More Chocolate Books - Christmas Gift Ideas

It is unbelievable how time flies. Christmas 2009 is only 8 weeks away and many of us these days by presents early so that we can relax in the few weks before Christmas. Even if you order late, below 3 books I recommend.

1. Willie's Chocolate Factory Cookbook - Author: Willie Harcourt-Cooze.
A wonderful book which came out this 2009 and which has some excellent chocolate recipes and tonnes of photographs. If this does not get you cooking with chocolate then nothing will.

2. Like Water for Chocolate - Author: Laura Esquivel.
If you have not ever read this book or seen the movie then I highly recommend you do. A great story and set in Mexico is a classic story involving chocolate. I love the movie.

3. Twinkle Twinkle Chocolate Bar - Author: John Foster

More of a children's style book and great for the younger ones. A fun story and a nice little stocking filler.

Chocolate Show 2009 - in NYC

There are some excellent Chocolate events and exhibitions worldwide and in the coming months we'll be highlighting some of the best. To get things started, a look at the annual New York Chocolate show.

I attended the NY Chocolate Show last year and it an excellent event with plenty going on. The show normally takes place in November each year and the show tours Tokyo, Beijing, NYC, Moscow, Shanghai and Paris.

The thing I particularly like about this set of Chocolate shows is the workshops. Some excellent chocolate making workshops covering a wide range of chocolate desserts, including many you might not have seen before. There is always something new to see at this event. The next NY show takes place at: the Metropolitan Pavilion (125 West 18th Street, NYC) in November 2009.

Chocolate for Valentines Day

It is that time of year again and time to decide what to get your partner for Valentines Day. There anrmany possibilites and some ideas I have are:

For Women

• A massage voucher from a local spa centre.
• A nice expensive box of Dark chocolates.
• A bouquet of roses.
• A dinner in a nice restaurant.
• A trip to the South of France.

For men

• A couple of 6 Nations tickets.
• A new games system.
• Chocolate Monopoly and a good bottle of champagne.
• A good night all expenses paid trip to the local.
• A trip to NYC and a chocolate tour.

Send us your ideas. What do you plan to buy for your partner on Valetine's Day? Send us your blog comments? Want to learn more Chocolate Gifts ideas.

Books on Chocolate to get for Xmas

Books on Chocolate can make for excellent Christmas presents be it to send or to receive. There are also many very good chocolate books to choose from so I have highlighted my favourites below.

Divine Heavenly Chocolate Recipes with a Heart by Linda Collister is a book which has its place on my wife's cookery bookshelf in the kitchen. This book has some mouth watering recipes in it and they are not too hard to make.

A very cheap stocking filler for about £5 ($8) is the book 101 Chocolate Treats and is produced by the BBC in conjunction with the BBC Food Magazine.

Chocolate Obsession by M.Recchiuti et al in hardback is another book on chooclate we have and really like. This book has some more ideas on chocolate and if you buy all three you will have more than enough recipes to keep you going.

What is your favourite book on chocolate? Which would you recommend to buy for Xmas? Send us your comments!

Peruvian white chocolate

The local paper here in Piura, Peru (where I am on holiday) is the world leader in producing and quote from my Spanish translation "the most aromatic cocoa in the world and also the whitest.

This is the cocoa that the elite prefer, and that (they) have found in the fields of Piura for fabricating the finest chocolates in the world. Although it may seem a lie, the cocoa that the world wants is white. The normal choice is to think of dark chocolate but current tendancies lean towards bitter white chocolate. Piura is one of the few places in the world where that variety exists. Thursday 27th there is a congress to discuss this harvest and the product limit is the sky".

Do any of you have experience with white chocolate? Tried the Peruvian chocolate? Send us your comments!

Chocolate Wars

I was in work the other day and when a poster or news item goes up on the message board, no one usually gives two hoots and ignores it all. Whhen last though, someone added their Top 10 list of chocolate bars it was the talk of the office and no one could stop talking about it.

