Category Archives: Chocolate

“The Big One” – Giant Jaffa Cakes Now on Sale

Posted on 2013-04-09 by tikichris

The Big One – an actual cake-sized Jaffa Cafe – has been launched by McVitie’s. Large enough to yield 12 ample slices, the new cake combines “three layers of fluffy, light Jaffa Cake sponge with zingy orangey filling, all covered with a thick layer of sensational dark crackly chocolate.” Continue reading →

Posted in Chocolate, Food, Shopping | Tagged asda, cake, Food, giant jaffa cake, jaffa, jaffa cakes, mcvitie's, morrison's, the big one | Leave a comment

Sophisticated Indian Flavours at Zaika Restaurant, London (OneTravel)

Posted on 2013-03-10 by tikichris

Head chef Navin Prasad’s kitchen delivers refined and delicate dishes that nonetheless check the boxes for filling and yummy. Case in point is the hearty yet dainty starter, pan-seared spiced scallops with sautéed cavolo nero and pumpkin sauce. Equally delicious, a main course of king prawns simmered in a rich coconut cream sauce flavoured with lime leaf proves curry prowess and gourmet subtly needn’t be mutually exclusive attributes. Continue reading →

Posted in Chocolate, Drink, Food, London, OneTravel, Restaurants, Travel, Wine | Tagged chef, Cote du Rhone 'Les Ozets' 2009 Syrah Blend, curry, Drink, fine dining, Food, indian cuisine, indian food, indian restaurant, kensington, Kensington High Street, king prawns, London, navin prasad, OneTravel, restaurant review, review, scallops, tamarind collection, zaika | Leave a comment

Easter 2013 at Hotel Chocolat

Posted on 2013-02-28 by tikichris

I swung by Roast + Conch last night for the press launch of Hotel Chocolat’s collection of chocolates for Easter 2013. This year’s yield is an especially delicious assortment that’s attractively presented with a bit a quirk. Hand tied ribbon hat boxes, a dapper Beau Bunny illustration by Neal Murren adorning most packaging, prettily coloured pralines and bonbons all help to ensure delight whether the chocolates are a treat for yourself or a gift for someone special. Continue reading →

Posted in Chocolate, Easter, Food, London, Shopping | Tagged beau bunny, bonbons, chocolate, chocolate easter eggs, competition, contest, easter, easter eggs, Extra Thick Egg, fine chocolate, Hotel Chocolat, London, milk chocolate, neal murren, pralines, Roast + Conch, Shopping | Leave a comment

Sophisticated Indian Flavours at Zaika, Kensington High Street

Posted on 2013-02-26 by tikichris

Dishes are as attractively presented as the setting and taste just as gorgeous. Head chef Navin Prasad’s kitchen delivers refined and delicate dishes that nonetheless check the boxes for filling and yummy. Continue reading →

Posted in Chocolate, Drink, Food, London, Restaurants, Wine | Tagged chef, Cote du Rhone 'Les Ozets' 2009 Syrah Blend, curry, Drink, fine dining, Food, indian cuisine, indian food, indian restaurant, kensington, Kensington High Street, king prawns, London, navin prasad, restaurant review, review, scallops, tamarind collection, zaika | Leave a comment

Win an Extra Thick Easter Egg from Hotel Chocolat

Posted on 2013-02-24 by tikichris

To celebrate the launch of this year’s range of Easter goodies, Hotel Chocolat is kindly offering one of these Extra Thick Eggs to one very lucky tikichris reader for free! Continue reading →

Posted in Chocolate, Competition, Easter, Food, Freebies, Shopping, Social Media | Tagged caramel, chocolate, chocolate easter eggs, competition, contest, easter, easter eggs, Extra Thick Egg, fine chocolate, free, freebie, Hotel Chocolat, milk chocolate, Rocky Road to Caramel, Rocky Road to Caramel Extra Thick Egg, Shopping, twitter competition | 9 Comments

In Search of London’s Best Tiramisu (CheapOair)

Posted on 2013-02-23 by tikichris

Lusciously layered Savoiardi biscuits dipped in coffee with a whipped mixture of egg yolks and mascarpone cheese, and flavored with marsala wine and cocoa – a dessert dish of tiramisu often provides a great litmus test for determining the merits of an Italian restaurant. Too bad it’s served at the end of a meal! Here are but a few of London’s most moreish tiramisu offerings. Continue reading →

Posted in CheapOair, Chocolate, Coffee, Food, London, Restaurants, Travel, Wine | Tagged carluccio's, chocolate, cocoa, dessert, in parma, italian food, LA PATAGONIA, London, london's best tiramisu, marsala, Moreno at Baglioni, restaurants, TIRAMISU, Travel, wine | 3 Comments

London’s Finest Chocolate (OneTravel)

Posted on 2013-01-17 by tikichris

… the proof is truly in the truffle. Here’s a cream-of-the-crop list of some of London’s finest of the fine chocolate shop offerings. And just in time for Valentine’s Day too! Read my complete post at the OneTravel blog.

