The POD Issue 2

I S SU E # 2

N E WS & R E V IE WS ST R A IGH T FROM T H E CONCH

MEET THE MAN BEHIND THE MENU Hotel Chocolat’s chef Jon Bentham, creator of our cocoa-centric cuisine, arrives at our new Leeds restaurant with all guns blazing. p8

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

THE TASTING CLUB SUBSCRIPTION

Available in store or online at hotelchocolat.co.uk/subscriptions 3-month – £50

6-month – £100

12-month – £195

PHOTOGRAPH BY

Become a member of a very special club

Steve Bond

FOR SOMEONE SPECIAL

CONTENTS FEATURES 4 STRAIGHT FROM THE CONCH Our co-founder Angus Thirlwell finds himself cooking hot chocolate in his hotel room in Hong Kong. Plus our Top Picks to see and do this month.

5 CREATE A CHOCOLATE Why shouldn’t you have a go? Our Create a Chocolate competition is back, exclusive to Tasting Club members.

6 FOOD & DRINK Adam Geileskey reveals the secret of our Champagne Truffle. Plus: two fabulous recipes to make this weekend.

8 HIS NIBS “Don’t we have any toothpicks?” Meet Hotel Chocolat’s remarkable executive chef, Jon Bentham.

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

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

Page 4

14 THE CHOCOLATE TASTING CLUB Send us your idea for the Create a Chocolate competition. Plus, scores and comments from last month’s selections.

7 LIVING IN A BOX Mr Penguin isn’t happy. Our editor Iain Ball explains why.

EDITOR’S NOTE

Page 8

It’s no surprise that the world’s greatest chefs tend to be the quirkiest. Hotel Chocolat’s Executive Chef Jon Bentham decided to become a cook because he wanted to travel. “A tomato is a tomato everywhere in the world,” he shrugs.

Jon became a legend in the British restaurant scene before disappearing to Saint Lucia, where he got married and embraced the local culture and cuisine as his own. And became a pig farmer.

Ten years later, and he’s back in the UK, bringing his exceptional talent to the kitchens of our new cocoa cuisine restaurants. You don’t want to miss the result.

Meet Jon in this issue’s main story, and please do follow us online at hotelchocolat.com/thepod

Page 12

Iain Ball, Editor

With thanks to this month’s contributors: MEGAN ROBERTS

ALEX HARE

ADAM GEILESKEY

PR Manager

Assistant Editor

Head of Chocolate Development

When Megan’s not diving headfirst into the latest media splash, planning press launches and delivering a steady stream of Hotel Chocolat press coverage, she can usually be found munching on an 85% dark chocolate baton. This month she’ll also be flipping pancakes.

Alex joined Hotel Chocolat last August. Her bright red hair, penchant for salted caramel and peanut butter, and a battered Ford Fiesta came with her. She now has to taste every single chocolate to write your Tasting Club menus. Someone has to do it!

From the creation of our first filled chocolate to the start of our Bean to Bar experience and Cocoa Cuisine, Adam has been driving our quest for “Cocoa Excellence”.

Most proud of: Making Cocoa Beer with his local micro-brewery.

PRODUCTION: Editor: Iain Ball Creative Director: Timbo Rennie Assistant Editor: Alexandra Hare Senior Designer: Andy Linney Designer: Sarah Mckewan Designer: Louise Daniels Club Co-ordinator: Matt Jordan Photography & Video Content Creation: Daniel Hills CONTRIBUTORS: CEO Hotel Chocolat: Angus Thirlwell Managing Director CTC: Terry Waters Head of Marketing: Melissa Shackelton US General Manager: George Saul Nordic General Manager: Christer Oxenholt Head of Guest Relations Saint Lucia: Judy Buckley PR Manager: Megan Roberts Head of Buying & Merchandising: Simon Shutt Head of Purchasing: Matt Dickens Head of Chocolat Development: Adam Geileskey Head of Concept: Rachel Hillel Head of Operations: Andy Jones Head of International: Roger Williams

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

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STRAIGHT FROM THE CONCH

HONG KONG CHOCOLATE WARS

also a showcase for the entire region. When we arrive, we’ll be up against a whole host of other players both big and small: Godiva is well entrenched, representing the big and blowsy Belgian school of chocolate with a traditional ‘bows & ballotins’ look – and frighteningly expensive compared to European prices.

Angus Thirlwell prepares for bar-to-bar combat Here’s some advice: if you ever plan to launch your chocolate company in Hong Kong, be prepared to do a lot of cooking.

I thought my days of whipping up Chilli Drinking Chocolate on a hob in my hotel bedroom were over until I found myself in Asia’s financial capital recently, making a whopping three litres of it first thing in the morning.

