The Pod - Issue 5

ISSU E # 5

illustration by:

Kai Zimmermann

n e ws & r e v ie ws st r a igh t from t h e conch

LET THEM EAT CHOCOLATE Senior Chocolatier Kiri Kalenko teaches the secrets of making chocolate to Pippa Middleton p8

AU T H E N T IC • OR IG I N A L • E T H IC A L

Bursting with flavour

PHOTOGRAPH BY

Steve Bond

Summer Desserts Collec tion

Exclusive to Chocolate Tasting Club Members chocs.co.uk/summer ÂŁ28.95 including delivery chocs.com $54.95 plus delivery

Contents features 4 STRAIGHT FROM THE CONCH Read all about a day in the life of Hotel Chocolat’s co-founder Angus Thirlwell at our Rabot 1745 restaurant. Plus, our Top Picks to see and do this month.

8 CHOCOLATES DON’T JUST MAKE THEMSELVES Discover the secrets of making chocolate by hand from our talented senior chocolatier Kiri Kalenko, as taught to Pippa Middleton.

5 LENS FLAIR

Put on your shades and catch a glimpse of our striking summer season images, created by photographer Beate Sonnenberg.

12 COCOA PLANET The latest happenings from the world of the Tasting Club and Hotel Chocolat, plus cocoa news from around the globe.

6 FOOD & DRINK The story of our amazing Chocopolitan.

Plus: The Smoked Chicken and Roast Beef Crostini recipe that would be sheer madness not to make.

13 QUICK SNAPS You heard it here first: Tidbits and snippets to keep you informed.

7 Living in a box Iain Ball learns the hard way why he should not be trusted with a new vacuum cleaner.

Page 5

14 THE CHOCOLATE TASTING CLUB Learn more about our Chocolate Tasting Club, with scores and comments from last month’s selections.

Editor’s note

Page 8

Our charming and outrageously talented senior chocolatier Kiri Kalenko somehow found time between conjuring up recipes to teach Pippa Middleton the secrets of making chocolate. Kiri shares her story on page 8.

Find out about the latest news from Ghana and our Young Farmers’ Support Scheme on page 12. Donations for the medical centre we’re funding for the people of Osuben in Eastern Ghana are still needed and very welcome.

I hope you enjoy the issue, and please follow us online at hotelchocolat.com/thepod Page 12

Iain Ball, Editor

With thanks to this month’s contributors: Louise Daniels

Rachel Smith

Melissa Shackleton

Designer

Trainee Chocolatier

Head of Marketing

When the multi-talented Louise – affectionately known as ‘Babs’ – isn’t styling our photo shoots, working with our photographers (see our summer campaign on page 5), designing catalogues and packaging, or creating the Pod’s back-page ads, she’s planning her wedding!

Rachel worked in sales at our Sheffield store for over a year before becoming a chocolatier nearly three years ago.

“I am a very creative person and this is just the perfect job,” she says. In this issue, Rachel explains why she’s afraid of ice cream.

Melissa has been developing our brand from when it was just a twinkle in our co-founders’ eyes, up to the launch of our restaurants.

She still loves trying and scoring the new Tasting Club boxes with her partner and daughter, and she’s particularly excited about the launch of its new website (see page 12).

Production: Editor: Iain Ball Creative Director: Timbo Rennie Assistant Editor: Alexandra Hare Senior Designer: Andy Linney Designer: Louise Daniels Designer: Sarah Mckewan Photography: Daniel Hills Contributors: CEO Hotel Chocolat: Angus Thirlwell Managing Director CTC: Terry Waters Head of Marketing: Melissa Shackleton Head of Guest Relations Saint Lucia: Judy Buckley PR Manager: Megan Roberts Head of Chocolat Development: Adam Geileskey

CONTACT US: Send your letters to The Chocolate Tasting Club, Mint House, Royston SG8 5HL, or simply email thepod@hotelchocolat.com or via our website chocs.co.uk

4

THE POD

Straight from the conch A DAY IN THE LIFE Angus Thirlwell spends a day around the clock at Rabot 1745 It’s 7am and I’m walking into Borough Market in London with a bigger spring in my step than usual. I’m spending the day in my favourite place in London – Rabot 1745, our ‘Temple to Cocoa’.

