SAVOUR & SIP
ELISHA EATS Melt Their Heart V alentine’s Day is divisive. Either you love the chance to show This month is Valentine’s Day, which means one thing: chocolate. Elisha Young (@elisha.eats on Instagram) shares her favourite chocolatiers from in and around Cambridge
BONBON VOYAGE Hill St’s chocolate treats (such as these heart-shaped delights from 2021) make the perfect Valentine’s gift, or even a self- care delight
your significant other some affection, or you’re convinced it’s a capitalist holiday invented to make us spend more money. Personally, I’ve always enjoyed it – but not because of any deep-seated belief in the power of love. I just know the shops will be full of reduced chocolates on 15 February, and what better form of self-care is there than buying yourself a sweet treat at a great discount? Either way, most of us can agree that chocolate is delicious. While I’m no connoisseur, I do love trying new inventions from our local chocolatiers. Hopefully, my personal favourites can help you make an informed decision – whether you’re shopping for a loved one, or fancy treating yourself to something sugary.
products are vegan, organic, fair trade and palm oil free – but don’t let the vegan put you off. Even though this chocolate is free from refined sugar and made using unroasted cocoa beans (therefore with a slightly off-putting health food vibe), I’ve been buying and enjoying the bars for years, especially the pistachio centre as well as the coconut and vanilla centre flavours. There’s a 100% cocoa option for the brave, or a hazelnut brownie-filled oat m’lk bar for the Nutella lover. I like the salted caramel oat m’lk bars, but you can’t really
HILL ST For a classic box of Valentine’s chocolates, head to Hill St. This chocolatier has a small shop tucked away down All Saints Passage in Cambridge where you can explore the beautifully presented wares. The pastel pink packaging is simple and tastefully branded, while the chocolate itself is fantastic: smooth, creamy and packed with flavour. Pick up colourful love hearts filled with gianduja, vanilla ganache or salted caramel. Alternatively, select an enormous 725g Valentine’s box that has a little bit of everything. It’s enough to make anyone fall in love. HARRY SPECTERS Want to go all out with the heart theme? Ely-based Harry Specters has you covered. This chocolate maker offers ruby chocolate love hearts in a vivid pink hue, as well as a more traditional selection of award- winning bonbons in various sizes of box. These chocolates don’t just taste good – they support a valuable social cause too.
go wrong, particularly if you are buying for someone plant-based who has been craving something chocolatey and good quality. FIONA PATISSIERE I’ve saved the best for last. Fiona Patissiere is run by former biologist Fiona, winner of the first-ever Cambridge Bake Off and extremely talented chocolatier. She produces handcrafted, small-batch luxury bars using chocolate sourced from small-scale businesses, including Ely-based bean-to-bar producer Anisa & Chocolate. Her creations are little works of art and have been branded ‘all delicious’ by the The Guardian ’s chocolate correspondent Annalisa Barbieri. Fiona’s handiwork showcases inventive flavour pairings, amazing textures and premium craft chocolate. Her signature is a bar that combines delightfully crumbly shortbread, buttery caramel speckled with vanilla beans, finished with mirror-shine dark chocolate. Follow her on Instagram now @fionapatissiere to order your own box.
Most of us can agree that chocolate is delicious
For every £1 spent, the company invests 69p towards improving the lives of autistic people through paid employment, training opportunities and work experience. Autistic people are involved in every stage of the chocolate-making process, starting with production and ending with packaging, including photography and administration along the way. I’m particularly partial to the peanut butter-filled milk chocolate bar and the banoffee bonbons. OMBAR For chocolate with ethical credentials, you may enjoy Ombar – which has a factory in Sawston, just outside Cambridge. All the
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