The Parisians have made a move too, with Pierre Hermé, Agnès B and Jean-Paul Hévin showcasing the classic small, intense ganaches and macaroons of the French school.

The Japanese are represented by Royce, offering a creamy milk chocolate with lots of individual wrappings going on.

Then there’s Yoku Moku on the biscuit front, and Awfully Chocolate from Singapore are doing a nice line in uncompromisingly simple chocolate cakes and truffles.

There’s even See’s Candies from the American mid-West – an unlikely spotting, with homespun, old-school chocolates.

Meanwhile, my colleague Roger Williams, the head of Hotel Chocolat’s international development, was busy next door, delicately assembling the best-looking smoked salmon and white chocolate canapés he could muster.

Hotel Chocolat will enter the fray with our contemporary British style later in 2014. Watch this space!

Our plan: To introduce Hong Kong’s key retail landlords to some of our favourite delights, in what is the very first step in Hotel Chocolat’s expansion into Asia.

Taking chocolates to Hong Kong? Here’s what locals like:

In the realm of chocolate, Hong Kong is one of the world’s most intensive and competitive markets in the world; it’s

HONG KONG TASTES: LIKES: Mellow and milky but not too sweet; pralines; strong cocoa.

DISLIKES: Tangy fruits! (No Sour Cherry Truffles then).

TOP PICKS

THINGS TO DO, PLACES TO GO, PEOPLE TO SEE

PAMPER HER THIS MOTHER’S DAY Treat Mum to a luxury ribbon-tied hamper full of gifts you picked out specially for her, with everything from our special chocolate selections to Cocoa Juvenate beauty gifts. Don’t forget – it’s March 30th! hotelchocolat.com

PIÑA COLLIDER Enough to make your head spin, for both grown-ups and kids alike: Step inside the world’s greatest science experiment at a major new exhibition on the Large Hadron Collider at the Science Museum in London. Runs until 6th May. sciencemuseum.org.uk

SWIRL, SNIFF, SLURP. REPEAT! Oz Clarke, one of Britain’s best-loved wine writers is coming to Vinopolis. Learn the art of quaffing from an expert with a selection of his favourites in a special wine tasting session. Bank End, London Bridge, March 1st. vinopolis.co.uk

GO FLIPPING FABULOUS This March 4th is Pancake Day! Smother yours with a generous smudge of our irresistible Salted Caramel and Pecan Chocolate Spread.

It’s even better than maple syrup. hotelchocolat.com/ cocoacuisine

SHUTL IT! Remember that time you forgot Valentine’s Day? If you need to give a gift pronto, our same-day courier service Shutl guarantees delivery within 90 minutes, or in a designated 1-hour time slot of your choice.

Just select it when you buy online. Phew!

(P.S. It’s February 14th). hotelchocolat.com

hotelchocolat.com/thepod

CREATE YOUR OWN CHOCOLATE Discover your inner chocolatier If you were a chocolate, what flavour would you be?

dried strawberry, or whatever you like.

Finally, give it an inventive name.

Here’s your chance to show us what you’re made of. We’re very excited to announce the return of the ultimate competition for chocolate lovers – the Create a Chocolate Competition.

Our co-founder Angus Thirlwell will judge the entries and choose the 6 winning recipes. Each one will be made by our chocolatiers and star in the Tasting Club’s monthly selections to be tasted and scored by other members. Each winner will receive a 5kg case of their own creation, containing at least 200 chocolates to show off to friends and family (and maybe share a few as well!).

Open exclusively to members of our Tasting Club, this is a unique opportunity to indulge your creative side. Dream up a recipe for your ultimate chocolate, using any ingredients you like: milk, dark, white chocolate, truffles, pralines, feuilletine, caramels, nuts, fruits, nibs, solid chocolate slabs… if you can imagine it, we might be able to make it.

First, describe your filling, which could have up to three different layers. Then tell us what kind chocolate and mould you’d put it in. You could even give it a fancy decoration – a yellow swirl, or pieces of

Ten-year-old Francesca Piper won our last Create a Chocolate competition with her idea for a Gooey Guava – a white chocolate shell with a guava truffle centre. It inspired her Devon primary school to run its own competition to raise money for our Ghana medical fund. We loved their Chocolate Volcano idea and its red caramel ‘lava’ so much we decided to make that too!

HOW TO ENTER To send in your recipe and design, just fill out the form on page 14 and post it in, or scan it and email it to us at thepod@ hotelchocolat.com. Entries close on April 4th 2014, and winners will be notified by July 4th.

Find out more about our Tasting Club at chocs.co.uk

JOIN A TASTING EVENT There are Chocolate Tasting Adventures happening in our stores and restaurants nationwide throughout February and beyond. Perfect for a Valentine’s Day out. Book yourself in at hotelchocolat.com/tastingevents BOOK OF THE YEAR 2013 “It’s the most marvelous discovery for anyone who loves literature” – Ian McEwan. Fortyeight years after its quiet publication in the US, Stoner by John Williams is finally finding the wide and devoted readership it deserves. Have you read it yet?