Spread over three floors at the epicentre of the market, our restaurant, cocktail bar, cafe, shop and mini chocolate lab is all about the cocoa, and it’s going down a storm.

“I’m spending the day in my favourite place in London – Rabot 1745, our ‘Temple to Cocoa’.”

I’m meeting a group from one of the UK’s largest landowners to talk about future projects over a Plantation Breakfast, based on what we serve at our Boucan hotel in Saint Lucia.

We choose power shots, fruit platters and cocoa muesli, followed by poached eggs with warm spiced aubergine, and some lobster with spinach on cocoa-nib toast. At the end we nibble on warm banana bread, sipping cocoa shell infusions.

I love the blue sky and crisp air, so I stroll around the market before my lunch meeting with a potential Asian partner.

I choose the risotto with wild mushrooms cooked in a vegetable and cacao stock.

I show him the bean roaster and dip a wooden tasting stick into the batch of conched Trinidad 80% cacao for a taste.

On the way out I say hello to a ‘Tree to Bar’ group making chocolate straight from the bean with their own hands, under the expert guidance of our chocolatier Louise.

I take a tour of our London stores before returning to Rabot 1745. My day is feeling like the end of Babette’s Feast. Rhye are playing on the soundtrack and enjoy the vibe as I sip a Cocoa Gin Martini.

My wife Libby arrives and we both choose the new Creole Monkfish dish. Chef Jon Bentham is a genius.

The caramelised fennel and Marcona almond purée harmonise beautifully with the cacao-creole spices on the tender monkfish.

The restaurant is buzzing as we share a rum and coconut milk pannacotta with papaya and mango salsa.

The final call is checking out Cecil’s, a new speakeasy around the corner. A cool way to end a lovely day.

Illustration: David Downton Stephen Jones for Dior (Hong Kong Tatler) 2011

TOP PICKS

Things to do, places to go, people to see Relax on our terrace Our acclaimed Rabot 1745 restaurant has a spacious new terrace with stunning views over the heart of Borough Market.

Book a table now at rabot1745.com GIVE A F.I.G The Fashion Illustration Gallery sells original art works and prints by fashion illustrators.

A great place for buying a truly original gift online. fashionillustrationgallery.com

BUNK OFF The most modern and spine-chilling of English Heritage’s properties, the York Cold War Bunker uncovers the secret history of Britain’s Cold War. english-heritage.org.uk

WATCH OUR CHOCUMENTARIES From live cocoa bean roasting to fresh chocolate-making, watch what goes on at our Cocoa Bar-Cafes at youtube.com/hotelchocolat

Dad’s the word Give him the perfect gift this Father’s Day. Don’t forget – it’s June 15th! hotelchocolat.com

hotelchocolat.com/thepod

5

Lens Flair Photographer Beate Sonnenberg captures the spirit of our summer We hope you enjoy the beautiful simplicity of our seasonal designs this summer – fabulously illustrated for our campaign by the award-winning photographer Beate Sonnenberg.

Born in Germany, Beate moved to the UK to study photography at Bournemouth College of Art & Design. Her work has appeared in Vogue, GQ, and Elle, and has won a Cannes Lions prize.

Find out more about our summer range at hotelchocolat.com

Image courtesy OF:

Beate Sonnenberg

Beate’s gorgeous images play with the uplifting blend of contrasting colours we’ve used in our seasonal Sleeksters and H-Box

designs, reflecting the amazing fusion of flavours within.

PORTFOLIO 1. Hotel Chocolat Summer 2014 2. Stella McCartney 3. Hotel Chocolat Summer 2013 4. Burberry Sport

A TASTE OF SUMMER Indulge in our new, beautiful Summer Sleekster and H-Box. A fabulous fusion of seasonal flavours, perfect for sharing on long-shadowed afternoons. hotelchocolat.com

THEIR TIME In her book Our Time, photographer Cat Garcia records the lives of Britain’s most creative talents, including Sir Peter Blake, Bella Freud, Gavin Turk and Sir Paul Smith, with brilliant portraits and telling details. thisisourtimebook.com

top story Once upon a time there was a pizzeria that made the best all-organic slices in East London, so the bloggers said. Check out Story Deli on Bethnal Green Road. storydeli.com

shade of style The sun is out and so are the shades.

