Although I’ve got strangely into Halloween over the years, quite against my Catholic faith, I really can’t get that into Halloween chocolate. As a nod to such things I did try a Hotel Chocolat Pumpkin Spice hot chocolate, £13.50 – VERY sweet, highly flavoured and a bit overwhelming for me, but if you like sweet, milky drinks you’ll be in heaven. (While I’m here, I also can’t get enough of their new-ish cups, which come in three shapes: Spark, Chat or Hug, £12, and bridge the gap between: ‘Shall I have a cup or a mug?’ I mean, decisions.)
The only thing I allow myself to go for on Halloween are Haribo sweets, which remind me of being 14, having lied about my age, and working as a chamber maid in a hotel in London and entering a customer’s room and finding gummy bears on the bedside table. I had never seen such things and ate rather too many, having to then space out what was left in the packet – a pitiful amount – carefully so as to avoid detection.
I really liked North’s (from Newcastle) 48% milk with notes of honey, £4.50. I thought it might be too sickly, but they manage that tightrope well. It was creamy and comforting – and who doesn’t need that these days? – and if you ever read this column and think, ‘God, Annalisa, what’s wrong with Dairy Milk?’ you will really like this. This sounds like an insult but it’s not, because Dairy Milk never tastes like you remember it.
At the other end of the scale, Solkiki’s 90% Costa Esmeraldas, £8.50, is terrifically good. I mean it’s high cocoa, but so tasty.
Hopefully, I’ll have exciting Advent calendar news soon.
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