Ren Behan - Author Wild Honey and Rye

Food Writer

Review and Giveaway: Hotel Chocolat ‘Open Your Heart To Me’ Selection

As you may have already realised by now, I am a little bit partial to a nice bit of chocolate. It is the one thing I couldn’t live without and it would certainly be something I’d request if I was stranded on a desert island. Although if I was really lucky, I’d get stranded on the island of St Lucia and would go and seek out Hotel Chocolat’s Cocoa Plantation on The Rabot Estate. I’m dreaming again…  

Anyway, as you might have also noticed, it’s that time of year again when we get to think about Valentine’s Day gifts and so I’ve been busy sampling some of Hotel Chocolat’s collection, in particular the Open Your Heart To Me dreamy chocolate heart filled with a selection of milk, dark and white chocolate mini hearts. It’s priced at £25.00 RRP, which for Valentine’s Day, I think is reasonable.  

Now, I admit to some tactical thinking on my part: my favourite chocolate from the entire Hotel Chocolat range is (boringly enough) their 40% milk chocolate. As much as I love flavoured and filled chocolates, there’s something quite special about the taste of their 40% milk chocolate and in its very plainest form, too. So, the great big 40% heart is all for me. The chocolates inside are for hubby. Well, they would have been if I wasn’t required to taste them all and tell you all about it! 

The ‘Open Your Heart To Me’ selection reminded me of a lovely big heart-shaped Easter egg, filled with delicious goodies. The heart opens up to reveal chocolates decorated with splashes of hot pink, red yellow and purple chocolates, that are bursting with flavour too. Imagine velvety pralines and truffles laced with vanilla and ‘frisky’ raspberry, closely followed by strawberry with black pepper (couldn’t detect too much black pepper)  and caramel with a little tickle of  chilli.

I like the way that Hotel Chocolat ‘think’ about their flavours and match them to the occasion. Christmas was spiced with orange, chilli and notes of cinnamon and now we’ve moved onto the strawberry-scented romance and the friskiness of raspberry for Valentine’s Day! Perfect.

There’s plenty to chose from in the range, I also like the Milk Engraved Chocolate Heart (RRP £6.50) and because I like pink, I would also be very happy to receive the Bafta Pink Collection (with sparkling pink rosé, 8 pink champagne Truffles and 3 BAFTA masks) designed especially for the BAFTA’s on Sunday 13th February (close enough to Valentine’s Day!)

But don’t let me be the only judge, Hotel Chocolat have very kindly offered a second ‘Open Your Heart To Me’ gift to one of my lucky readers.

Giveaway –

Here’s how to enter:

1. Visit the Hotel Chocolat website and tell me in the comment box below which of their Valentine’s Day Chocolates are your favourite. (Whatever your selection, you will still receive the Open Your Heart To Me selection as your prize.)

2. Either “Like” the Hotel Chocolat Facebook Page and/or 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 blog post.

3. Copy and tweet the following “I would love to win the Hotel Chocolat Open Your Heart To Me selection on #Fabulicious Food!”

4. Follow me @RenBehan on Twitter or “like”  Fabulicious Food on Facebook and again leave a comment in the box below to tell me that you have done so, including your Twitter username.

5. Follow Fabulicious Food! on Networked Blogs for a final bonus entry, just let me know you are doing so.
 

————————————————————————————————————————

You can enter this competition via any of the five ways described above but you please leave me a separate comment for each time you have entered to make it easier to count your individual entries.  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 all UK readers.

Closing date: Tuesday 7th February 2012 at midnight. The winner will be announced the next day.
Good Luck!
 
This is a featured post. Thank You to Hotel Chocolat for sending me this product 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

  14. The Beauty box looks amazing. Would love to try any of the yummy choc selections though. x

  37. I have liked you on FB, I will be sharing 🙂 xxx Everything looks delicious! 🙂 xxx

  39. liked hot chocolat and Fabulicious Food on facebook (damion finan) – no twitter account 🙁

  57. wow what gorgeous looking chocolates!! i like the look of the Love Selection they look and sound deelish and i bet they taste as good as they look :o)

  64. I have followed on Twitter @cojmum and likes the Facebook page. The Be Mine selection looks fab!

  70. I already follow Hotel Chocolate on facebook (Laura Carrol) and twitter (@Laura_Cookies)

  84. Have copied and tweeted “I would love to win the Hotel Chocolat Open Your Heart To Me selection on #Fabulicious Food!” @dcavender123