We love Dolce and Gabbana’s stunning range of sunglasses for men and women this season. dolcegabbana.com

Great Dane The Design Museum in Copenhagen is just a short walk from our Cocoa Bar Cafe. Check out their new exhibition on Danish furniture designer Hans Wegner, one of the world’s greatest post-war designers. designmuseum.dk

6

THE POD

Food & Drink

The Chocolatier’s Tale THE CHOCOPOLITAN Rachel Smith

“When I was little I went ice-skating, fell over and broke my hand. Ever since, I have had a terrible fear of all kinds of ice, including ice cream.

So, there is something wonderful for me about having a totally nonice cream version of the classic Neapolitan.

The Chocopolitan recreates the recipe in rice crispy form. We decided on a ratio of half 50% Milk chocolate to one-quarter strawberry and one-quarter vanilla, made with added vanilla seeds and blended with our 36% white chocolate.

We make these fresh in our Cocoa Bar-Cafes. We mix them, arrange them in the right proportion and slice them into these amazing bars.

There’s something really colourful and playful about the look of this chocolate, which makes it really fun.

But above all it’s got a fantastic taste and texture – it’s chunky and satisfying but the crispies make it really easy to eat.”

The Chocopolitan is available at our Cocoa Bar-Cafes: hotelchocolat.com/cafelocations

SMOKED CHICKEN and Roast Beef Crostini An exquisite chicken and beef crostini with melted Brie, lifted by a zing of cocoa and chilli oil, garlic and a deviously delicious white chocolate horseradish.

Serves: 4 Difficulty: Easy Time: 8 minutes Ingredients 1 garlic clove, crushed 50g / 2oz / cup butter, softened 1 tbsp Hotel Chocolat Cocoa & Chilli Finishing Oil 8 slices ciabatta, about 1cm / ½in thick 4 tbsp Hotel Chocolat White Chocolate Horseradish 350g / 12oz / 2½ cups cooked sliced smoked chicken & roast beef 350g / 12oz / 2½ cups Brie, sliced 1 red onion, thinly sliced Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Mix together the garlic, butter and cocoa and chilli finishing oil in a bowl.

2. Preheat the grill to high. Grill both sides of the ciabatta until toasted.

3. Spread the garlic butter over one side of each slice of toast, followed by the white chocolate horseradish. Top with slices of smoked chicken and/or beef and the Brie, then season with salt and pepper.

4. Turn the grill down to medium and grill the crostini until the cheese starts to melt and turn golden in places. Top with slices of red onion and serve warm.

For the shopping list...

White Chocolate Horseradish A deviously delicious balance of sharp, fiery grated horseradish with the soft and subtle sweetness of white chocolate.

Energises smoked salmon, mackerel, mashed potato, roast beef, cold meats and vegetable crudités.

Cocoa & Chilli Finishing Oil

£8.50 hotelchocolat.com

£13 hotelchocolat.com

A special recipe used by our chefs in our Boucan restaurant in Saint Lucia – extra-virgin olive oil rounded by rich notes of cocoa nibs and beans, with a kick of red chilli.

hotelchocolat.com/thepod

LIVING Buying a new vacuum cleaner can really suck... warns Iain Ball “You need help,” suggests a curly-haired man in a bright blue shirt, suddenly appearing from behind a shiny Ice Master Gold freestanding fridge freezer with 10% off and a three-year warranty.

“But,” he says brightly, eyes suddenly aflame with a joyous revelation, “If you want all the power of an Electrosux at just half the price, then what you need is...”

He has the tranquil, contented smile of someone who has already discovered the electric household appliance he truly needs. But I haven’t. I’ve been lost in this fluorescent, nylon-carpeted maze for over 20 minutes. Does he work here?

He pauses dramatically, pointing to a bewilderingly cool piece of tech that looks like a small red Porsche crossed with a flamethrower.

“Please,” I beg him. “Where is the Electrosux PowerBoost 1900?”

