Imagine a cool evening in November, Park Street is twinkling and there's a queue of pudding lovers outside a much-loved chocolate house, quietly whispering among themselves and wondering what on earth the menu might treat them to. It's about 8pm on a Saturday and we're all about to head inside Mrs Potts Chocolate House in Bristol for a private 'Pudding Club' experience.
Inside, sparkling lights and Christmas decorations adorn the ceiling and tables, and a playlist of Christmas songs fills the air. We're seated at our tables like VIPs, laid with Mrs Potts' own Christmas crackers, candles, baubles and a mysterious palette of edible paints.
As well as offering up baked goods, handmade chocolate treats and some of the best hot chocolate around, Mrs Potts Chocolate House often treats customers to the chance to attend their own seasonal dining experience, treating them to Valentine's goodies, autumnal favourites and, as was our own experience, all things Mrs Potts Christmas.
Read more: We tried Mrs Potts' maple bacon hot chocolate from the new autumn menu
The Christmas Pudding Club tickets were priced at £29.90 each on selected dates at each of Mrs Potts' locations - Bristol, Bath and Cardiff. Pudding Club, a two hour experience, is itself described as a "special after hours dessert night" featuring a "luxurious and exciting two course dessert menu designed exclusively for Pudding Club by Mrs Potts herself".
We were first treated to a gingerbread spiced roasted white chocolate hot chocolate with a square of Mrs Potts own homemade honeycomb. Now, this is when I really felt Christmassy - it was perfectly spiced and warmed me right through.
What's more, the honeycomb was the perfect mix of crunchy and gooey and could be perfectly dipped, like a biscuit in tea, into the hot chocolate for a proper festive treat. Pulling our golden crackers, adorned with a Mrs Potts sticker, we received a Christmas cracker hat and joke as standard, along with a little pack of Mrs Potts mixed chocolate buttons and it's safe to say even the most glamorously dressed of us felt like kids again.
Next, the staff brought out a platter of mini chocolate chip cookies, mint chocolate cookies, salted pretzels, strawberries and pots of melted milk chocolate and whipped mint cream. The pretzels were a much needed palate cleanser, while the strawberries made for a famous, yet refreshing combination when dipped in the chocolate. However, the real star of the show was the mint chocolate cookies - it was like eating giant cookie-fied After Eight mints.
Just when we thought things couldn't get any better, we were given two substantially sized biscuits covered in icing - one, we were told, was an orange and cranberry shortbread, while the other was chocolate gingerbread. Then we were told to grab our mini paintbrushes, delve into the edible paints and create some festive biscuit masterpieces. This for me was the highlight of the evening and would make for the perfect wellbeing activity for workplaces.
I felt so calm and, with the exception of the Christmas music, almost everyone zoned out in utter zen to paint their biscuits. We were even given a handy festive pack to carry them home with us safely, if we weren't tempted to eat them there and then.
Finally, sparkler-topped desserts were being brought our way and they not only looked heavenly but tasted it too. My personal favourite dish of the night, the baked Alaska, was full of fudgy chocolate sponge, delicious meringue and white chocolate honeycomb ice cream.
If you're a fan of chocolate, puddings or seasonal holidays, or are a regular customer of Mrs Potts Chocolate House, I definitely recommend venturing to one of their Pudding Club events. You get much more than your money's worth, are treated like VIPs by the staff and will leave there feeling like you've been visiting family for the holidays.
Read more:
