Very Peculiar Indeed

Warning: This post may contain Marmite……and celery.

 

 

Marmite Chocolate

The two words seems almost uncomfortable in the same sentence yet there they are in big bold letters. There have been many Marmite products but none so intriguing as this.

After months of intense testing I am finally ready to share the shocking truth…it really is very…erm...peculiar.

The first thing everyone seems to do is have a sniff and I was no different. A good long inhalation of its odour confirmed without a doubt that this was Marmite.

Then comes the tentative nibble with the anticipation of all the preconceptions that have been building up after first casting eyes on this strange yet tantalising item of confectionary.

One glance at the ingredients gives us no clue at all and merely adds to the intrigue. Cocoa is to be expected but garlic, onion and a stark warning about celery?

What manner of chocolate are we dealing with here?

Let's find out…..

Inside, the bar is neatly divided into lots of small squares, ideal for those tentative explorations into the unknown. Disappointingly there is no fancy etching or embossing of the chocolate itself, but nevertheless it looks very chocolatey and inviting.

But what does it taste like?

Very peculiar. The tentative nibble gives way to another, and then another. The taste buds are looking for Marmite, they expect Marmite, they demand Marmite. There is no Marmite. This is a good thing. What does emerge is a very peculiar flavour, and that is good peculiar. I have yet to find a victim test subject who does not emerge from the experience with a smile and a nod of approval.

Recommended?

Whole heartedly recommended to Marmite lovers and haters a like. A unique, and as advertised, Very Peculiar flavoured chocolate that will certainly be crossing my palate again.

Credits

Thanks and credit must go to @bopterror for the gift of this chocolate proving once more that Twitter is a source of unparalleled confectionery and great people. :-)

Aye Aye Captain

The charming and iridescent @TheFlossieTP has once again come up trumps and delivered yet another chilli chocolatey specimen for me to sample. This time Chili Bird’s Eye from zotter.

It is described as….

“Genuine chocolate culture. A ganache of bright soy chocolate with a fiery chilli filling, refined with grape marc spirit, is immersed in a noble bitter chocolate coating.”

Behold!

Taking it slowly, we do not want to rush things, let us flip this thing over and see what delights await us…




So, a product from our European cousins in Austria?

“…filled with Chilli Bird’s eye cream” and “..contains alcohol..”?

Curiouser and curiouser!

Slice and Dice

The outside packing opens to reveal an inside of the brightest gold adorned with the manufacturers name.



This then opens up to a single smooth bar.

No lines to snap? No individual pieces to break off? Great! I get to use a knife!!



The “cream” makes sense with the first incision…



The smooth dark chocolate outer layer protecting the soft chilli creamy goodness of the interior.

So like any normal person given the blank canvas of a chocolate bar, I chopped it up into triangular pieces.

Hot Damn!

Finished with unwrapping, smelling its delicate bouquet, and giving it a surreptitious squeeze while no one was looking, it was time to taste this tantalising delicacy.

A gentle crunch from both sides through the outside chocolate and I am in, quickly moving through the soft cream centre. The chilli flavour was immediately evident, this sucker was not pulling any punches. No gentle introduction with soft lights, Barry White and a glass of wine. No, this bar takes you straight to the bedroom where it gently caresses your taste buds with a strong intense burst of chilli that slowly dies leaving you gasping for your next piece.

Finally, lying there dishevelled, out of breath, smoking a cigarette and staring at the empty packet, the verdict is a definite thumbs up. All that is left to do is take a long cold shower.

The Moral of the Story

You learn something new every day (Ganache? Who knew?), good things can come in small packages and the world, despite claims to the contrary, is filled with really nice people, a goodly sample can be found on my twitter timeline.

Salut!

Lichfield with a Dash of Torch

The Olympic Torch started by landing in Cornwall then made its way north, south, east and west, meandering its way around the United Kingdom before finally heading south towards London.

Saturday 30th June 2012 saw the Olympic Torch in Lichfield where a whole day of events had been laid on to mark the occasion.

This part of the leg started in Derby then headed to Burton-upon-Trent (where they make Marmite) making a stop at the National Memorial Arboretum where it started the Armed Forces Day event, then from there it headed into Lichfield…

We’re off to see the Torch

The weather reports were not looking good and many roads were going to be blocked from 8:30 onwards so we had to get a move on.

The weather was in fact better than forecast and can be summed up by this picture…..sunshine and showers.



We joined the stream of people heading into the centre of the city and saw that many people were already
gathering at various places along the route to catch a glimpse of the torch as it passed.

 

Perched and Waiting

We perched ourselves up some steps on the side of the pavement and waited patiently for the show to begin.

