Club News
The monthly newsletter from the Tasting Club
Issue 1211
Time For A Bigger Tree? This year’s Christmas Collections are our biggest ever and you can reserve yours now. Don’t miss out! More on page 5
TROPICAL
TAKE OVER!
A second Tasting Club week at Boucan Hotel in Saint Lucia is now available – hurry before this one sells out too. See pages 6 & 7
Two years on and the Tasting Club truck has been hard at work but still in great shape thanks to meticulous maintenance
Back to
Osuben
We’ve been visiting Osuben village since we first began our programme of Engaged Ethics in Ghana in 2002 and so it’s always a pleasure to return and to catch up.
1211NL
Over the years we’ve made many friends in the Osuben Basin cocoa growing region and there are also many ongoing projects to review. So, despite the fact that one of the key reasons for the trip was to finalise arrangements for the medical centre (see previous issues), which will be the subject of the next Club member appeal, it was also good to be able to see for ourselves the objects of the previous member fundraising efforts – continued on page 8... the motorbike and the Mazda truck.
“It’s the way you tell ‘em” Discover the jokes that most tickled our fancies – and the winner of our Chocolate Joke Competition. Page 15
Letter from the
Editor
T
he long and pitted road up to Osuben from the main highway takes a good 40 minutes, but with every bump, dip and pothole, the anticipation of arriving in Osuben increases. The village has been the base of our Engaged Ethics programme in Ghana for 10 years and whenever we return, as we always do during every trip, we are greeted by friendly, smiling faces, hands to shake and genuine warmth. This month’s main article is all about just that – the return to Osuben Village, catching up with old friends and seeing past projects in action. Also in this edition you’ll see that, due to huge demand, we’ve taken over Boucan Hotel in Saint Lucia for a second week! We’ve put together a package especially for members – including many exclusive activities. It promises to be a holiday that you’ll never forget, so turn to pages 6 & 7 for more on that.
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Whenever we return, as we always do during every trip, we are greeted by friendly, smiling faces, hands to shake and genuine warmth.
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Finally this month, there’s an interesting piece about taste and smell and how they affect each other. Chocolate, it seems is rather special in that respect, as if we needed telling. And on page 15 we reveal our winning chocolate-themed joke – thank you to all who entered for making us laugh!
Until next month, happy tasting! Hic! Last call for the latest Fortified Selection is on page 4
Simon Thirlwell Club News Editor
Send your letters to The Chocolate Tasting Club, Mint House, Royston SG8 5HL, or simply email me on simon@hotelchocolat.co.uk or via our website: www.chocs.co.uk We are waiting to hear from you! Club News Editor: Simon Thirlwell; Contributors: Simon Thirlwell, Terry Waters.
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© The Chocolate Tasting Club plc 2012
What exactly is a
praline?
T
he winning combination of milled, roasted nuts and chocolate has made
praline one of the most successful genres of chocolate in the world. Its appeal lies not just in its mellow flavours, but also in its melt-away textures. This amazing melt is all due to the combination of cocoa butter contained in chocolate, which makes chocolate melt at mouth temperature, and also the natural nut oils contained in the ground nuts. These days, pralines are most often made with finely milled hazelnuts, however, almonds are
also quite common and just about any nut is suitable. The first pralines, however, were a very different affair. They were sugar coated whole nuts, usually almonds. Legend attributes the invention to a ham-fisted apprentice in the 17th century. The story goes that he dropped a bowl of almonds on the kitchen floor and the cook, in trying to thrash him, spilled molten sugar over the almonds. They then served the new concoction to their boss, the Duke of Plessis-Praslin, who liked it so much he gave his name to it!
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Winners
This month’s Prize Draw
Classic Selection
Prize draw winner John Teasdale from York who wins a Truffles Selection. Next month’s prize is a Classic Signature Collection.
LAST ORDERS PLEASE…
Dark Selection
Prize draw winner is Mrs G Russell from Andover who wins a Dark Signature Collection. Next month’s prize is an Extreme Dipping Adventure.
Elements
Selection
Prize draw winner is Mrs G Divers from Dunbarton who wins a Rocky Road Giant Slab. Next month’s prize is a Cookie Choc Chip Giant Slab.