EVEN KIDS CAN DO IT

MADE IN LONDON The line between art and fashion blurs like never before with this new exhibition at the Museum of London: Jewellery Now. Find out about seven incredible designers, their creative processes and often eccentric inspirations. Until 27th April 2014. museumoflondon.org.uk

BEAT THE WINTER BLUES Don’t let the chilly weather drag you down. Our new cocoa cuisine special set menus harness the uplifting power of cocoa to give you the perfect winter pickme-up. Available at Rabot 1745 in London and Roast+Conch, Leeds. Book online at hotelchocolat.com/menus THE BIG BOAT RACE Watch the world race down the Thames. Over 400 crews of eight from across the UK and the rest of the world row The Head of the River Race, London’s annual race from Mortlake to Putney. Take to the banks and cheer them on. March 29th. horr.co.uk

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FOOD & DRINK

THE CHOCOLATIER’S TALE THE CHAMPAGNE TRUFFLE Adam Geileskey

“It might shock you to hear that most champagne truffles aren’t actually made with champagne.

GLAZED KING PRAWNS WITH CREOLE CHUTNEY Juicy prawns marinated in Creole chutney, cocoa and chilli oil, and white chocolate horseradish – perfect with warm crusty bread.

Serves: 4 Difficulty: Surprisingly simple Preparation time: 15 minutes, plus marinating Cooking time: 4 minutes

COCOA GIN MARTINI A uniquely cool and refreshing gin and orange cocktail kissed with notes of spicy cocoa, macadamia nut and a twist of orange zest.

Preparation: 5 minutes Serves 1 INGREDIENTS 5 tbsp Hotel Chocolat Cocoa Gin 1 tsp fresh orange juice

INGREDIENTS

A handful of ice cubes

300g/10½oz Hotel Chocolat Creole Chutney, plus extra for brushing and to serve 4 tbsp clear honey

A twist of orange zest (rind), to serve

1 tbsp Hotel Chocolat White Chocolate Horseradish

METHOD

1 tsp English mustard powder

Put the gin, orange juice and ice in a cocktail shaker.

4 tbsp Hotel Chocolat Cocoa & Chilli Finishing Oil 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves ¼ tsp chilli powder 1.1kg/2lb 7oz large raw king prawns, shelled & de-veined Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper METHOD

1. M ix together the chutney, honey, white chocolate horseradish, mustard, cocoa & chilli finishing oil, thyme and chilli powder in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper, add the prawns and turn until coated in the marinade. Cover and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

2. P reheat the grill to high. Place the prawns in a single layer in a foil-lined grill pan. Grill 5cm/2in below the heat for 2 minutes on each side until cooked and golden.

3. Remove from the grill and brush the warm prawns with a little extra chutney. Serve with salad, crusty bread and a bowl of chutney for dipping.

Watch this recipe being created online at hotelchocolat.com/recipes

I remember feeling a bit cheated when I first discovered that many chocolatiers make them instead with Marc de Champagne, a kind of brandy made from the skins, pulp, stalks and seeds of Champagne grapes after the first pressing. This is done because the Marc’s higher alcohol content preserves the longevity of the truffle.

But we wanted true Champagne truffles, with the flavour of real Champagne. So we added Mercier, France’s most popular bubbly, and added a dash of neutral eau de vie.

This preserves the truffle and its very soft texture without disturbing the flavour of the Mercier, which has a delicate crispness and fabulous floral notes.”

Shake and pour the cocktail through a strainer into a Martini glass.

Finish with a twist of orange.

Watch this recipe being created online at hotelchocolat.com/recipes Classic Champagne Truffle Find them at hotelchocolat.com

FOR THE SHOPPING LIST...

Creole Chutney Sunshine in a jar.

Rich tomato, sweet onion, hot chilli and roast cocoa nibs – an original recipe inspired by our Rabot Estate kitchen garden.

Cocoa Gin An original, crisp and refreshing English dry gin infused with a spicy kiss of cocoa and macadamia nut, made in small batches.

£8 hotelchocolat.com

£15 hotelchocolat.com

hotelchocolat.com/thepod

LIVING in a

Mr Penguin doesn’t look happy.

It’s hard to be sure, as Mr Penguin is made mostly out of rubber.

But from the way he’s staring off down the beach, flippers hanging sadly by his sides, he looks like a penguin lost in a deep, silent hurt of the kind that only chronically unemployed actors in animal costumes can understand.

I squint inside his mouth and find a pair of small, blinking eyes.

