The Plate Up Chocolate Play-Off - Round1
Chocolate love
In the run up to Valentine’s Day, one naturally thinks of love… and chocolate.
Chocolate is the ultimate romantic food and releases those feel-good endorphins that revive the senses, particularly during a cold, dark winter!
It is also claimed to have some health benefits – eating chocolate can ease a sore throat, as well as lift your mood. It might also reduce your risk of a heart attack: see this article at Science Daily, for some research facts suggesting that chocolate in moderation is good for you.
So the good news is that chocolate itself is beneficial, you just have to take care with the accompanying sugar and calories. Moderation is best, which is an excuse to indulge in the most expensive chocolate you can afford – it’s quality, not quantity, that counts and usually the higher the percentage of cocoa solids the better!
The “Best Chocolate in the World” is reputed to be Amadei Chuao or Valrhona Grands Crus, or perhaps an artisanal product, such as from Pierre Hermé (the Picasso of Pastry according to Vogue). Unfortunately those tend to be relatively expensive and difficult to find in the local Spar (unless yours is a particularly gourmet branch).
Having said that there are less expensive, accessible and highly enjoyable chocolate bars out there. Here are a few from the High Street that we have tested for choco bliss….
Seeds of Change organic dark chocolate 70% cocoa
This is smooth and tastes really good – a definite hint of cherry-berriness which is more-ish! Follows a policy of assisting sustainable cocoa farming which maintains biodiversity.
Green and Blacks 85%
Good for cooking, also quite velvety and satisfying eaten straight, although there is more hint of acidity than the seeds of change.
Lidl JD Gross Arriba Superior 81% premium cocoa
This chocolate is very solid, hard to melt in the mouth and has a banana-esters flavour in there somewhere. Not the best on texture - kind of powdery but distinctive taste
Tesco 74% cocoa ivory coast plain chocolate
This melted in the mouth like satin and was the most chocolate-y! Much less bitter, a red wine overtone made this very satisfying – impressive.
Green and Blacks 70%
This is definitely best for cooking, hard with almost a sugar burn. There were edges of coffee, vanilla, a definite burst of sweetness. Probably best for putting in the chocolate brownies; the least satisfying to sample straight.
Co-operative truly irresistible Fair-trade dark chocolate 85% cocoa
Solid, hard to bite, but soon melts in mouth to reveal voluptuous chocolate cherry sourness overtones. Very impressive and good to know it’s Fair-trade! Available in large and handier 40g sizes, so one to slip into the handbag/rucksack.
It was great to have the luxury of trying each in turn and discovering how different they were. It’s definitely worth seeking out your favourite to suit your own particular taste, or occasion, just like coffee, red wine, or whisky!
The Plate up crew finally came up with this order:
First
Tesco 74% Ivory Coast chocolate
Because it is just sooo chocolaty! The one to keep in the kitchen drawer to piggle while cooking.
Second
Seeds of Change organic dark chocolate 70%
This is smooth and more-ish and we want a bar in the fridge at all times
Third
Cooperative Fair-trade 85% Cocoa
Great to have on the go for that ultimate chocolate boost – one square at a time is enough and so much healthier than snaffling a whole milk chocolate bar!
Fourth
Green and Blacks 85%
Interesting, satisfying but not quite as palatable as those above – great for cooking.
Fifth
JD Gross 81%
Also interesting but more for cooking than savouring neat, we thought, because of the powdery texture.
Sixth
Green and Blacks 70%
Definitely one for cooking with; would be great combined with ingredients. Eaten straight it’s just a little too much burn on the throat to be altogether pleasant.
Perhaps the final three are useful to have as the emergency backup, for when there is no more chocolate in the house and snowdrifts stop you going down the shops. You can cook up some brownies or enjoy a square or two melted in the microwave and use apple slices to dip!
Looking forward to a chocolate confection play-off in the future...
Chocolate is the ultimate romantic food and releases those feel-good endorphins that revive the senses, particularly during a cold, dark winter!
It is also claimed to have some health benefits – eating chocolate can ease a sore throat, as well as lift your mood. It might also reduce your risk of a heart attack: see this article at Science Daily, for some research facts suggesting that chocolate in moderation is good for you.
So the good news is that chocolate itself is beneficial, you just have to take care with the accompanying sugar and calories. Moderation is best, which is an excuse to indulge in the most expensive chocolate you can afford – it’s quality, not quantity, that counts and usually the higher the percentage of cocoa solids the better!
The “Best Chocolate in the World” is reputed to be Amadei Chuao or Valrhona Grands Crus, or perhaps an artisanal product, such as from Pierre Hermé (the Picasso of Pastry according to Vogue). Unfortunately those tend to be relatively expensive and difficult to find in the local Spar (unless yours is a particularly gourmet branch).
Having said that there are less expensive, accessible and highly enjoyable chocolate bars out there. Here are a few from the High Street that we have tested for choco bliss….
Seeds of Change organic dark chocolate 70% cocoaThis is smooth and tastes really good – a definite hint of cherry-berriness which is more-ish! Follows a policy of assisting sustainable cocoa farming which maintains biodiversity.
Green and Blacks 85%
Good for cooking, also quite velvety and satisfying eaten straight, although there is more hint of acidity than the seeds of change.
Lidl JD Gross Arriba Superior 81% premium cocoa
This chocolate is very solid, hard to melt in the mouth and has a banana-esters flavour in there somewhere. Not the best on texture - kind of powdery but distinctive taste
Tesco 74% cocoa ivory coast plain chocolate
This melted in the mouth like satin and was the most chocolate-y! Much less bitter, a red wine overtone made this very satisfying – impressive.
Green and Blacks 70%
This is definitely best for cooking, hard with almost a sugar burn. There were edges of coffee, vanilla, a definite burst of sweetness. Probably best for putting in the chocolate brownies; the least satisfying to sample straight.
Co-operative truly irresistible Fair-trade dark chocolate 85% cocoa
Solid, hard to bite, but soon melts in mouth to reveal voluptuous chocolate cherry sourness overtones. Very impressive and good to know it’s Fair-trade! Available in large and handier 40g sizes, so one to slip into the handbag/rucksack.
It was great to have the luxury of trying each in turn and discovering how different they were. It’s definitely worth seeking out your favourite to suit your own particular taste, or occasion, just like coffee, red wine, or whisky!
The Plate up crew finally came up with this order:
First
Tesco 74% Ivory Coast chocolate
Because it is just sooo chocolaty! The one to keep in the kitchen drawer to piggle while cooking.
Second
Seeds of Change organic dark chocolate 70%
This is smooth and more-ish and we want a bar in the fridge at all times
Third
Cooperative Fair-trade 85% Cocoa
Great to have on the go for that ultimate chocolate boost – one square at a time is enough and so much healthier than snaffling a whole milk chocolate bar!
Fourth
Green and Blacks 85%
Interesting, satisfying but not quite as palatable as those above – great for cooking.
Fifth
JD Gross 81%
Also interesting but more for cooking than savouring neat, we thought, because of the powdery texture.
Sixth
Green and Blacks 70%
Definitely one for cooking with; would be great combined with ingredients. Eaten straight it’s just a little too much burn on the throat to be altogether pleasant.
Perhaps the final three are useful to have as the emergency backup, for when there is no more chocolate in the house and snowdrifts stop you going down the shops. You can cook up some brownies or enjoy a square or two melted in the microwave and use apple slices to dip!
Looking forward to a chocolate confection play-off in the future...
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