Posted in Chocolate, Food, London, OneTravel, Restaurants, Shopping, Travel, Valentine's Day | Tagged belgian chocolate, BEST CHOCOLATE IN LONDON, cafe godiva, cheapoair, chocolate, chocolate shops, chocolatiers, fine chocolate, Food, godiva, godiva chocolate, godiva chocolatier, harrods, hot chocolate, Hotel Chocolat, knightsbridge, London, milk chocolate, OneTravel, paul a young, paul a young fine chocolates, RABOT ESTATE, review, reviews, Roast + Conch, Travel, Valentine's Day, valentines, WILLIAM CURLEY | Leave a comment

Pierre Hermé’s Masterful Macarons (Great British Chefs)

Posted on 2013-01-08 by tikichris

… it’s not just me raving about Hermé’s confections. The Guardian considers him the ‘king of modern pâtisserie’ while the New York Times ups his status to ‘kitchen emperor’ and Vogue reckons he’s the ‘Picasso of pastry’. Hyperbolic to be sure, but I … Continue reading →

Posted in Chocolate, Food, Great British Chefs, London, Shopping, Valentine's Day | Tagged BELGRAVIA, confectionary, Food, GBC, GREAT BRITISH CHEFS, les jardins 2013, London, macaron, macarons, macaroons, pastry, patisserie, pâtissier, pâtissier-confectioneur, piere herme, pierre herme les jardins, pierre herme paris, review, selfridges, SW1X 9EX, Valentine's Day, valentine's gift ideas | Leave a comment

Visit the Godiva Chocolate Cafe at Harrods (CheapOair)

Posted on 2012-10-25 by tikichris

There are only two of these cafes on the planet – one in Beijing and the other in London. And although the London venue is one of more than 30 different restaurants and eateries located within the world famous Harrods department … Continue reading →

Posted in CheapOair, Chocolate, Christmas, Coffee, Food, London, Shopping, Travel | Tagged belgian chocolate, cafe godiva, cheapoair, chocolate, christmas, christmas 2012, christmas gifts, godiva, godiva chocolate, godiva chocolatier, harrods, hot chocolate, knightsbridge, London, milk chocolate, review, Royal Swarovski Box | 3 Comments

Godiva Chocolate Christmas Preview

Posted on 2012-10-16 by tikichris

Premium Belgian chocolate maker, Godiva Chocolatier, recently previewed its new collection of Christmas treats. I was there. It was tasty. Here’s what’ll be on offer from Godiva from the 8th of November (here in the UK anyway): Three new chocolate … Continue reading →

Posted in Chocolate, Christmas, Food, London, Shopping | Tagged belgian chocolate, cafe godiva, chocolate, christmas, christmas 2012, christmas gifts, godiva, godiva chocolate, godiva chocolatier, harrods, hot chocolate, knightsbridge, London, milk chocolate, review, Royal Swarovski Box | Leave a comment

Chocolate Unwrapped 2012: the Tastiest Bits (Great British Chefs)

Posted on 2012-10-15 by tikichris

… I’m sure you’re far more interested in reading about what chocolate finds you can eat rather than have me continue pontificating about how much fun I was having. So, here’s a list of the highlights of Chocolate Unwrapped as per my taste … Continue reading →

Posted in Chocolate, Food, Great British Chefs, London, Shopping | Tagged Cacao Biodiversity, chocolate, chocolate unwrapped, chocolate week, Creighton’s Chocolaterie, dolci liberta, Friis Holm, grenada chocolate company, London, mott green, nothing like chocolate, paul a young, paul a young fine chocolates | Leave a comment

Nothing Like Chocolate: A Fine Film for a Good Cause (Great British Chefs)

Posted on 2012-10-13 by tikichris

Narrated by Susan Sarandon, the movie centres around the work of “anarchist chocolatier” Mott Green and the Grenada Chocolate Company he co-founded in 1999. Offering an ethical and sustainable alternative to big biz chocolate, the Grenada Chocolate Company cuts out … Continue reading →

Posted in Celebrities, Chocolate, Food, Great British Chefs, London, Movies, Video | Tagged anarachism, CARIBBEAN, chocolate, chocolate movie, chocolate week, dark chocolate, documentary, ethical business, film, fine chocolate, GBC, GREAT BRITISH CHEFS, grenada, grenada chocolate, grenada chocolate company, independent film, Kum-Kum Bhavnani, mott gren, nothing like chocolate, review, susan sarandon, sustainability, Video | Leave a comment

Chocolate Week 2012 Preview (Great British Chefs)

Posted on 2012-10-05 by tikichris

Okay folks, I’ll keep this short, sweet and at least 70% cacao. It’s that time again. Chocolate Week … Read my complete post at the Great British Chefs blog.

