This lovely little treat took place in the gorgeous
sandstone suntrap that is Milsom Place, a little complex of shops and
restaurants in the heart of Bath. Thank goodness I didn’t give up chocolate for
Lent, is all I can say (I gave up pasta, if you’re interested). Six different
chocolatiers were there to display their goodies and tempt passers-by with free
samples. I particularly loved the tangerine mousse by The Chocolatier (somehow
sweeter and tangier than orange, and beautifully matched with deep dark
chocolate) and the milk chocolate with honeycomb by Lick the Spoon, who are
also currently running a pop-up shop in Milsom Place. Their Easter egg
selection was really gorgeous, featuring beautiful designs that brought to mind
art deco patterns and vintage prints. More than a little too expensive for me,
unfortunately, but I’m sure you would get what you paid for! Chocolate
Workhouse also had some amazing designs on display that looked more like
gobstoppers than truffles, with vivid colours and patterns that the friendly
chap behind the stall explained were created by spraying cocoa butter (first
infused with colours and flavours) into a mould, to create a hard shell that
can then be filled with ganache. To be honest, I thought they were a bit less
appealing for the bright colours, but I couldn’t help admiring the originality.
I was slightly less convinced by the offerings from Elements
for Life, a company that extols the virtues of ‘raw chocolate’. Essentially,
their message is that raw cacao contains a lot of nutrients which are
subsequently lost during the commercial chocolate-making process, which
involves several rounds of heating and cooling. I was interested to learn more
about the subject, but I really didn’t like the taste of their finished dark
chocolate product – I thought it was just plain bitter, without any of the
richness that makes dark chocolate so nice – so I think I’d rather stick to
chocolate which isn’t so good for me! Another company that didn’t quite convince
me was Chocacao – I was intrigued to try their dark chocolate infused with
lavender, but the taste was an odd, rather than pleasant, surprise.
I finished up with a cup of churros from Churros Garcia –
which I must confess was what really attracted me to the festival, because I
love churros. These didn’t disappoint: they were crisp on the outside and
fluffy in the middle, with a generous dusting of sugar, although I did find the
chocolate dipping sauce slightly bitter. I could hardly complain though – the
combination of delicious free goodies and warm sunshine left me very content.
Keep an eye out for the next chocolate festival and go if you can – it’s well
worth it!