Let me explain: I don’t have a pet. But my little vacuum cleaner always came close, skipping merrily behind me, doing its best to keep up as I led it around the house by its extendable hose.

It was dependable, small enough to go in the cupboard, and never needed a vet.

But after years of sucking up the dust, ol’ Boosty has now finally bitten it, expiring last weekend with a pitiful whine.

The man in the blue shirt nods. “I’m sorry, sir,” he says gently. “But I’m afraid we no longer stock that range of products.”

I sigh. Maybe I can still get it online.

“If you want all the power at half the price, then what you need is...” “...the Jingong Élan 3000.”

I’m not sure what to say.

“Is that a vacuum cleaner?”

Oh, it is. And more. It has a Bluetoothenabled ‘on’ button, three power settings, a built-in UV lamp that kills all known bacteria, and a sensor light that turns red when it detects the presence of

Vox chocs Cocoa soundbites from people who should have known better

“What an abominable life a lady’s maid leads! I’ve been beating the chocolate for half an hour, now it’s ready, and is it my lot to stand and smell it with a dry mouth?

Oh gracious mistress, why should you get the real thing and I only the smell of it?”

Despina the Maid in Act 1, Scene 8 of Mozart’s Cosi fan Tutte (1790).

7

in a

OX even microscopic dust. And no bag.

Amazing. But does it suck?

The man switches it on and, smiling smugly at me, casually sucks a large box of replacement filters off a nearby shelf, without even looking.

Shwopp! Better than telekinesis.

“And it’s £100 off,” he says.

It’s out of the box and plugged in as soon as I get home.

“That looks fancy,” says Zoe. “But does it suck?”

“If you want all the power,” I tell her, lengthening the extendable hose to its full three metres, “at half the price, then what you need is…”

I switch it on and smugly pass the vacuum head over the place on the kitchen counter where I am absolutely certain Zoe has left our latest Tasting Club selection unopened.

The Jingong Élan 3000 is super quiet too. Even at full power, you can really hear someone scream.

hotelchocolat.com/thepod

9

Chocolates don’t just make themselves When Senior Chocolatier Kiri Kalenko tells people what she does for a living, it doesn’t take long before they ask: “Can I have some?”

T

here are advantages to this job, she grins. “If you need a favour from someone, it really helps if you can bribe them with chocolate. The only thing is, everyone expects you to bring some when you visit.”

Kiri Kalenko is a senior chocolatier at our development kitchen in Huntingdon. She’s part of a team that creates brand new chocolate recipes every week, which are all made and decorated by hand.

Photos and drawings of designs for new chocolates adorn the walls, and the counter is strewn with prototypes of chocolates in development, like a wacky ‘melted snowman’ for Christmas and a new ‘chocolate ghost’ for Halloween. All go through rigorous taste tests before they’re approved.

Kiri has just tasted a new ginger liqueur truffle recipe created by her colleague Rachel, an apprentice chocolatier. Her verdict is: “More booze!”

“I have a bit of a reputation as the boozy chocolatier,” she says. Kiri has made hundreds of chocolates in her five years at Hotel Chocolat, but alcohol-based chocolates are her first love: “The first-ever box of chocolates I made at Hotel Chocolat were all cocktails!”

Her mojito recipe is still a popular selector: a refreshing white chocolate truffle made with Jamaican white rum, mint and lime. “I love cocktails, and every time I go out for a drink and try a new one, I think, ‘Hmmm, could I turn that into a chocolate?’”

Kiri and the development team make more than thirty new chocolate recipes every four weeks, with lots going into our Chocolate Tasting Club selections. But not all of the ideas are dreamed up in the kitchen, with many coming from the staff in our stores, customers and Tasting Club members.

Left: Kiri tempers chocolate in our development kitchen, Huntingdon

“There’s something new happening here all the time,” says Kiri – and she doesn’t mean just in the kitchen.

10

THE POD

Chocolates don’t just make themselves

“Tempering chocolate is just… odd. It’s almost like magic.

It’s the test of a true chocolatier.

And once you get it, it feels quite therapeutic.”