“How are you, Mr Penguin?” I ask chirpily.

His reply is muffled by the suit and the bloodcurdling shrieks of the long line of kids waiting to beat the living daylights out of him.

“What was that?” I lean a bit closer to the small grill in his neck that lets him breathe.

“I said,” growls Mr Penguin, “I can’t do this any more!”

Eastbourne, 2003: I’ve been trying to make some extra money with some odd marketing jobs. After being the back end of a pantomime cow for a new ice cream and eating breakfast cereal for three days non-stop on the Tube, I’m now a roadie, roaming the beaches of England’s south coast to promote a new ‘chocolate-flavoured’ biscuit for kids.

The concept: Blow up a big paddling pool with two perches. Put a little kid on one side, an actor in an animal suit on the other, give them a pair of stuffed plastic mallets and let combat commence. The loser tumbles into the pool, and the winner skips off down the beach with a packet of biscuits.

Funnily enough, the kids tend to win.

We have three actors in the starring roles: Mr Dolphin, Mr Turtle and Mr Penguin. Right away, it’s clear that the kids have a favourite. Ask them who they want to beat over the head and it’s always: “Mr Penguin!”

BOX

At first, this pleases Mr Penguin, a RADA graduate.

“Don’t ask why they love me,” he tells Mr Turtle, who once appeared in an episode of The Bill.

“It’s a gift.”

“There is a fine line between playful, childish enthusiasm and out-and-out bloodlust” Five days later, Mr Penguin is flipping out.

“I can’t do this!” he gasps. “I played Aston in The Caretaker at the Orange Tree Theatre in Richmond!”

I feel I understand Mr Penguin’s pain. There is a fine line between playful, childish enthusiasm and outand-out bloodlust. But the next pint-sized gladiator is already on the perch, giving his mallet a few practice swings.

“Just do this last one and I’ll get Mr Dolphin to take over for a bit,” I say.

Mr Penguin waddles to his perch like a man climbing the gallows. I hand him his mallet, shout, “Ready?” and blow the whistle.

With a single blow, Mr Penguin sends the kid tumbling into the pool.

To a stunned silence, Mr Penguin climbs down and pulls off his flippers, and then, horrifyingly, his head.

One of the kids starts to cry. He grabs some biscuits from the winners’ basket and starts to munch.

Suddenly, Mr Penguin seems very calm. “Do you want one?” he asks. “I’m not very hungry.”

Chocolate can unleash your animal side, warns Iain Ball

VOX CHOCS COCOA SOUNDBITES FROM PEOPLE WHO SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER

“Went by agreement to Mr Blands and there drank my morning draught in good Chocolate and, slobbering on my collar, sent home for another.”

Samuel Pepys (right), Diarist, May 1664

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PHOTOGRAPH BY

Tom Mannion

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Our menu at Roast+Conch in Leeds combines traditional English and Saint Lucian cooking

hotelchocolat.com/thepod

HIS NIBS They call him the ‘unsung hero’ of modern British cuisine. Meet Chef Jon Bentham, the man behind the menu at Hotel Chocolat’s new cocoa restaurants.

M

eeting Jon Bentham doesn’t start with a hello or a handshake.

It starts with a mousse. “Try that,” he says briskly, handing me a plate.

On it rests a small tower of chilled chocolate mousse, with a chocolate BAFTA mask fixed to the side – a unique dessert Jon has created for guests at the British Academy of Film and Television Awards event in February.

I take a spoonful.

An impossibly smooth mousse settles on my tongue like a supermodel on a sun lounger, filled with a fantastically luscious, meltingly malty caramel and exquisite praline.

How the hell does he do that?

Jon watches my reaction with a kind of half-smile some might accuse of being a bit smug. “It’s 50% Saint Lucian chocolate with hazelnut praline and cocoa beer caramel,” he says casually, straightening a staple to spike a Piedmont hazelnut and dip it in some leftover chocolate. “Haven’t we got any toothpicks?” he calls out to the kitchen at our Covent Garden shop.

Cocoa beer caramel? But Jon has marched off to say goodbye to a chocolatier on his way up to our new Roast+Conch restaurant in Leeds.

Jon announces he’ll be joining him shortly: “Tell the boys I’m coming up with guns blazing!”

Left: Jon Bentham Created the cocoa cuisine menu for our Boucan restaurant in Saint Lucia before returning to the UK

At the age of 52, Jon isn’t exactly the quiet type. His scarred fingers look like over-cooked sausages. He has a craggy, weather-beaten look from 36 years working feverishly over blazing stoves and under tropical suns, during which he has acquired a seemingly inexhaustible supply of anecdotes.

They range from the Isle of Man to Toronto, the Antilles, London, Saint Lucia and Saint-Tropez, often spiced with fruity expletives, ancient battles with tyrannical sous-chefs, and the occasional broken lip from a fridge door slammed in his face.

