Christmas and chocolate go hand in hand and we wouldn't like to think of a world where they don't. Each year we like to have a selection of our favourite choccies to munch on after dinner and obviously we have to have some extra special ones, it is Christmas after all! A few years ago we were finally blessed with a Hotel Chocolat store in our city centre and since then we have been hooked. Christmas, birthdays, anniversaries, special occasions, you name it, it's a Hotel Chocolat occasion. We honestly thought there wasn't going to be chocolate company that topped it, as they have such an amazing taste, range and innovative ideas that has really pushed the brand to a level of luxury.
However, a few months ago we were kindly sent a box of chocolates from No. 12 Chocolatier. They are a new family run business who specialise in handmade Belgian chocolates and traditional fudge. Now if that doesn't capture your attention, we're not sure what will but you definitely need to read on. Although they didn't have a website at the time and appeared to have limited pictures on their social media, the images of their chocolates looked amazing. We're not going to lie, we were totally mesmerised and may have been drooling a little.
This repeated once again when we received our mini box of their Signature Truffle Selection, which came loaded with 2x Strawberry G & T's, 2x Salted Caramel's and 2x Pin Gin & Tonic truffles. The initial unboxing got us excited as the chocolates were presented beautifully. The No.12 logo was clearly displayed on the lid of the black and purple box and was accompanied by a thank you card and a menu card which pulled their packaging all together. All of these small details really showed that a lot of thought and effort had gone into presenting their chocolates and we were hoping the same was put into the chocolates themselves. Now this may come as a shock to some people but we aren't gin drinkers, so we were a tad apprehensive trying the two which contained gin and tonic. We had a slight sinking feeling in our stomachs and were worrying that we weren't going to like them, plus we didn't want to be in the position of telling the lovely people at No. 12 that we weren't keen on their Signature Collection.
We divided the chocolates up so we could all try each one. One after another we were pleasantly surprised, the gin chocolates were amazing! Starting with the Pin Gin and Tonic, we found that the gin came through, to us non gin drinkers, slightly bitter but was sweetened by the white chocolate which made it quite refreshing. It's a completely different taste than we're used to in chocolate but can definitely say it is a good one. On to the Strawberry G & T! Now this one was much sweeter and we found we got on with this one the most out of the two gin choccies. It was light, fruity and reminded us of summer when the strawberries are nice and ripe! The Strawberry G & T is one to share with friends over drinks or maybe in a bubbly bath tab whilst you're having a moment to yourself!
Finally the Salted Caramel! Now we have to say this was the overall favourite and we honestly could have a whole box of them each! If you like salted caramel, you have to try this one as it truly just melts in your mouth! Plus if you like a good salt to caramel ratio, we can tell you, they've got it perfect and you are not going to want to share them! So maybe keep those ones secret!
Overall we have to say the chocolates and our experience with the No. 12 Chocolatier was amazing and they are certainly competing with Hotel Chocolat. So if you're looking for something slightly different to give to your guests this year, head over to their site and take a look! They have a wonderful selection of chocolates, truffles, bars and even hot chocolate stirrers, so there is definitely something for everyone to enjoy!
Happy chocolate loving!
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