Kiri Kalenko Senior Chocolatier

Last December Kiri was in Amsterdam, piping chocolate designs onto chocolate slabs for our Sinterklaas celebration. In February, she was at the BAFTAs, serving chocolates to movie stars like Dame Helen Mirren (who later became a member of our Chocolate Tasting Club). And just before Easter, Kiri spent the day at our Rabot 1745 restaurant in Borough Market, teaching Pippa Middleton how to be a chocolatier in her own Bean-to-Bar experience.

Even after years working as a professional chocolatier, the drama of making chocolate by hand straight from the bean is still a buzz.

“It’s how chocolate was made back when it was invented,” says Kiri.

“It has so much texture and character to it.”

First, Kiri showed Pippa how to crush roasted cocoa nibs in a mortar and pestle. After that, she taught Pippa how to ‘temper’ chocolate by hand – a tricky, and occasionally messy process that’s the chocolate equivalent of a martial art.

“To make sure your chocolate has that lovely shine and snap, you have to temper it,” explains Kiri. “If you don’t temper it properly, it can become all dull and crumbly.”

The melted cocoa butter has to be guided through different temperatures to form the desirable crystal, first by pouring it onto a marble slab and then quickly moving it with a palette knife and triangle until it cools to about 28-29°C. “You start to build a rhythm with the palette knife and triangle, and the sound of metal on marble sounds quite musical,” says Kiri.

hotelchocolat.com/thepod

11

From left to right: Cocoa beans in the roasting machine, chocolate being conched, senior chocolatier Rhona Macfadyen's chocolate sketches, Kiri showing Pippa Middleton the conching machine at Rabot 1745, actress Dame Helen Mirren and her Hotel Chocolat bag at the BAFTAs, Pippa with her completed Easter egg, Kiri and Pippa filling their Easter egg moulds, Kiri making chocolates in our development kitchen.

Then it’s blended with a smaller amount of warmer chocolate, so the mixture settles at an ideal working temperature, about 29-30°C for milk chocolate.

It’s difficult. And you’ll only know if you’ve got your chocolate just right after it sets.

“Tempering is just… odd. It’s almost like magic. You just practice and practice and it takes months before you get it right. It’s the test of a true chocolatier. And once you get it, it feels quite therapeutic.”

How did Pippa do? “She did quite well! It’s always an amazing reaction when you temper chocolate with someone for the first time. People are worried that it’s going to go everywhere – and sometimes it does, when you’re still learning.”

They then went on to make the chocolate extra-thick egg shell – building layer upon layer of chocolate in a mould, letting each one cool and set for a couple of minutes before pouring on the next.

“We got her making chocolate bunnies too,” laughs Kiri. “She painted on their little bow ties in edible gold leaf.” Finally, Pippa piped on a white chocolate splat design, before celebrating with a cup of Cocoa Royale.

“She couldn’t get over how much she liked that!”

“Like me, I think she really enjoyed the creative side of being a chocolatier,” says Kiri. “When I first got the job at Hotel Chocolat, my dad smiled and said to me: ‘Well, it’s not like you’re mining. You’re just playing with chocolate all day.’ A proper Northern response! But playing is part of creativity – and I feel really lucky to have a job where I get to play all day.”

OUR CHOCOLATIERS

WATCH Watch our interviews with Kiri and other members of our chocolate-making team online at youtube.com/hotelchocolat

MEET You can see our resident chocolatiers roasting and conching cocoa beans and tempering chocolate by hand at our Cocoa Bar-Cafes. hotelchocolat.com/cafelocations

JOIN IN Have a go at making chocolate yourself by trying one of our Chocolate Tasting Adventures or Bean-to-Bar experiences, available in our stores and restaurants nationwide. Book yourself in at hotelchocolat.com/tastingevents

12

THE POD

Cocoa planet news from around our world Ghana Location: Osuben, Kwahu District The Young Farmers Support Scheme 2014 An important part of our support for the Osuben cocoa farming community in Eastern Ghana is providing access to training. In 2013, we launched the Young Farmers Support Scheme along with the Green Tropics Group, our partner NGO, to offer training, equipment and support to promising young people.

