter Egg.

Feel like doing something different this Easter? Horniman Museum and Gardens, with their Easter Fair, could be the perfect option if you are looking for activities that are fun, yet educational. Take part in the Easter Egg Hunt, learn more about the rabbits that live in the Animal Walk and enjoy some live country music. If you fancy a bite, you can head towards the food stalls, where you will find a selection of tasty treats; whether you fancy pizza or some Austrian specialities, you will definitely find the perfect nibble to satisfy your taste buds. The Easter Fair takes place on Saturday and Sunday, from 10.30 am until 4.30 pm, and you can find the detailed program here . Finally, what would Easter be without an Easter Bunny? Demarquette offers beautifully hand painted Easter Rabbits in dark chocolate and milk chocolate to complete your traditional Easter gifts. The dark chocolate bunny is made from Demarquette’s award winning CacaoLux blend of chocolates from The Dominican Republic and Ecuador, while the milk chocolate bunny features chocolates from Venezuela and Madagascar. Each bunny is hand painted with bright spring colours, making it unique with it’s own colourful pattern. Demarquette Easter Rabbits are available here for only £5.50. Demarquette also has a lovely selection of chocolate bars and truffles if you are still craving sweets after the holiday is over!

Duke of Delhi – Delhi Mix Chocolate Bars

Chocolate is one of my biggest weaknesses, so I was more than happy to act as taste tester when Duke of Delhi so kindly sent The Amazing Blog some of their new Delhi Mix Chocolate Bars to try. With a delectable selection of mouth-watering flavours to choose from, we all weren't sure where to start, and found ourselves craving more after the last bite.

Duke of Delhi was founded by a brother and sister duo, who travelled to their native India and were stimulated by all the exotic sounds, sights and smells. After returning to England, the siblings created the Delhi Mix – a unique snack tin inspired by the Indian street snack, 'chevdo'. Since then, Duke of Delhi have progressed into the realm of chocolate bars, introducing a collection of confectionery which features their special mix, containing crispy puffed rice, gram flour, salt, chilli and turmeric. The range has a variety of flavours, including Dark Chocolate, Milk Chocolate & Indian Cinnamon, Milk Chocolate, Cardamom & Vanilla, Dark Chocolate & Lime, Milk Chocolate & Orange, and Dark Chocolate & Toasted Coconut. These distinct tastes, when paired with the Delhi Mix, create a unique experience for your taste buds. The Delhi Mix adds a wonderful texture with just enough crunch and the spices enhance the chocolate flavours without being overpowering.

Our favourite was the Milk Chocolate, Cardamom & Vanilla. Cardamom is such a powerful spice that you just need a hint to create a strong flavour. Duke of Delhi cleverly combined cardamom with vanilla to strike the perfect balance between spicy and sweet. Yummy! Each Duke of Delhi Chocolate Bar can be purchased here for only £4.

Bonilla a la Vista - Patatas Fritas

Once again, here we are gushing about food. It’s always an exciting time for us when we receive snacks to try out, but this one in particular was much appreciated by some of us here at The Amazing Blog since they reminded us of home. Thanks to Bonilla a la Vista, we were able to get a little taste of Spain in the form of patatas fritas and could not wait to share them with our followers.

Bonilla a la Vista got its start three generations ago, in a small town in the peninsula of A Coruna, when Salvador Bonilla opened a small booth on the pier that sold patatas fritas and churros. This small booth evolved into 7 shops and a factory, so now they can manufacture and distribute internationally for all to enjoy these Spanish snacks. These crisps are different from the ones you would find at the store. Since they are fried in cold-pressed olive oil, there is a crunchier and fresher aspect to them. The cut is also distinct; they are a lot thicker and less uniform in shape than the average crisp, similar to those kettle-cooked brands. What I really loved about these crisps is that the ingredients are as simple as can be: potatoes, olive oil and sea salt, which is all that is needed for traditional patatas fritas.

To treat yourself to these authentic Spanish patatas fritas, go here where you can find the generous 500g tin for £15.The crisps lasted a few days here in the office but we liked the tin so much it is now a part of our office décor, reminding me of home.