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To those in the know, Jon Bentham is a legend – an unsung hero of Britain’s culinary revival in the 1990s and a key figure in the kitchens of some of the nation’s finest Michelin-starred restaurants, working for the likes of John Burton-Race, Stephen Bull and Gary Rhodes.

“I learnt so much from Jon, like how to get layers of flavour into food but keep it simple – how to make simple food outstanding” Tom Kerridge, Michelin-starred chef at The Hand and Flowers

Tom Kerridge, who went on to open the The Hand and Flowers in Marlow – the world’s first-ever two Michelin-starred pub – called Jon “the most influential chef in my career”. Jon became Tom’s mentor at Stephen Bull’s restaurant at St Martin’s Lane in the late 1990s.

“I learnt so much from Jon, like how to get layers of flavour into food but keep it simple – how to make simple food outstanding,” Kerridge said.

“He was a phenomenal British chef using great produce and treating it with love and respect. His understanding of food was phenomenal – and not just British, but world food.”

In 2001, Jon decided to quit the London restaurant scene and move to Saint Lucia. “I was getting tired of the long hours… I’d thought of ending my career in the Caribbean,” he says.

But it wasn’t exactly retirement. Once there, he launched the celebrated Jade Mountain restaurant for the Anse Chastanet hotel, and set up his own pig farm in the rainforest, with a grand total of 50 pigs. Finally, in 2010, he joined Hotel Chocolat as Executive Chef. His mission: To help create the menu for Boucan, a new restaurant we were building in the middle of our Rabot Estate plantation.

But it wasn’t going to like anything Jon had ever done before. The soul of the menu would be a single spice: cocoa.

“I’d never eaten a cocoa nib,” says Jon, grinning. “So it was a big challenge.

And I like a big challenge.”

As soon as he tasted his first nib, Jon began to see the possibilities.

“I thought it was like eating a nut,” he recalls. “It was nutty and savoury and quite bitter, and I thought the texture was like a pine nut, which is very adaptable.”

hotelchocolat.com/thepod

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From left to right: Jon created the amazing cocoa-centric menu on offer at Roast+Conch, our beautiful new restaurant in Leeds; downstairs at the Bar Boucan, with its amazing collection of rums; a smoked salmon nib cake, rolled in ‘Leeds cocoa’ nibs roasted at the restaurant, served with a white chocolate horseradish condiment; elegant tables and an elevated leather banquette; the wood-panelled private dining area; the drinks menu features a selection of superb wines from the famous Berry Brothers.

Beautiful typography designed by Si Scott which appears on the menu and interior walls at Leeds

He began to explore combinations with traditional English favourites, using cocoa nibs as a crunchy crust, garnish and marinade for an exotic twist. “Marinate scallops or beef in cocoa nibs and you give it a little bitterness and hint of chocolate that’s uniquely peppery.”

Jon also turned to the local food for inspiration. Saint Lucia’s signature recipes are all about expressing the best flavours from the simplest ingredients, a style of cooking that resonated deeply with Jon’s own values as a chef, cultivated during his time with Stephen Bull.

“Take Fish Head Broth, which dates back to the days when the bosses would get the fish fillets and the workers would only get the heads,” says Jon, getting animated. “Actually, the heads have the softest, most flavoursome meat. And with the ‘grounds provisions’ – the local vegetables, like green figs, darsheen, breadfruit – you can make a fantastic broth. I remember trying it and thinking it was just brilliant.”

After opening, Boucan quickly became a huge success, drawing diners from as far as Miami and New York. We knew we had to bring this unique AngloSaint Lucian menu back to the UK, opening our first in London and then the first Roast+Conch restaurant in Leeds in November last year.

“Our menu in Leeds epitomises this combination of very traditional English and Saint Lucian cooking,” says Jon. “It has the fish head broth, the pepperpot and yardbird – all classics – alongside Yorkshire puddings and scotch eggs, all with a cocoa luxury twist.”

The response to Roast+Conch in Leeds has been hugely enthusiastic, with a 94 per cent recommendation on Toptable.co.uk and glowing reviews.

But Jon is already thinking about new ingredients and recipes, like powdered cocoa shells mixed with creole spice, and poaching fish in stock with cocoa butter and cocoa nibs.

“I was one of the first people bring back the Scotch egg, you know,” says Jon, ready to depart for the next kitchen. “Now I want to bring back Knickerbocker Glories.”

Keeping it local in Leeds We’ve always been proud of laying down roots wherever we go, and Roast+Conch’s arrival in Leeds has given us the opportunity to tap into some of the Yorkshire’s great local talents, ingredients and inspirations.

