Tasty Tuesdays: 6 of the Best Chocolate Bars to Try This WeekBy Francesca Brooking
This week for Tasty Tuesdays, we’ve decided to do a chocolate bar edition as there were just too many delicious chocolate treats to pass up. So, if you fancy yourself a bit of a chocolate connoisseur or you’re looking for some chocolate inspiration, here are the top six chocolate bars you have to try this week:
1. For Chocolate that’s Pledged to End Slavery: Tony’s Chocolonely
What: Dutch brand Tony’s Chocolonely is on a mission to make chocolate production 100% slave free with their fabulously chunky chocolate bars.
The Lowdown: Putting a new meaning back into guilt-free, Tony’s Chocolonely is putting their chocolate to a good cause by actively putting an end to child labour and modern slavery in West Africa. Their mission is to make chocolate production fairer by supporting farmers and their families, raising awareness of the exploitation within the cocoa industry and proving that tasty chocolate is even better when every part of the supply chain is made equal. Tony’s has revolutionised how it sources, processes and pays for cocoa to inspire other chocolate makers to change their ways and make a difference. Their flavours include Milk Chocolate, Milk Chocolate Caramel Sea Salt, Milk Chocolate Hazelnut, Milk Chocolate Almond Honey Nougat, Dark Milk Chocolate Pretzel Toffee, Dark Chocolate Almond Sea Salt.
Price: 180g bar £3.98, 47g bar £1.69
Stockists: Available at Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Ocado, Selfridges and their online store.
2. For Regional Japanese Treats: Limited Edition KitKats
What: We all love the traditional KitKat but why not treat your tastebuds to a range of regional Japanese KitKat flavours exclusive to Japan Centre’s Ichiba and online? It’s a KitKat experience like no other.
The Lowdown: KitKats are incredibly popular in Japan, with flavours ranging from matcha green tea to wasabi and varieties that can be baked in the oven. Now you can get your hands on some authentic Japanese KitKat flavours right here in the UK. Why not try the Tokyo Banana: a fluffy steamed cake filled with banana custard which has been reimagined in KitKat form by Nestlé. Expect KitKat’s signature crunchy wafer, filled with Tokyo Banana’s famous banana cream filling. Keeping things fruity, KitKat’s Amaou Strawberry mini is normally only available from the southernmost main Japanese island of Kyushu. This special treat is flavoured with the intensely sweet and succulent Amaou strawberries that grow there. Last but by no means least, all the way from Kobe city, the famous Kobe Pudding, a soothingly mellow and sweet custard dessert topped with a layer of smooth caramel, is brought to you in limited edition KitKat form. With KitKat’s signature crunchy wafers coated in Kobe Pudding flavoured caramel white chocolate, this exclusive gift box contains 12 KitKat minis that are simply too good to share.
Price: Tokyo Banana Mini Gift Box £13.98, Kobe Caramel Pudding Mini Gift Box £16.98, Hokkaido, Azuki and Strawberry Mini Gift Box £16.98
Stockists: Exclusive to Japan Centre’s Ichiba, Level-2 Westfield, London W12 7HB and online here.
3. For Bubbly in a Bar: Prosecco Chocolate Bar by Love Cocoa
What: To raise a toast to National Prosecco Day (August 13th 2019), Love Cocoa has launched a sparkling Prosecco Chocolate Bar that can be enjoyed whether you’re a fan of the bubbly stuff or not.
The Lowdown: At last you can enjoy the fizz of prosecco without the thumping hangover the next day thanks to Love Cocoa’s new Prosecco Chocolate Bar. Made in Great Britain using deliciously smooth organic 37% cocoa milk chocolate, a splash of prosecco and a sprinkle of popping candy, it’s a taste sensation you won’t want to miss. If that still hasn’t tempted you, this Prosecco Chocolate bar is 100% gluten-free and just like the rest of the Love Cocoa range, it has a fabulous list of eco credentials… palm oil free with 10% of profits going to the Rainforest Foundation as well as 100% recyclable packaging and new compostable inners. This luxury chocolate brand created by James Cadbury (yes, you’ve guessed it, the great-great-great grandson of Mr Cadbury) has hit the spot with this fizzing bar of delights.