Purist
Selection
Prize draw winner is Miss J Davies from Birmingham who wins a Purist Collection. Next month’s prize is a Rare Collection.
All Milk Selection Prize draw winner is Mrs F Mould from Market Harborough who wins an Exuberantly Fruity Selection.
THE fortified Selection The legendary Fortified Selection is more popular than ever – featuring 28 exclusive chocolates made with an exciting array of alcohols and liqueurs, plus a set of four fascinating Provenance Cards to give you the low down on this season’s chosen alcohols. This latest instalment of our quarterly Fortified Club includes fine Tawny Port that we travelled to Porto to source, Highland Park Truffle, Mojito Cocktail, warming St-Remy Brandy, the exclusive Kaszebe Vodka and much, much more. Each one is brimming with its full quota of alcohol and utterly uncompromising in its approach – available to members for just £16.00 (plus £3.95 P&P). Make sure yours is reserved via Manage My Membership at www.chocs.co.uk/FORTIFIED or call 08444 933 933.
Next month’s prize is a Dipping Adventure.
Don’t forget
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– score by post or online at www.chocs.co.uk and you’ll be automatically entered into this prize draw.
OUR BIGGEST CHRISTMAS COLLECTIONS EVER
Photograph by Tom Mannion
are coming!
Including 38 filled chocolates, 4 solid chocolate Christmas shapes and 2 irresistible mini Yule logs! And there’s one to go under everyone’s tree this year, with 4 versions to choose from – Classic, All Milk, Dark and Elements. Reserve yours now for just £24 (plus £4.95 P&P) at www.chocs.co.uk/christmas or call 08444 933 933
bl e
a
so wfir l e st k d e k n o o w u av t a ! il w ee
d
2n
The first week sold out… But there’s a second tasting club week at
Boucan Hotel! The first Tasting Club takeover week at Boucan has completely sold out – but the good news is that we have managed to grab another! 3rd-10th May 2013 are the dates for our 7-night exclusive Boucan package – including accommodation, meals and an array of activities for every day, many of which will be utterly exclusive for Club members only, but excluding flights. Please note – an 8% Government Tax is not included in the price.
ITINERARY
DAY 2 – SATURDAY • Full Boucan breakfast. • Tasting Club Week Exclusive – specially extended Tree-to-Bar Experience for Club: Morning – Treeto-Bean – grafting, planting own named tree, harvesting, fermenting, drying. • 2-course lunch in Boucan Restaurant. • Afternoon Bean-to-Bar – roasting beans, then making your own chocolate bar and truffles. • Free time – enjoy Club Boucan, explore the estate. • 3-course Cacao Cuisine dinner in Boucan Restaurant – music night.
DAY 1 – FRIDAY • Arrive Saint Lucia PM. • VIP airport transfer to hotel. • Fresh Cacao Bellini or Cacao Martini on arrival. • Tour of Estate grounds. • 3 course Cacao Cuisine dinner in Boucan Restaurant. 6
DAY 3 – SUNDAY • Full Boucan breakfast. • ‘Boucaneer’ West Coast Raiding Party – a full day on the hotel’s fast launch, visiting Pigeon Island and a local lunch. • Dinner – BBQ.
DAY 4 – MONDAY
The Tasting Club Week Package also includes:
• Full Boucan breakfast. • Tasting Club Week Exclusive – learn how to cook Cacao Cuisine lunch with Head Chef, then eat your creation! • A relaxing treatment in the CocoJuvenate spa. • Caribbean Cocktail making followed by… • 3-course Cacao Cuisine dinner in Boucan Restaurant.
• Accommodation in a Lodge with king size four poster bed and open-sky rainforest shower. • US$100 per day beverage credit per couple. • All of the Boucan essential luxuries. • Plus two preserved cocoa pods from the Estate and a Rabot Estate ‘Cocoa Sack’ tote bag to take home!