We’ve had 31 applicants for our 2014 intake – 19 men and 12 women, most of them in their early 20s, from eleven villages around and including Osuben. The land they have available for farming stretches from just two to 20 acres, mostly donated by parents or grandparents.

This year, we’ll be selecting 15 of the most committed and enthusiastic applicants for the scheme, which is designed to help kick-start careers in cocoa farming.

The successful candidates will be given training workshops, technical support, equipment, seedlings and other resources they need to cover the approximately £200 start-up cost of cocoa farming.

Most of the applicants were able to receive a school education, seven of them up to senior high school level. But five were only educated to primary school level, and three had no formal education at all.

Above: Mercy Oppong is a successful candidate from our first Young Farmers Support Scheme intake in 2013.

This year, Tasting Club Director Terry Waters has requested that special consideration be given to these applicants, with three additional places in the programme to ensure they’re represented. We’ll keep you posted with stories about those who get through.

JOIN OUR GHANA APPEAL How you can help: We still need £2,634 to complete and equip the Osuben medical centre. We add 25p for every scorecard we receive from our Tasting Club members.

But if you’d like to donate, please send a cheque made payable to: The Cocoa Farmers’ Fund, and send it to: CTC Ghana Appeal, Freepost, ANG10659, Royston, SG8 5YD. CURRENT:

£ 4 2,3 6 6 TARGET: £45,000

uk Location: Cyberspace Welcome to the new Tasting Club website We hold our hands up; the Tasting Club website hasn’t always fulfilled all of your needs – but that’s about to change!

Coming live to your computer screens this May: a brand new, all-singing, all-dancing* website, that is going to make managing your Tasting Club account so much easier.

Soon you will be able to access the Club area via the main Hotel Chocolat site, where you can conveniently manage your membership online, including updating all of your payment and personal details. Within a few clicks, you can update how often you receive your boxes and view our seasonal specials, as well as score your favourite chocolates from your latest selections. There will also be a ‘chat live’ feature, where you can message our customer experience team directly. Plus, fantastic access to special offers, discounts and prizes.

*It doesn’t actually sing and dance, but it’s still pretty good.

Rabot 1745

uk Location: York

John Lewis York, Unit C, Vangarde Way, York, YO32 9AE Location: Liverpool Dine at our new Cocoa Bar-Cafe Liverpool If you’ve paid a visit to our Hotel Chocolat store in St. Peter’s Arcade recently, you may have noticed that it looks a little different. You now have the pleasure of experiencing our shiny new Cocoa Bar-Cafe!

You can still buy your favourite chocolates, but there’s also a delicious new cocoa-inspired menu to try, freshly made chocolate to sample, and a host of coffee and cocoa drinks to enjoy.

Unit 10, 2-4 St. Peter’s Arcade, Liverpool One, Liverpool, L1 3DE

MINE’S A BRIDGET Did you know that our Rabot 1745 restaurant looks onto the flat where Bridget Jones (played by Renée Zellwegger) was romanced by Mark Darcy (Colin Firth) in the famous 2001 film. Inspired by being so close, we named a brand new cocktail in her honour – a blend of Sipsmith Vodka, Viognier white wine, crushed apple and cinnamon-honey-vanilla syrup with cacao bitters. Try one! rabot1745.com

Experience

Cocoa Cuisine at John Lewis York We’re thrilled to announce that we have opened a Cocoa Bar-Cafe in the brand new John Lewis store on Vangarde Way! You’ll find us on the ground floor, ready to greet you with the incredible scent of roasted cocoa beans as soon as you enter the store. You can watch our talented chocolatiers turning cocoa beans into chocolate, sample one of our unique barista cocoa drinks, or pop in for a nourishing mid-shop lunch.

See you there!

From Saint Lucia to London

SUPPORT US

A group of 20 girls from Saint Lucia and England recently came to our Covent Garden store for a Bean-to-Bar experience, as part of a 10-day tour with children’s charity, Touraid. We even discovered that one of the English girls is the great granddaughter of the original Rabot Estate plantation owners!