Suddenely even was getting involved and everyone seems to have a view about the best chocolate bars of all time. The thing is as well everyone seemed as highly charged and opinionated about the best chocolate bars. It was amazing to see how everyone got so excited about an issue unrelated to politics, sport or TV and how the conversation domintang work for 2 days.

SO, what are the Top 10 Chocolate Bars of all time???? Why not send us your list of Top 10 Chocolate bars and we'll add your list to the Home of Chocolate website. Jusy email us on the contact form at http://www.chocolate-cioccolata.com/contact.htm

Alternatively, send us your comments on this blog.

Chocolate News and updates

Several of you have been asking where to buy chocolate Monopoly Chocolate-Opoly and I know that http://www.toysrus.com/ in the states sell it. In the UK Amazon.co.uk have a listing for it although its unavailable at the time of writing. If you sell chocolate games let us know at the Chocolate HQ!

We are looking for more ideas for the Chocolate Travel pages. Do you offer chocolate holidays or trips. Have you been on one? So far we have highlighted:

• New York Chocolate Tours, NYC, USA
• Cadburys World, England
• Chocolate Making Workshops

Give us your input into more chocolate travel.

Chocolate Games

There are a number of games you can play with chocolate and these games can be enjoyed at parties or as a couple. There are a number of games you might want to consider although my own personal favourite is the chocolate version of Monopoly, Chocolate-opoly.

Chocolate-opoly is a Monopoly board with various chocolate treats for you when you play. Russian Roulette with chocolate can be another great game and this is of course much safer than the real thing, with the expected to easy spicy chocolate if they pick out the wrong one.

Couples at home may prefer to try various games which involve chocolate sauce or melted chocolate and for these games your imagination can be used to full effect. This food item makes for fun games because eating chocolate as a forfeit or playing with chocolate which is great in texture and aroma are good ways to spend time. Why not try playing some chocolate games when you have the chance? Also interested in Belgium chocolates?

Chocolate Travel

If you love Chocolate and you also love travelling, then like me, you will love the idea of Chocolate Travel. There are actually many choices for chocolate travel, in a number of different activities and mnay of them fun.
Some ideas for chocolate travel include:

• Attending a chocolate making workshop.
• Going on a Swiss chocolate making factory tour
• Getting a chocolate massage on a health farm
• Travelling on a chocolate cruise, or
• Visiting a cocoa farm

You can always take a day trip also and visit somewhere such as Cadbury's World in England or Hershey World in the U.S. There are many ways you can combine travel and chocolate if you wish to. What are your chocolate travel ideas? Send us your comments and chocolate ideas.

Movies about Chocolate

There have been some great movies involving involving chocolate and I am not sure which was your favourite but my favourite chocolate movie was 'Like Water for Chocolate.

Many people initially think of 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' or 'Chocolat' but my favourite chocolate movie and film 'Like Water for Chocolate. This is a Mexican film from 1992 which won a load of International awards and which combines food and love. The Director is Alfonso Arau and it is the story of a young lady who gains freedom from her family through her love of chocolate.

You can buy the book and the DVD Like Water for Chocolate from amazon.co.uk. Also interested in Chocalte trips and travel.

Christmas and Chocolate

If you are looking for a Christmas present for someone and they love chocolate and if they enjoy reading fiction, then the new book by Carole Matthews called 'The Chocolate Lovers' Club' is now out in paperback and available on sites such as http://www.amazon.co.uk/

To quote my wife, this book (with 448 pages) is a very good read and for chocolate lovers is especially a good book. Chocolate is central to the plot and as the title suggests, is based around a womand chocolate club. This is perhaps more of a womans book with the book coverign many issues including problems with their partners etc. The book though is fun and entertaining and if you a relaxing read. Nine of ten rating!

Chocolate Events

Are you holding an event, workshop, group or anything else connected to chocolate? We are happy to now post your chocolate news, events and workshops information so please feel free to send you chocolate information to us via psymonds01@yahoo.co.uk

Chocolate brownie milk

I am not sure if you have tried it but I just love the new Chocolate brownie and fudge milk. It is delicious. Have any of you tried it yet? I usually drink the Frijj and its real creamy, sweet and thick. Lovely stuff.