Posted in Chocolate, Food, Great British Chefs, London, Restaurants, Shopping | Tagged chocolate, chocolate unwrapped, chocolate week, covent garden, GBC, GREAT BRITISH CHEFS, London, WC2 | Leave a comment

Christmas in July: Thorntons Chocolates

Posted on 2012-07-21 by tikichris

Wha?! Christmas in July. Yep, I dropped in on the Thorntons Christmas preview shizzle dizzle the other day, like I did a couple of weeks ago for the Harvey Nics’ and Carluccio’s previews. Highlights? Well, Christmastime is family time with … Continue reading →

Posted in Chocolate, Christmas, Food, Shopping | Tagged british chocolate, chocolate, CHOCOLATE BOX, chocolate boxes, chocolate christmas tree, christmas, christmas 2012, competition, family night in, review, thorntons, thorntons chocolates | Leave a comment

Create the Next Great British Chocolate and Win a Year’s Worth of Thornton’s Chocolate

Posted on 2012-07-15 by tikichris

In search of the “next great chocolate flavour,” British chocolate brand Thorntons, has launched a Great Chocolate Britain Chosen By You competition. Thorntons is looking for chocolate creations from across the whole country. What chocolate flavour do you think would best represent Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Northwest, … Continue reading →

Posted in Chocolate, Competition, England, Food, Freebies, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Shopping, Wales | Tagged british chocolate, chocolate, chocolate week, competition, free, freebie, Great Chocolate Britain Chosen By You, thorntons, thorntons chocolates, thorntons' best of british, thorntons' handmade collection, WIN | 1 Comment

Judging the International Chocolate Awards (Great British Chefs)

Posted on 2012-07-02 by tikichris

Believe it or not, such a wonderful way to spend a day was just this side of gruelling. The judging procedure was incredibly rigorous, and we judges weren’t let in on who had made the chocolates we were trying. Yes, it was an … Continue reading →

Posted in Chocolate, Food, Great British Chefs, London | Tagged british chocolate, chocolate, fine chocolate, GBC, GREAT BRITISH CHEFS, international chocolate awards, London | Leave a comment

The UK’s First Baking Exhibition Coming to London this September (CheapOair)

Posted on 2012-06-26 by tikichris

A first of its kind, the Cake & Bake Show is coming to London’s Earl’s Court this September and looks set to be the baking event of the year, with some of the hottest and freshest personalities in the industry joining together … Continue reading →

Posted in Celebrities, CheapOair, Chocolate, Food, London, Shopping, Travel | Tagged bakers, bakery, baking, bread, bread makers, breads, cake & bake show, cakes, cheapoair, earls court, edd kimber, eric lanlard, juliet sear, London, mary berry, mich turner, pastry chefs, paul a young, paul hollywood, richard bertinent, THE BAKING LAB, the boy who bakes | 1 Comment

“Eat London” in Chocolaty Style at Wyndham Grand London Chelsea (OneTravel)

Posted on 2012-05-15 by tikichris

A perfect setting for such delectable chocolate and only moments from the exclusive shopping mecca of the King’s Road, the Wyndham Grand London Chelsea Harbour is London’s only five-star, all-suite hotel. “Eat London” in Chocolaty Style at Wyndham Grand London … Continue reading →

Posted in Chocolate, Food, Hotels, London, Shopping | Tagged afternoon tea, cH2Ocolate, chelsea, chocolate, chocolate bars, chocolatier, damian allsop, DIAMOND JUBILEE, eat london, hotel, London, Wyndham Grand London Chelsea Harbour | Leave a comment

London Food & Drink News: 26 April 2012 (Londonist)

Posted on 2012-04-26 by tikichris

Hops, cobnuts, festivals, port, the world’s best restaurant and more – a delicious round up of London’s food and drink news … London Food & Drink News: 26 April 2012 Londonist, 26 April 2012 Photo/tezzer57

Posted in Beer, Chocolate, Drink, Food, London, Restaurants, Shopping, Wine | Tagged A TASTE OF NOMA AT CLARIDGE'S, ale, beer, Berry Bros & Rudd, cheese, CHEESE & WINE FESTIVAL, chocolate, CLARIDGE'S, cobnuts, Demarquette Fine Chocolates, DIAMOND JUBILEE, GRAHAM'S 1952 TAWNY, Hurstwood Farms, London, LONDON HOP SHOOT FESTIVAL, Londonist, noma, OLD TAWNY PORT, port, René Redzepi, southbank, wine | Leave a comment

Chocolate Chelsea – Cha Cha Cha! (Great British Chefs)

Posted on 2012-04-25 by tikichris

…. London (and maybe even Kent) just might be the most exciting place in the world of chocolate at the moment. Chocolate Chelsea – Cha Cha Cha! Great British Chefs, 25 April 2012