Later that day there would be The Lichfield Dash where brave runners would try to run around the cathedral before the midday bells had finished chiming. Providing a little celebrity for the event was none other than Roger Black who for some strange reason seems to be surrendering.




The people gathered, the sun shone and classic cars from the Cars in the Park event provided a drive-by warm-up.




Now the torch convoy kicked into gear. Lots of police on motorcycles followed by support cars and buses then the various sponsor’s buses.



Then the “grey runners” appeared bringing fun and frivolity?



And finally, the event we had been waiting for, the Olympic Torch (blink and you will miss it)!

The Olympic Torch

The excitement over in the blink of an eye and the crowds depart.

Up the road and down the road. It was a good turnout.


The atmosphere was great and the crowds, officials and police were all polite and friendly. Everyone was having fun.

A very pleasant experience, I am glad we went.

 

But Wait, There is More!

As mentioned earlier, a whole day of events lay ahead….of which I attended only one….The Lichfield Dash.

Set in the shadow of Lichfield Cathedral…



The idea was to run around the perimeter of Lichfield Cathedral (about 430m) within the time it takes for the bells to chime midday (about 58 seconds). Not something for the faint hearted.

Clearly this event was going to take place at midday, but up to that time they were holding various races around the course for all ages. Alongside this they had other entertainments including singing and dancing.

I will cut to chase as it were (pun intended) and describe just two of the events.

Man vs. Bike

Each year they pit a runner against a cyclist. Not entirely fair, so they give the runner a 30 second head start.

It appears for the last two years the cyclist has won.

So was this year going to be different?

Man vs. Bike

Sooooo close!! May be next year.

The Dash

Only four brave souls entered this year….

On your marks!

 

Get set!

 

Go!!!

A couple of them even beat the chimes…

The Lichfield Dash

And to the winner go the spoils…presented by, you guessed it, Roger Black.



With that, I went home.

What, More Chocolate?

Three more delightful chocolates have made it to my discerning palate.

Huge thanks go out to the ineffable force of nature that is @TheFlossieTP for the delightful little number from Hotel Chocolat, and to my sister Julie for the gingery delight by Bovetti (nope, not heard of them before either) bought back from a recent trip to France. I have to thank myself for the third one, the Dark Wasabi from Lindt.

Line Them Up!

From left to right we have:

Chocolat Noir Gingembre by Bovetti

Even my limited language skills manage this translation to Dark Ginger Chocolate with Pure Cocoa Butter.





Top marks for presentation. The packaging, while simple, looked good with quirky little pictures and their trademark ship on the back. The chocolate itself was also handsomely presented with individually worded blocks.




But what about the taste?

I have to admit I have been disappointed with ginger chocolate in the past. Not this time though.
With 73% cocoa I was expecting it to be a little on the strong/bitter side but this was not the case.
It was crunchy with just a hint of the dark chocolate bitterness offset nicely with the subtle taste of ginger.

Chilli and Orange 70% Dark by Hotel Chocolat

The packaging claims:

“Zesty orange gives way to smooth dark chocolate then a gentle chilli tingle.”

They are not wrong and I could not have said it better.



Admittedly, I am a sucker for orange chocolate (yes, I love chocolate oranges) so this was getting points before we started.

Opening the packet I was greeted with the intoxicating mixed aromas of chocolate and orange; I was in heaven.

Even better than this was the surprise of there being not one, but two bars hiding inside!



Again, here I have to give top marks for presentation for the markings and the embossed Hotel Chocolat insignia.


The taste experience was as advertised on the packaging. The orange flavour hits you first followed by the dark chocolate and finally when you wonder where the chilli is it hits you, starting slowly building to a nice warmth which stays with you to remind you of the delightful experience.

Dark Wasabi by Lindt

I always head to the chocolate aisles in supermarkets in the hope of finding something different. On this particular day I was not disappointed!



Wasabi is not an obvious choice to mix with chocolate but I am willing to try anything and when it comes from someone like Lindt you have to have a little faith.

I am not sure about everyone else but wasabi hits me in the nose and has a tendency to make my eyes water and sneeze.

Yes, you guessed it, the chocolate did the same thing.

The wasabi taste was very strong and noticeable but so was the chocolate. My first impression was that of this was a disconnection of tastes rather than a smooth mixture.

Regardless, it was a tasty chocolate and when handed out to colleagues at a recent work event seemed to go down well and in some cases was rated above some of the chilli chocolates.

Not to everybody’s taste but well worth trying!

The Scores on the Doors

The winner here today, hands down, has to be the Chilli and Orange from Hotel Chocolat. The subtle flavour and gentle release of the chilli makes this an obvious choice.