I am not sure if it is globbally available of just in the UK and Ireland, but if you get the chance you have to try it. I do not work for Frijj in case it sounds like it! I just like this drink a lot. It gets me off to a great chocolate start to the day.

What are your favourite chocolate drinks and bars?
Add your comment to his blog.

Cadburys Chocolate World in England

If you are a chocolate lover and you live in England, or if you plan to visit England in the future, one place I personally enjoyed was Cadburys World. Cadburys who are now owned by Schweppes have created this chocolate them park.



The chocolate theme park itself has 2 new attractions -'Essence' and 'Purple Planet'. Overall the place is located near to Birmingham in England and all directions etc can be found on the Cadburys World official site.

Cadburys chocolate itself has been around since the early 19th century, when John Cadbury opened a shop in the centre of Birmingham in England.


John Cadbury offered cocoa and drinking chocolate and this turned into the large Cadburys corporation as it is now. Accordign to the website entry for adults (not oaps) is Internet £13 for an adult and £10 for 4 - 15 years but with family discouts etc.

Visit Chocolate World for more news on chocolate including chocolate movies and films.

Chocolate for Vegans

If you are a Vegan and you love chocolate did you know that you can buy Vegan chocolate! Yes, it's true. It would not be fair if vegans could not enjoy chocolate just like the rest of us, because of the milk content in chocolate.

The new chocolate lovers site has a new page all about vegan chocolate so take a look and learn more!

World Chocolate Day - September 4th

There are world and national days for just about everything. You will be glad to know that chocolate has not been ignored and that there is a World Chocolate Day. The day is september the 4th every year and various events take place worldwide.

Probably one of the most fun events is the annual chocolate festival in the UK, with the chance to roll around in the chocolate pit, to try some chocolate massage and to taste various chocolate recipes and varieties. The latest news on this years events will be available on http://chocolate-cioccolata.com. From September 2008, there will also be an annual World Chocolate Festival in Plymouth, UK. Watch this space for more info.......

Where does chocolate come from? (19th April 2007)

Many people around the world love chocolate, but have you ever wondered where this amazing product comes from and what a cocoa plant looks like? Chocolate comes from cocoa beans that are processed to give us chocolate.

Cocoa beans in turn are found inside pods, which are the fruits of the cocoa tree. Cocoa pods are about 20-30 cm long and are oval, a bit like a rugby ball; each cocoa pod can contain about 30-40 seeds that produce about 450 grams of cocoa.

The plant that produces cocoa is a tree, which resembles apple trees in shape, and can grow to up 7 metres. The cocoa tree starts bearing fruit when it is about 3 years old, and the fruits are attached to the trunk, which is quite unusual. The cocoa tree needs a warm and humid climate, this is why it grows only in tropical areas where it rains a lot and the temperature is always between 21 and 23 degrees Celsius. Also, the cocoa tree needs to be in the shade. The best areas to grow cocoa are within 10 degrees either north or south from the Equator.

Although cocoa originates from the Amazon basin, in Central America (the rest of the world did not know the delights of chocolate before America was discovered), now it grows in many equatorial countries all over the world. Big cocoa producers are Ghana, Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire, Brazil, Ecuador, Malaysia and Indonesia, just to mention some.

Welcome to Chocolate Cioccolato world (16th March 07)

Welcome to the wonderful world of chocolate, or as the Italians say Cioccolato). I am a self proclaimed chocoholic and have been eating chocolate every day since I was a teenager. Good chocolate mixed with plenty of exercise also has left me in good shape.

Chocolate can be a big part of your life to and you can be healthy. I try and stick as much as I can to 75% or 80% cocoa chocolate. Any more in detail in coming blogs. We´ll be talking over the coming months and years about everything you can imagine to do with chocolate.