Dates – 3rd to 10th May 2013
DAY 5 – TUESDAY • Full Boucan breakfast. • Tasting Club Week Exclusive – Engaged Ethics/Island Grower Tour, Cocoa Safari with packed lunch. • Tasting Club Week Exclusive – Caribbean rum and chocolate pairing session. • 3-course Cacao Cuisine dinner in Boucan.
Price per couple £2000 – (not including 8% Government tax)
DAY 6 – WEDNESDAY
Boucan is a boutique hotel with just 14 rooms – please call the Reservation Team on 0844 544 1272 as soon as possible to reserve your room!
This is an opportunity like no other to experience Boucan’s unique blend of luxurious plantationchic and stunning natural beauty, to explore Rabot Estate and discover cocoa like never before.
• Full Boucan breakfast. • Free time – to enjoy any of the additional activities available at Boucan (not included in package) – boat trips, day on the beach, Diamond Falls, shopping, sulphur springs, Piton climb, or simply relax by the pool! • 2-course lunch in Boucan Restaurant. • 3-course Cacao Cuisine dinner in Boucan Restaurant.
See www.thehotelchocolat.com for more about Boucan Hotel.
DAY 7 – THURSDAY • Free day. • Full Boucan breakfast. • 2 course lunch in Boucan Restaurant. • 3 course Cacao Cuisine dinner in Boucan Restaurant.
DAY 8 – FRIDAY • Full Boucan breakfast. • Depart.
DON’T JUST TAKE OUR WORD FOR IT! There has never been a better time for Club members to discover true bliss among the rainforest and sun dappled cocoa groves of Boucan Hotel. Already the hotel features on two of the year’s most prestigious ‘Hot Lists’ – Condé Nast Traveler’s Hot List and the Travel + Leisure It List. And if you’d like to hear what guests have said, then why not take a look online at Tripadvisor.com – 56 hotel reviews & 145 restaurant reviews already! Itinerary is suggested and subject to change – but all elements will be included. This package can only be booked directly with the hotel (www.thehotelchocolat.com, reservations@thehotelchocolat.com, 0844 544 1272). Package is based on 2 people sharing and includes accommodation, meals as listed, drinks allowance, activities as listed – extras can be booked/paid for at hotel. Package does not include flights. Package does not include 8% Government Tax. Package is valid for the week 3rd–10th May 2013. Holidays must be booked and deposit paid by 30th November 2012.
Flights daily from London GATWICK
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cover story – continued
Back to
“
Osuben
There were some really big eyes when he opened the box of chocolates and they formed an orderly queue, at least to begin with, and then they all dived in!
Both looked to be in good condition, but you could see that they were working vehicles and they’ve been put to good use! It looks like a major overhaul will be needed on the motorbike due to the suspension – which is only to be expected given the very poor condition of the roads. The truck was scratched and scarred a little bit, our decals proclaiming the Green Tropics Group (GTG) and Chocolate Tasting Club emblems were a bit tatty, but intact. Again, the truck clearly wouldn’t be doing its job if it had remained in pristine condition. The farmers’ centre, where our main nursery is based, was relatively unchanged and farm manager David’s children were as lively as ever. Club Director, Terry, had brought chocolate along again this year, in larger bars for David and the adults to share, and, as a special treat, a Classic Tasting Box, which was to be shared by the children only. There were some really big eyes when he opened the box of chocolates and they formed an orderly queue, at least to begin with, and then they all dived in! It was only as they were diving in that Terry realised that there one or two recipes with alcohol in them, but he managed to grab them and no harm done – thankfully there was no shortage of adults willing to try the alcohol ones! Meeting the Chief of Osuben and the village Elders was a great occasion and then we all walked through the village to view the different sites being proposed for the medical centre, which had been offered by three different village families. Whilst it was fairly obvious
”
which was the best option, it was decided that the Chief and his Elders would consider the matter for several days and then debate the issue. Even as an outsider, Terry could see that this was merely being polite to the two families whose offer would be declined, but it served as a reminder of what a polite society our Osuben farmers are. During the walkabout Terry also had the opportunity of walking over a small gully with a ‘plank bridge’. Not an unusual occurrence in Osuben, but there was plenty of laughter from the farmers who had accompanied Terry on his previous visit and his last encounter with a ‘plank bridge’ – when Terry had fallen off the bridge and into the swamp below. Thankfully this time he crossed without incident… There was yet more laughter earlier in the day when the group had hesitated to drive north from Osuben, due to the state of the road. An old truck with half a dozen young farmers had stopped to offer them a lift in the back, to which Terry responded by pointing to his backside and making a grimace to indicate that it would be rather uncomfortable. They howled with laughter as they drove on. Those two events made Terry reflect on just how quick the Ghanaians we meet are to see the funny side of things and fundamentally what happy people they are and how important it is that we help them in a way that is commensurate with their lifestyle. We think that, by getting involved at the grass roots, we are doing just that.