We were particularly excited to work with Si Scott, a graphic designer born in Leeds, with a studio in Manchester. His instantly recognisable, hand-drawn style is unique in its ability to bring typography to life, and infuse even the most functional words with a creative spirit. You’ll see his work on the menu, and on his dramatic “Plantation to Plate” wall signature, also featured on this month’s cover.

We have also relied on a touch of Northern inspiration when deciding what to serve our guests. You’ll see a Yorkshire Pudding on the starter menu, unique to our Leeds restaurant, with a Hotel Chocolat red wine and cocoa twist.

We also obtained a fantastic gin made by Masons in Bedale, North Yorkshire, for a few of our Fizz cocktails. They even grow their own juniper berries for a truly local character. We also have the local Black Sheep Ale from Masham, with its full-bodied notes of roast coffee, malt and delicate fruits.

Book your table Call us on 01132 442 421 or book online at roastandconch.com. Roast+Conch, 55 Boar Lane, Leeds, LS1 5EL

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COCOA PLANET NEWS FROM AROUND OUR WORLD GHANA Location: Osuben, Kwahu District Growing success in 2013: Our best year for Cocoa Seedlings In 2001, we launched our Engaged Ethics programme in Ghana to assist and support around 2,000 cocoa farming families living in Osuben and nearby villages of the Kwahu District of Eastern Ghana.

Most of these families own small farms, typically around 40 acres, and many have cocoa trees that are 50 years old or older.

As trees age, their cocoa yields – and the farmers’ incomes – decline, so an important part of what we do in Ghana is helping farmers get hybrid, diseaseresistant cocoa seedlings that will grow into trees with high yields.

Above: We trained 12 young local farmers how to plant and cultivate new seedlings.

farmers at a low, subsidised price, and provides them with regular technical help to give them the best chance of producing healthy trees.

We recently added up the numbers and discovered that 2013 was one of our best years yet for cocoa growing. Our main nursery at Osuben and our nine satellite nurseries around the district sold a total of 158,694 seedlings, and over 97 per cent had survived the grafting – a fantastic success rate.

Our new nursery at Demusikon raised and sold over 28,000 seedlings. It’s on the new main road to town of Nkawkaw, the capital of Kwahu West, and so many farmers use this road it’s known as the ‘Cocoa Highway’, so our nursery has become the equivalent of an out-of-town shopping centre for cocoa farmers.

Working with the Green Tropics Group, our partner NGO in Ghana, we set up a nursery in Osuben to create high-quality hybrid seedlings, made by delicately grafting Watch this space and we’ll keep you posted with more details of what we’re a selected cocoa cutting onto standard up to in Ghana. root stock. GTG then sells these to local

JOIN OUR GHANA APPEAL: We’re building a medical centre for the cocoa-farming community of Osuben, and you can help.

How you can help: We still need nearly £7,000 to complete the centre.

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:

£ 3 8,4 4 6 TARGET: £45,000

SAINT LUCIA Location: Rabot Estate Stay at our Boucan Hotel and enjoy an amazing 40% discount, from 8th-15th June 2014 This June, we invite you to come spend a very special week with us at Boucan – our ‘barefoot luxury’ hotel in our beautiful cocoa estate in Saint Lucia.

Boucan is the hotel at the heart of Hotel Chocolat, sheltered beneath the stunning grandeur of the Piton sea-mountains in a UNESCO World Heritage Site of outstanding natural beauty, shaded by the rainforest and the lingering scents of our cocoa groves.

For just one week in 2014, we’re offering an amazing stay filled with unique experiences:

• Full board accommodation with breakfast, a two-course lunch and three-course à la carte dinner every day

From 8th-15th June 2014, you experience all this for just £3,300 for a Luxe Lodge and £2,600 for a Lodge, not including flights and alcoholic drinks.

• Our famous Tree to Bar Experience, learning all about cocoa, from growing to harvesting to making your very own chocolate bar

And there’s a special extra for Chocolate Tasting Club members: a hamper full of fabulous Cocoa Cuisine and Cocoa Juvenate products.

• Cocoa-inspired cocktail making

Find out more and make your booking at hotelchocolat.com/boucanoffer

• A rum and chocolate pairing session • A boat tour to the fabulous Pigeon Island • A BBQ night • A free Cocoa Juvenate spa treatment for everyone • Learn about our ethical trading partnership with local farmers • Free airport transfers

Right: A shot of one of the stunning Piton mountains in Saint Lucia

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RESERVE NOW

hotelchocolat.com/thepod

UK

RESERVE YOUR EASTER FEAST Exclusive to Chocolate Tasting Club members – our very special Easter Selection! Take your pick from our Classic, All Dark and All Milk collections of delicious Egglets.

