Ren Behan - Author Wild Honey and Rye

Food Writer

Hotel Chocolat The Purist Collection (Giveaway Closed)

This is my second giveaway of National Chocolate Week 2011 and if you are a chocolate fan (as I think you might have guessed I am) then this hamper is a pretty special treat.

The lovely folks at Hotel Chocolat  sent me The Purist Collection hamper to review and my goodness, what a lovely selection of chocolates we have here.

 

The Purist Collection

The chocolate in The Purist range is rare and unique because it is made from fine cocoa.  This is different to bulk cocoa which is what over 95% of the world’s chocolate is made from. Whilst very good chocolate can be produced from bulk cocoa, fine cocoa has a real finesse; each bean could be uniquely influenced by factors such as the soil, location, heat, tropical rain – just like grape vines and fine wines are affected by the different growing conditions around the world. Since fine cocoa is also rarer, this collection is really something to get excited about. Also worth noting is the conch time – the longer the conch time (96 hours, 120 hours) the finer the chocolate will be, resulting in a really pure, melt in the mouth experience.

The full Purist range includes 70g Purist bars, as well as Purist caramels and pralines and ‘super boosters’ which are ‘nibbly pieces of pure Saint Lucian Trinitario cocoa simply sealed in 70% cocoa dark chocolate’.

Since Hotel Chocolat tell us that cocoa is an “official superfood, packed full of natural antioxidants, mood-lifting compounds, trace minerals and a caffeine kick” – who wouldn’t want to work their way through the goodness inside this hamper?!

The Purist Collection hamper includes:

Dark Super Boosters  (nibbly pieces of pure Saint Lucian Trinitario cocoa taken from the heart of the bean – sealed in 70% cocoa dark chocolate)

Intense Dark Purist Praline Tray (65% Dark Island Growers with Piedmont hazelnuts in praline)

65% Dark 96 Hour Conch Island Growers 70g Bar Saint Lucia (winner of a 2010 Great Taste Gold Award) 

50% Milk Island Growers 35g Bar (sits midway between milk and a classic dark bar)

100% Dark Hacienda Iara Bar 35g Bar (an immediate and intense cocoa hit made from Arriba Nacional cocoa beans)

As I sampled my way through this hamper I felt as though someone had given me a box of contraband – this is chocolate that is simply too good to be sitting in the high street. Because the chocolate hit is so intense, you don’t need to gorge yourself on it, which made a nice change for me and also meant that the box lasted a good while.

My favourite pieces from this whole collection were the pralines, just something else altogether, though the little dark chocolate coated cocoa nibs sitting on my desk as I type are also providing a useful energy boost! I’m off to the Hotel Chocolat shop on my high street now to buy some of the Purist Dark Caramel Pralines too. I also note that Judith from Mostly About Chocolate in her guest post yesterday chose the Hotel Chocolat 120h Conch Purist 65% Chocolate Bar as her second favourite high street chocolate bar…so I’m off to buy one of those too to sample.

Try this collection for yourself:

TO ENTER

1. “Like” the Hotel Chocolat Facebook Page and then come back to me to let me know that you have done so by leaving a comment on this post

2. Follow @HotelChocolat on Twitter and then come back to me to let me know that you have done so, again by leaving a comment on this post.

3. Tweet this post using the button below and leave a comment telling me that you have done so including your Twitter username.
 
4. Follow me @RenBehan on Twitter and again leave a comment in the box below to tell me that you have done so, including your Twitter username.
 
5. Visit the Fabulicious Food on Facebook and “Like” and leave a wall post to tell me you have done so.
 
You can enter this competition via any or all of the five ways described above but you must leave me a separate comment for each time you have entered. 
 
No details of any of the entrants will be passed onto anyone else. The winner will be chosen by an online randomiser.  I will be able to see your email and contact you if you have won, but your email will not be visible to the public and will NOT be passed on.

This giveaway is open to UK residents only 

Closing date: Friday 14th October 2011 at 3pm

The winner will be announced in a subsequent post on Saturday 15th October 2011 

Image Credit: Hotel Chocolat

Many thanks to Hotel Chocolat for sending me one of these hampers for review.

 

 

About Ren

Ren Behan is a British-born food writer of Polish descent. She is a mum to three young children (13, 10 and 5) and spends lots of time with them in the kitchen. Ren writes about seasonal, family-friendly food on her blog www.renbehan.com. She also contributes recipes and articles to online and print food publications, such as Food52.com, GreatBritishChefs.com, Huff Post Food and JamieOliver.com. She holds a Diploma in Food Journalism with Distinction and has completed a Food Styling course at Leiths School of Food and Wine.

Ren’s cookbook, Wild Honey and Rye: Modern Polish Recipes, draws upon her Polish heritage and regular travels to Poland.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  192. 1. “Liked” Hotel Chocolat FB Page Melli Mse Peakman
    2. Followed @HotelChocolat on Twitter @Bru_Mog
    3. Tweeted @Bru_Mog
    4. Follow @Bru_Mog
    5. Liked and left comment Melli Mse Peakman

    Reply

  206. 5. I have visit the Fabulicious Food on Facebook and “Liked” and shared your great giveaway on there too! Tracy K Nixon

    Thanks for the fab review and giveaway!

    Reply

  229. Have done all of the above (@HellsBells_80 on Twitter and Helen Wood on FB).

    Amazing giveaway! Hotel Chocolat are my weakness! 🙂

    xx

    Reply

  252. Apparently chocolate is a great advertising tool! Liked the Hotel Chocolat facebook page, followed them on twitter, tweeted about this post, followed you on Twitter and liked Fabulicious Food on facebook. I’m @luvlymish on Twitter.

    Reply

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