From top left: The “road” north from Osuben; Terry walks the plank; the motorbike, bought by members’ donations, still looking good; big eyes at the first Club Tasting box ever seen in Osuben; return to the Farmers’ Centre; the offer of a lift in the back of the truck was politely declined; north end of Osuben village, mud brick houses with overhead power cables make an interesting contrast; David the Farm Centre manager shows Terry the results of recent pollination; Adam inspects a seedling.
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scores
Classic Selection – D151 No. Chocolate Name
10/10
Average
1
Lemon Meringue Pie
Chocolatier E Desmet
31%
8.4
2
Twice
R Macfadyen
28%
8.5
3
Soft Caramel
K Kalenko
27%
8.4
4
Dizzy Praline
G Pereira
27%
8.5
5
Café au Crisp
R Macfadyen
27%
8.3
10/10
Average
Lemon Meringue Pie
DARK Selection – K84 No. Chocolate Name
Chocolatier
1
Chartreuse Truffle
O Nicod
32%
8.0
2
Apple Brandy Marzipan
M Meier
28%
8.2
3
Time for Bed
V Womble & G Pereira
27%
7.9
4
Café au Crisp
R Macfadyen
26%
7.9
5
Twice
R Macfadyen
26%
8.2
10/10
Average
Chartreuse Truffle
Elements Selection – S62 No. Chocolate Name
Chocolatier
1
Salted Caramel Swirl
The Tasting Club
43%
8.5
2
Twice
R Macfadyen
39%
8.3
3
Time for Bed
V Womble & G Pereira
31%
8.2
4
Passion Fruit & Custard Slab
The Tasting Club
25%
7.7
5
Almond & Cashew Cluster
T & R Gysi
21%
7.9
Chocolatier
10/10
Average 8.1
Salted Caramel Swirl
purist Selection – p16 No. Chocolate Name 1
66% Madagascan Dark with Coffee
The Tasting Club
40%
2
64% Dark with Feuilletine Bûche
R Macfadyen
40%
7.8
3
70% Dark Chocolate
The Tasting Club
33%
8.6
4
Oropucce Praline
K Kalenko
33%
8.4
5
85% Ghanaian Dark Orangettes
The Tasting Club
17%
8.4
10/10
Average
66% Madagascan Dark with Coffee
ALL MILk Selection – M06 No. Chocolate Name
10
Chocolatier
1
Dizzy Praline
G Pereira
36%
8.3
2
Twice
R Macfadyen
35%
8.3
3
Berry Mousse
K Kalenko
34%
8.3
4
Time for Bed
V Womble & G Pereira
34%
8.1
5
Almond & Cashew Cluster
T & R Gysi
33%
8.1
Dizzy Praline
feedback
Your Tasting Comments! Lemon Meringue Pie – Classic Wow! What a pleasure to put this morsel in your mouth and be transported to a delightful, joyous place. Lauren Seymour, Farnham
Bouquet
Bouquet Twice – Classic I loved this and PS – I don’t like the bar that it is based on! Great idea to reinvent favourites giving them the HC twist. Amanda McKenzie, Aberdeenshire Bouquet Time for Bed – Dark Dr Womble must be a doctor of chocolate for devising this fantastic chocolate. Lynn Eaton, Doncaster
Chartreuse Truffle – Classic I probably just don’t like the taste of chartreuse. Jessica Allen, Sheffield Passion Fruit & Custard – Elements It was everything it said it was. Custard lovely, passion fruit superb, a real treat. We loved this bit of passion! June Davis, Pontyclun
Brickbat
Bouquet
Salt & Pepper – Dark Brickbat My wife wanted to give these 10 but I thought they were disgusting! My vote has prevailed as hers did for the marzipan one. Tim Stockil, Great Missenden
IN THE POSTBAG… Dear Simon and all behind the ‘Club Tasting Week’ at Boucan Hotel I have been a member of the Tasting Club for a number of years now and the monthly tasting selections have always been rather special. Each and every box has been shared with my husband and we have always enjoyed the same chocolate at the same time and discussed our thoughts about them. It may seem a small thing (and I’m sure we are not alone in sharing these boxes in this way!) but as parents of three small children the boxes have allowed us a little bit of shared ‘grown up’ time, something we have kept for ourselves. So when our 10th wedding anniversary came round and I was desperately looking for an opportunity to
have a proper getaway (one which included relaxation and didn’t include children) can you imagine my delight to open the newsletter and read about the club tasting week at the Boucan Hotel. What a perfect opportunity and what perfect timing! We’ve booked our place and are both looking forward to our visit and all the exciting experiences it includes. Thank you for the idea and for an experience which I have no doubt will be an experience of a lifetime! Yours sincerely, Sarah Simpson