Reserve your selection now or find out more about our Chocolate Tasting Club at chocs.co.uk

Location: All of the UK

CHOCOLATE BONDS

It sounds radical, but it worked. We were amazed and delighted at our people’s enthusiasm for our Chocolate Bond, which raised nearly £4.2 million. This support made it possible to expand our business both in the UK and Saint Lucia, create new skilled jobs at home, invest in training our staff and upgrade with state-of-theart equipment.

When our bondholders had the opportunity to redeem their bonds, less than 5% chose to let go of them – a sure sign of the confidence they have in our chocolate and in a British company they can feel proud of.

EXPERIENCE

Coming Soon: Our new Chocolate Bond Four years ago we launched our first Chocolate Bond. The idea: why borrow money from big banks when we can ask the people who love our chocolate to support us? And in return, we’ll pay you interest in... fabulous chocolate.

Later in February, we’ll be launching our second Chocolate Bond, open to both members of our Chocolate Tasting Club and all guests of Hotel Chocolat.

If you’d like to find out more, send us your name and address and we’ll send you a Bond Invitation Document. Just email us at: thepod@hotelchocolat.com

A COCOA JOURNEY WITH CHEF JON

AUSTRALIA Location: Almost everywhere Did you know that you can now find Hotel Chocolat in 32 David Jones stores across Australia?

From Sydney to Melbourne, Brisbane to Perth; you can find a fabulous selection of Sleeksters, Champagne Truffles, Rabot 1745 bars, cocoa cuisine nibbles and plenty more treats to try.

We’ve had a fantastic welcome so far, with a few reviewers getting so excited about our chocolates that their compliments made us blush (not least, “a chocolate orgasm in a box”). So the next time you find yourself on the other side of the world and in need of a British cocoa hit – or for the perfect homegrown gift for family and friends – pop into the local David Jones to find us.

For a full store listing, visit: davidjones.com.au

Above: Our chocolates in David Jones stores

SAINT LUCIA

On February 27th and March 27th, join our Executive Chef Jon Bentham at Cactus Kitchens in London to learn the art of the chocolatier. Create your own chocolate with Saint Lucian cocoa, then enjoy a four-course Anglo Saint-Lucian lunch with cocoa used as a superb spice. Book now at hotelchocolat.com/cactuskitchen

GOOD NEWS IN SAINT LUCIA We received a pat on the back about our new restaurants from the Saint Lucian Tourist Board recently, when Director Jean-Marc Flambert announced: “Hotel Chocolat’s new restaurants enable UK residents to get a taste of Saint Lucia and also understand the history and culture of this beautiful island. The work that Hotel Chocolat has put into this will increase guests’ desire to visit – boosting tourism, which is vital to Saint Lucia’s economy.

Great work Hotel Chocolat.”

We couldn’t be happier to help!

QUICK SNAPS CONTENT SECTION HERE

THE POD

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TASTING CLUB REVIEWS Create A Chocolate Competition Entry Form

Sketch your chocolate here:

How to enter: Just complete your details and those of your chocolate using this entry form, then send to the address below. Alternatively email your entry to thepod@hotelchocolat.co.uk. You can also download a copy of this form at chocs.co.uk/createform.

Name Member no or postcode Telephone no.

Email address Name of chocolate Describe the filling of your chocolate

Describe the shell and decoration of your chocolate

Send your entry to Create a Chocolate Competition, Mint House, Royston, SG8 5HL. For terms and conditions please see chocs.co.uk/createachoc

CLASSIC SELECTION D168 No. Chocolate Name

Chocolatier

Cut along dotted line

DARK SELECTION K101 10/10

Average

No. Chocolate Name

Chocolatier

10/10

Average

22%

8.1

1

Blackberry Truffle

Kiri Kalenko

24%

8.5

1

Sugar, Spice & All Things Nice

Felicity Plimmer & Celestine Lequeux

2

50% Salted Caramel Baton

Felicity Plimmer

24%

8.5

2

Blackberry Truffle

Kiri Kalenko

20%

8.3

3

Sticky Toffee

Felicity Plimmer

23%

8.5

3

Ecuador Jack

Kiri Kalenko

19%

8.1

4

Cognac Truffle

Rhona Macfadyen

23%

8.3

4

Gianduja Heart

Rhona Macfadyen

18%

8.3

5

Caramel Gianduja

Rhona Macfadyen

23%

8.4

5

Cornflake & Hazelnut Slice

Rhona Macfadyen

18%

8.2

Blackberry Truffle

50% Salted Caramel Baton

Sticky Toffee

Sugar, Spice & All Things Nice

Blackberry Truffle

WHAT MEMBERS ARE SAYING

WHAT MEMBERS ARE SAYING

Blackberry Truffle – “Words fail me how lovely this was.” 10/10 Mrs Margaret Ivelaw-Chapman – St. Albans

bit strange.” 9.5/10

Ecuador Jack

Sugar, Spice & All Things Nice – “Lovely mix of spices but just a little Mr Sean Conlin – Walderton