Price: 80g bar £4
Stockists: Available from Paperchase, Harrods, Harvey Nichols and online at Love Cocoa.
4. For a Chocolate Bar that’s Good Inside and Out: Prodigy Chocolate Bar
What: Prodigy Snacks have launched new Better for you chocolate bars with a unique vegan formula made from all natural and clean ingredients. We already can’t get enough!
The Lowdown: Prodigy Snacks is a new chocolate and biscuit brand on the scene. Their two chocolate bars include the Chunky Chocolate Bar and the Chunky Orange Chocolate with Baobab Bar and are available online and selected stores. Using natural ingredients with nutritional benefits, Prodigy Snacks wants to bring significant changes to the mainstream market with indulgent products that evoke the same chocolate pleasure without the nasties. The icing on this chocolate snack is that all their bars come in 100% compostable plastic-free packaging and Prodigy Snacks proudly donates 5% of all profits to support the Blue Marine Foundation, Akshaya Patra, Friends of the Earth and Hope for Justice.
Price: £1.75 each.
Stockists: Available from Amazon, Yumbles, Borough Box and several independent eCommerce stores as well as their online store.
5. For a Chilled Nordic Quark Bar: YAAR Chocolate Bar
What: YAAR, the award-winning brand behind the UK’s first range of delicious chilled quark bars have three flavours you simply must try this summer.
The Lowdown: A Nordic favourite, quark is produced by mixing cow’s milk with natural lactic acid, creating a thick and creamy product that is rich in protein and low in sugar, with a moreish taste that is neither sweet nor sour. YAAR has incorporated this fabulous dairy product and coated it in either a delicious Belgian milk chocolate, caramel or toffee glaze. Just like yoghurt in taste with the consistency of cheesecake, each bar is under 140 calories, gluten-free and suitable for vegetarians. We love the Cloudberry flavour – a Nordic superfruit with a delicious floral sweetness and a zesty lemon kick. Their classic vanilla pairs vanilla quark with a Belgian chocolate coating for a simple snack that hits the mark. Finally, for the sweet tooths and those in need of a quick pick-me-up, their toffee bar combines the vanilla quark with a heavenly toffee glaze.
Price: £1 each
Stockists: Available at Sainsbury’s and Whole Foods Market (currently on offer in Sainsbury’s for 75p each until 17th July!)
6. For Premium Ice Cream: Nuii Ice Cream
What: It’s not strictly a chocolate bar but as it’s summer, a chocolatey ice cream feast is too good a chance to pass up and what better way to indulge than with Nuii’s UK launch? A premium ice cream like no other, their luxury flavours are simply to die for.
The Lowdown: Nuii has harvested the finest ingredients, carefully sourced off the beaten track from all corners of the globe to create four flavour combinations guaranteed to excite even the most discerning palettes. Nuii’s first flavour, Salted Caramel and Australian Macadamia is a delectable crunchy texture wrapped into delicious milk chocolate brittle and swirled with creamy vanilla ice cream. Combined with a salty caramel sauce, it’s a mouthful of heaven. For dark chocolate lovers, their Dark Chocolate and Nordic Berry intrigues your tastebuds with a blend of thick chocolate ice cream folded in with lashings of succulent blueberry sauce. To finish off it’s topped with dark chocolate, cocoa nibs and handpicked blueberries nurtured in the glacial valleys of the Nordics. Cookie and Idaho Mint is an invigorating ice cream blended with chocolate cookies and encased in a milk chocolate shell scattered with even more indulgent cookie pieces to take your breath away. Finally, Nuii’s Almond and Java Vanilla promises an exquisite taste from the lush green terraces and volcanic landscape of Java. The vanilla’s natural smoky sweet flavour is enhanced with creamy ice cream and locked inside a milk chocolate shell. Go on, treat yourself!
Price: £3.80 per pack
Stockists: Nuii is available nationwide at all major supermarkets in 3 packs of each flavour.