Don’t forget – if we publish your letter you’ll receive your next tasting box FREE! Write to simon@hotelchocolat.co.uk or The Chocolate Tasting Club, Mint House, Royston, SG8 5HL
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CHOCOLATE FROM
Morning to Midnight
our exclusive recipe book is back for Christmas!
Last year we updated and expanded our exclusive chocolate recipe book and now it’s back for the Christmas season – full of gorgeous recipes from some of the world’s most respected chefs and food writers You know as well as we do that the best time to enjoy chocolate is any time at all! Which is exactly why we created this definitive guide, that will steer you through all of our best-loved chocolate recipes – taking you from dawn to dusk, morning to midnight and beyond. Some of the world’s most respected chefs and food writers have given us their best chocolate recipes and their personal favourites to create an updated and greatly extended new edition of our best selling 101 Best Loved Chocolate Recipes. You’ll also find some of our favourite Cacao Cuisine recipes – never-seen-before exclusives that have been specially created just for Boucan Restaurant on Saint Lucia.
Entitled Morning to Midnight, it will do just that – with exciting recipes, both sweet and savoury, to take you from breakfast and elevenses and on to lunch, then cocktails, dinner and off to bed. Perfect as an original Christmas gift for chocolate lovers!
AVAILABLE now Available for members only at the special price of £19.95 (including delivery). Stock is limited – so please order as soon as you can at www.chocs.co.uk/membersonly
news
CHOCOLATE 1 Coffee 0 You just can’t beat the aromas of freshly brewed coffee to set your taste buds going in the morning. And it turns out that aromas are very much the operative word here…
I
f you think that, having smelled those gorgeous coffee aromas, the taste is actually a bit of a let down in comparison, then you’d be right. We actually have two senses of smell – one for inhaled scents and the other for exhaled scents. Professor Barry Smith of the University of London explains, “The phenomenon is down to the fact that, although we have sensors on our tongue, 80% of what we think of as taste actually reaches us through smell receptors in our nose. The receptors, which relay messages to our brain, react to odours differently depending on which direction they are moving in. “Think of a smelly cheese like Epoisses. It smells like the inside of a teenager’s training shoe. But once it’s in your mouth, and you are experiencing the odour through the nose in the other direction, it is delicious. Then there is the example of when they don’t match in the
other direction. The smell of freshly brewed coffee is absolutely wonderful, but aren’t you always just a little bit disappointed when you taste it? It can never quite give you that hit.” Apparently, only two known aromas are just as good experienced on the way in as they are on the way out – chocolate and lavender. Which probably explains why chocolate is such a universally loved foodstuff, because the expectations raised when we smell chocolate perfectly match the flavours we experience once we’re eating it. It’s perfect satisfaction. Taste and smell interact in other ways too – for example, the aroma of vanilla makes things taste sweeter than they are. That’s to say, chocolate with a vanilla aroma will taste sweeter than the same chocolate without the vanilla scent. Perhaps that’s why vanilla came to be an integral part of chocolate recipes in the first place? 13
and finally
Excellence Goes Stateside One of the highlights of our chocolate tasting year is the annual Excellence Collection, which brings together the very best of the best of the past 12 months.