THe Chocolate Bond

Above: Our new Cocoa Bar-Cafe Liverpool

Bored with banks? There’s never been a better to time to invest in British chocolate. Our new chocolate bonds offer an interest rate of more than 7% , and we’ll be using the funds we raise to expand our business and create new skilled jobs at home. Intrigued? Email us your name and address and we’ll send you a Bond Invitation document. thepod@hotelchocolat.com

Quick SNAPS

THE POD

14

Tasting Club Reviews Christmas 2013* The Chocolate Tasting Club is at the heart of Hotel Chocolat’s innovative and exceptional chocolates. Our chocolatiers make hundreds of delicious recipes, sent in beautiful boxes to our Tasting Club members to taste and score.

Here are the latest scores from our members on our recent selections and specials. Members’ scores help us make even better chocolate recipes and decide which of our new chocolates should go on to the shelf in Hotel Chocolat boutiques.

How the Tasting Club works Every four weeks our members receive an exciting chocolate box, and they can score each recipe, either online or on a card accompanying the menu.

We offer different ‘genres’ of chocolates: all-milk chocolate, all-dark, the alcohol-free Elements, our rare and vintage Rabot 1745 selection, and our Classic selection, with a little bit of everything.

Members can receive a new box every four weeks or less often they like, and swap selections whenever they want.

The advantages of membership A 5% discount on everything online, in our stores, cafes, restaurants and even at our Boucan Hotel in Saint Lucia.

Plus: access to exclusive Tasting Club collections, including the Excellence selection and unique season specials.

Find out more at hotelchocolat.com/tastingclub

No. Chocolate Name

Chocolatier

10/10

Average

CLASSIC CHRISTMAS 1

Winter Caramel Star

Rhona Macfadyen

29%

8.5

2

Christmas Mess

Olivier Nicod

28%

8.7

3

Ginger Florentine

Rhona Macfadyen

27%

8.2

1

2

3

DARK CHRISTMAS 1

Berry Christmas

Kiri Kalenko

24%

8.4

2

Cinnamon Almond

Kiri Kalenko

20%

8.3

3

Praline Star

Olivier Nicod

19%

8.4

1

2

3

WHAT MEMBERS ARE SAYING Classic – “Wonderful collection. Just enjoy your chocolates and the combinations you manage to come up with. Thank you.” 9/10 Mrs Lauren Seymour – Farnham

Classic selection D171 No. Chocolate Name

Dark selection K104

Chocolatier

10/10

Average

No. Chocolate Name

Chocolatier

10/10

Average

1

Caramel & Crispy Praline

Kiri Kalenko

26%

8.7

1

French Connection

Felicity Plimmer

24%

8.3

2

Soft Caramel

Jessica Howe

26%

8.3

2

Salted Pecan Pie

Rachel Smith

24%

8.3

3

Strawberry Shortcake

Rhona Macfadyen

24%

8.6

3

Caramel & Crispy Praline

Kiri Kalenko

23%

8.4

4

Raspberry Mojito

Kiri Kalenko

24%

8.1

4

A Deep Dark Night

Jessica Howe

21%

8.6

5

Blackcurrant Baton

Rhona Macfadyen

23%

8.4

5

Raspberry Mojito

Kiri Kalenko

17%

8.2

1

2

3

1

2

3

WHAT MEMBERS ARE SAYING

WHAT MEMBERS ARE SAYING

Caramel & Crispy Praline – “A mouthful of heaven, possibly my favourite ever in the club history!” 10/10 Mr T Wilde – Sutton-In-Ashfield

French Connection – “Rich, warm and a kick in the throat! It got better each time.” 10/10 Mr Sean Conlin – Walderton

Raspberry Mojito – “Heaven. A perfect balance of flavours, it delivered exactly what it promised. Brilliant!” 10/10 Mrs Lorna Kemp – Cambridge

A Deep Dark Night – “I could quite happily snuggle down into a bath full of these.” 8/10 Mrs Lynn Eaton – Doncaster

PRIZE DRAW

PRIZE DRAW

Our prize draw winner is Miss Christina Kerr from Welling who wins a Sleekster Everything selection.

Our prize draw winner is Mrs Jennifer Scoging from Wigton who wins a Sleekster Dark selection.