  93. I’ve liked the Hotel Chocolat Facebook Page and I’m following @HotelChocolat on Twitter as @LoveWinning

  95. I’ve liked the Hotel Chocolat Facebook Page and followed @HotelChocolat on Twitter (as @LoveWinning).

  101. Such a difficult decision but I plumped for the Be Mine Collection from the Hotel Chocolat website

  113. I love the look of the Be Mine Collection. that solid chocolate heart looks divine! @piperanddaisy

  140. I am on Facebook and like you on there and also on Twitter under the name @johnmadmead and tweeted on there

  141. I like “The signature Cabinet” box of chocolates quite simply as there are more of all the delicious chocolates!! MMMMMMM

  154. Already like Hotel Chocolat on Facebook (Melanie Pennie) and on twitter (@mellymoo6940)

  161. i would be happy with the Signature Collection with 26 chocolates & Tawny Port as it would warm me in every way with chocs and port mmm yum

  181. Already a fan of Hotel Chocolat on Facebook (Julie Hoggy) and already following on Twitter (@juliepaulwife) xx

  197. Already “Like” the Hotel Chocolat Facebook Page and follow @HotelChocolat on Twitter @gouldie7

  199. already liking Fabulicious Food on FB and following RenBehan on Twitter
    FB name – Diane Lawson Arundel Carey
    Twitter – @capodemonte

  202. The Signature Cabinet’ is my favourite. I love chocolates in drawers. Would love to see what they taste like for the price £160 wow

  207. My favourite is actually the Open Your Heart To Me Selection, I just think it looks so lovely, like the chocolates inside are a surprise.

  212. I am a fan of the Hotel Choclat FB page and follow them on twitter already – @charbarcrazy

  233. I love the Love Notes selection they look gorgeous.

    I have Liked on fb (Rebecca radway)
    I have Tweeted @ BeckyWoolstone

  239. Much as I like the 40% milk chocolate AND I DO, I do like the chocolates too so would go for Sealed with a Kiss. Am particularly interested to try the chilli caramel and the black pepper strawberry.

  247. l would love to have this from the valentines selection its looks great The Be Mine Collection

  268. I’m following you on Twitter as @00annabellee00

    I like your Facebook page as Annabel Lee

  275. I’ve followed @RenBehan on Twitter and “liked” Fabulicious Food on Facebook

    I’m SarahJLCooper on there

  276. And I’m liking you on FB too (Kathryn MacKinnon Cook) @cheepcheepcheep
    Thanks! x

  280. Well I’m a HUGE dark chocolate fan but I have a real weakness for Champagne Truffles, so it’d have to be the Pink Champagne Truffles Grand.
    @cheepcheepcheep

  281. I really think the Open Your Heart To Me chocolates are my favourite, as they are totally unique and like nothing I have seen before. Thanks for running x

  285. Already like the Hotel Chocolat FB page
    Have liked Fabulicious Food on FB
    Follow you on twitter @99sisi
    FOLLOWED @Ren Behan tweeted “I would love to win the Hotel Chocolat Open Your Heart To Me selection on #Fabulicious Food!”

    liked shared entered Fabulicious Food on Facebook
    @99sisi
    Followed Fabulicious Food! on Networked Blogs

  291. Either “Like” the Hotel Chocolat Facebook Page and/or follow @HotelChocolat on Twitter

  298. FOLLOWED @Ren Behan tweeted “I would love to win the Hotel Chocolat Open Your Heart To Me selection on #Fabulicious Food!”

    liked shared entered Fabulicious Food on Facebook
    @99sisi

  310. SEALED WITH A KISS!!! MMMMM!!! pralines, caramels and truffles.. yum!

    liked on facebook too <3

  315. The Season Of Love Goody Bag looks very cute indeed, and I think I may start using it’s photo as wallpaper on the computer and see if that hint is strong enough!!!

  321. Times like this you need a love button on FB – Liked the Hotel Chocolat page for ages :x) best choccie in the world

  323. super prize would love to win it!! I have always been a fan on facebook i love hotel chocolat!!

  357. Followed already on @RenBehan on Twitter and already liked Fabulicious Food on Facebook

    @tamalyn1
    tamalyn.roberts

  359. liked the Hotel Chocolat Facebook Page and already followed @HotelChocolat on Twitter

    twitter @tamalyn1
    facebook tamalyn.roberts

    • The signature cabinet looks phenomenal and would certainly have something for everyone! It should satisfy the cravings and have enough to ba able to share between my husband and I!!!