A
nd now it’s not just for British members, as our American tasters have asked to get in on the action and we were more than happy to oblige. Here in Britain members receive their Excellence box in October – a time chosen because the chilly months of autumn make it one of the perfect seasons for chocolate and it falls nicely between summer and Christmas. And it’s the same story in the US, who also have the additional
benefit of it being the beginning of their holiday season, so there’s plenty to celebrate as Thanksgiving occurs on the third Thursday of November and the Colonists usually take off the Friday as well! This year we’ll be sending over three versions of Excellence to the US – Classic, Dark and Elements. We look forward to hearing how they get along and what our American cousins think of British Excellence.
HELLO ABERDEEN!
Last year Hotel Chocolat opened its first Scottish store in the beautiful capital city of Edinburgh – and it has had such a warm welcome that a second is now opening in Aberdeen in September 2012.
T
ranslated as ‘between the Dee and the Don’, the two rivers that border Aberdeen, it is Scotland’s 3rd largest city and an area that has been settled for thousands of years. Thanks to the predominance of granite, it’s known as the Grey City and thanks to North Sea oil, it’s also known as the oil capital of Europe. You’ll find Hotel Chocolat in the Union Square shopping centre, which opened in 2009 right next to Aberdeen station. All of the shops in Union Square have been the first in the city – it is the aim of the shopping centre to attract new brands to the city. And Hotel Chocolat will be the next, open at the end of September! 14
Marischal College is the second largest granite building in the world and one of Aberdeen’s most striking landmarks
Competition Result
Competition
s lt u s
Re
Club Director, Terry, is known to be fond of telling the odd joke or two and it was during one such recent occurrence that we hit upon a great idea for our next competition – we would ask Club members for their favourite chocolate-themed joke.
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nd what a fantastic response we have had! Some raised a smile, some made us chuckle and some made us laugh out loud. There were even one or two that made us blush and which we unfortunately cannot share with you… Here then are those that caught our eye – three highly commended jokes, as well as a runner-up and our grand winner. Thank you all for your contributions!
An elderly man was lying on his deathbed when he detected a strong smell of chocolate. Mustering up his last bit of energy, he followed the smell to the kitchen where he saw hundreds of his favourite truffles on the table. As he reached for one he felt a heavy blow on his hand as his wife said to him, “Leave those alone, they’re for after the funeral.”
HIGHLY COMMENDED
Question: Why was Mr Chocolate upset with Mrs Chocolate?
A man found a bottle on the beach. He opened it and out popped a genie, who gave the man three wishes. The man first wished for a million dollars, and whoosh, there was a million dollars! Then he wished for a convertible, and whoosh, there was a convertible! And finally, he wished he could be irresistible to all women, and whoosh, he turned into a box of chocolates!
Clive Whiston
Answer: Because he had a bad ‘temper’. Natalie Tate
RUNNER-UP Question: What do you call a chocolatier who swindles his customers? Answer: A conch artist. Bryony Harrison
Marie Thompson
THE GRAND WINNER
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Lisa said to her friend Janice, “I’ve heard that you took lessons from a chocolatier and now you make your own pralines… Is that right, Jan, do ya?
”
Congratulations to all mentioned. Winner Rachel Jackson wins the luxury Signature Collection, runner-up Bryony Harrison the regular size and our three commended contributors Natalie Tate, Clive Whitson and Marie Thompson the small, compliments of Hotel Chocolat 15
Last orders for Halloween delivery : 30th October at 6pm hotelchocolat.co.uk Tel: 08444 93 13 13
Beate Sonnenberg
From our limited edition, chocolate-filled casket to little gifts to ward off the trick-or-treaters – make sure you’re ready for the scariest night of all.
PHOTOGRAPH BY
DEAD Gorgeous...