Sticky Toffee – “Really burnt sugar hit with the creaminess from the white chocolate, all balanced out really well by the milk chocolate. Perfect.” 10/10 Miss Jennifer Smith – Uxbridge

Blackberry Truffle – “The kids rated this as Mum is not a fruit person

with chocs.” 8/10 Mrs Kathy Dixon – Cambridge

PRIZE DRAW

PRIZE DRAW

Our prize draw winner is Miss Jane Burkimsher from Tunbridge Wells who wins a Goody Bag Of The Season.

Our prize draw winner is Mr Adrian Carey from Norwich who wins a Dark Signature Selection.

Join the Tasting Club at chocs.co.uk/join

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Score online 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.

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DISCOVER • REVIEW • SHARE

RABOT 1745 SELECTION P33* No. Chocolate Name

Chocolatier

10/10

Average

1

Saint Lucia Island Growers 78% Dark

Olivier Nicod

33%

8.8

2

Madagascan Sour Cherry & Pecan Bûche

Rhona Macfadyen

28%

8.1

3

Java 74% Milk with Sumatran Coffee Beans

Kiri Kalenko

26%

7.4

4

Hacienda Iara 82% Dark Praline

Rhona Macfadyen

20%

8.3

5

Hacienda Iara 63% Milk Ganache

Kiri Kalenko

20%

7.5

WHAT MEMBERS ARE SAYING Java 74% Milk with Sumatran Coffee Beans – “Wonderfully aromatic and

crunchy.” 10/10 Roland Greene – Newquay Trinidad 75% Dark with Jasmine Tea – “Floral, exotic, daring. I loved it!” 8/10 Daniel Chalwin – Woodstock

PRIZE DRAW

Saint Lucia Island Growers 78% Dark

Madagascan Sour Cherry & Pecan Bûche

Java 74% Milk with Sumatran Coffee Beans

ALL MILK SELECTION M23* No. Chocolate Name

Our prize draw winner is Mrs L Vickerman from Crawley who wins a selection of bars from Saint Lucia.

ELEMENTS SELECTION S79

Chocolatier

10/10

Average

No. Chocolate Name

Chocolatier

10/10

Average

1

Ecuador Jack

Kiri Kalenko

26%

7.0

1

Caramel Gianduja

Rhona Macfadyen

37%

8.8

2

Cornflake & Hazelnut Slice

Rhona Macfadyen

24%

8.3

2

Caramel Cheesecake

Rhona Macfadyen

34%

8.7

3

50% Salted Caramel Baton

Felicity Plimmer

23%

8.5

3

Chocolate Brownie

Rhona Macfadyen

28%

8.8

4

Sticky Toffee

21%

8.6

4

50% Salted Caramel Baton

Felicity Plimmer

26%

8.5

21%

8.0

5

Cashew Praline

Olivier Nicod

26%

8.7

5

Felicity Plimmer Felicity Plimmer & Sugar, Spice & All Things Nice Celestine Lequeux

Ecuador Jack

Cornflake & Hazelnut Slice

50% Salted Caramel Baton

Caramel Gianduja

Caramel Cheesecake

WHAT MEMBERS ARE SAYING

WHAT MEMBERS ARE SAYING

Ecuador Jack – “As someone who isn’t keen on whisky I found this to be rather shockingly desirable and so did my husband.” 6.5/10 Mrs Tessa Peters – Tipton

Caramel Gianduja – “The best one.” 10/10 Mrs Merle Banerji – London

50% Salted Caramel Baton – “I could eat these forever...” 10/10

Chocolate Brownie

Caramel Cheesecake – “Amazing! Such a fantastic mix of flavours.” 10/10 Chrissie Kerr – Aberdeen

Mrs Adrienne Pentland – Burley

PRIZE DRAW

PRIZE DRAW

Our prize draw winner is Mrs Catherine Hryniszak from Leicester who wins a Milk Adventure Peepster Box.

Our prize draw winner is Miss Naomi Dymond from Shepton Mallet who wins a Caramel Giant Slab.

*Not currently available in the United States

MOTHER’S DAY SUNDAY 30 TH MARCH

Create your own bespoke Mother’s Day gift bag or hamper filled with exquisite gifts you know they’ll love.

Choose whichever products you like and we’ll pack them for you in a stylish gift bag (£2.50) or hamper (£5), plus a card (FREE) with your own special Mother’s Day message. Or choose one of the Mother’s Day selections that we’ve created for you.

hotelchocolat.com/buildahamper

0212014625

Our build-your-own bespoke gift hampers are available all year round!