Join the Tasting Club at hotelchocolat.com/join

Follow us

Score online or by post and you’ ll automatically be entered into a Prize Draw to win some Hotel Chocolat goodies. We’ ll also be donating 25p to our Ghana Appeal for every scorecard we receive, so you’ ll be helping to build the Osuben Medical Centre.

DISCOVER • REVIEW • SHARE

RABOT 1745 selection P36*

Christmas 2013* No. Chocolate Name

Chocolatier

10/10

Average

No. Chocolate Name

MILK CHRISTMAS

Chocolatier

1

Vietnam Extra Virgin Olive Oil & Orange Truffle

Rhona Macfadyen

1

Christmas Mess

Olivier Nicod

36%

8.6

2

Trinidad 75% Dark

Kiri Kalenko

2

Salted Caramel Santa

Rhona Macfadyen

33%

8.8

3

Saint Lucia Island Growers 50% Milk

Olivier Nicod

3

Stuck in a Blizzard

Felicity Plimmer

33%

8.7

4

Cranberry Granola & Chuao 70% Buche

Kiri Kalenko

5

Chuao Feuilletine Buche

Olivier Nicod

1

15

2

3

Fortified Christmas 1

2

3

1

Cognac Truffle

Kiri Kalenko

44%

9.1

2

Rum Punch

Kiri Kalenko

43%

8.8

WHAT MEMBERS ARE SAYING

3

Kirsch Cherries

U Paetzold & Rhona Macfadyen

43%

8.8

We haven't received enough scores this month for the Rabot 1745 selection to be statistically valid. But members’ comments below are representative.

1

2

Vietnam Extra Virgin Olive Oil & Orange Truffle – “Gorgeous blend of flavours.

Would like to see this made with the 90%Hacienda Iara chocolate” 10/10 Lizzi – Essex

3

PRIZE DRAW

WHAT MEMBERS ARE SAYING

Our prize draw winner is Mrs Liz Simmons from Brentwood who wins a selection of bars from Saint Lucia.

Fortified – “Absolutely delicious combinations and a real pleasure to eat at this time of year” 8.5/10 Mr Roger Harrison – Duffield

All Milk selection M26* No. Chocolate Name

Elements selection S82

Chocolatier

10/10

Average

No. Chocolate Name

Chocolatier

10/10

Average

1

Blackcurrant Tasting Baton

Rhona Macfadyen

24%

8.3

1

Blackcurrant Baton

Rhona Macfadyen

33%

8.5

2

Caramel & Crispy Praline

Kiri Kalenko

22%

8.6

2

Soft Caramel

Jessica Howe

32%

8.4

3

Strawberry Shortcake

Rhona Macfadyen

21%

8.6

3

Strawberry Shortcake

Rhona Macfadyen

31%

8.6

4

Buttered Lemon Pistachio

Kiri Kalenko

16%

7.8

4

Fruit & Nut

Rachel Smith

29%

8.6

5

Soft Caramel

Jessica Howe

13%

7.9

5

Caramel & Crispy Praline

Kiri Kalenko

26%

8.8

1

2

3

2

1

3

WHAT MEMBERS ARE SAYING

WHAT MEMBERS ARE SAYING

Blackcurrent Tasting Baton – “I the love fruity batons and this is the best yet!” 6.5/10 Emma Carroll – Worthing

Strawberry Shortcake – “Hit the nail on the head! A beautiful bite- sized strawberry shortcake. No need to say anymore.” 10/10 Mrs Hannah Bull – Braintree

Open Sesame – “Wow-just wow! I find halva too sweet on it’s own but this was a perfect combination. Fab.” 10/10 E Pensley – Edinburgh

Fruit and Nut – “Really really good, wishing I had more!” 10/10 Ms Corrine Davidson – Salford

PRIZE DRAW

PRIZE DRAW

Our prize draw winner is Miss Helen Phillips from Uxbridge who wins a Sleekster Milk selection.

Our prize draw winner is Mr Darren Tripp from Tonbridge who wins a Rocky Road Giant Slab.

*Not currently available in the United States

0212014628

Shake up your

SUMMER WITH A FLAVOUR FUSION

Slip on your shades and view our summer range, in stores and online now. hotelchocolat.com