15 October 2017
All eyes are on London this week as the global chocolate community congregates to celebrate a week of all things chocolate. Amidst this buzz of excitement and as a follow on to my chocolate adventures last year, let’s shine the limelight on London’s bean to bar scene. How does it stack up against its European and American counterparts and where can one seek such experiences?
Who says you can’t have chocolates for breakfast, lunch and dinner? They mustn’t have discovered Rabot 1745, the sister bar, cafe and restaurant to Hotel Chocolat, one of Britain’s imminent tree and bean to bar chocolate makers.
At Rabot 1745, start your morning with a cup of decadent hot chocolate, made from cacao grown in Hotel Chocolat’s own estate in Saint Lucia, while people watching outside London’s Borough Market. Then, sit down to one of many cacao inspired dishes from their menu and sip on a cacao cocktail to while away the rest of your afternoon.
When you’re ready for chocolates from Hotel Chocolat, head to the retail section to select from an impressive range of bean and tree to bar chocolates, bon bons and other chocolate inspired products. My top pick is the Rare and Vintage range that includes single origin bars made with cacao from their Saint Lucia estate, Vietnam, Honduras, Ghana, Ecuador and Colombia. If you’re feeling adventurous, give the Buffalo milk bar a go.
Rabot 1745 and Hotel Chocolat were born out of Angus Thirlwell and Peter Harris’ love affair with cocoa, starting back in 1988. From catalogue sales and subscriptions of chocolates, their business evolved to retail chocolates, culminating in the creation of the Hotel Chocolate brand. The acquisition of the Rabot estate in Saint Lucia and the opening of a hotel within the estate soon followed and more recently, the extension into restaurants including Rabot 1745.
Get your chocolate fix in more ways than one at Rabot 1745, at London’s Borough Market.
Damson Chocolate
What happens when a renowned chocolate blogger redirects his creative prowess to crafting chocolates? A new bean to bar chocolate star is born, of course.
On offer at Damson is an exclusive range of limited edition, great tasting, single origin bean to bar chocolates including the Madagascar 70%, Vietnam 74% Tien Giang and Vietnam 70% Lam Dong (made with beans generously donated by Marou Chocolate).
Damson craft chocolate is the newest kid on the block in the London bean to bar scene. However, chocolate maker and owner Dom Ramsay is no stranger to the chocolate world. He’s the creator of Chocablog, the biggest and longest running chocolate blog on the web, and a past judge for chocolate awards including the Academy of Chocolate Awards and World Chocolate Masters. Most recently, Dom released his first chocolate book titled “Chocolate: Indulge Your Inner Chocoholic”. What a chocolate legend!
Having been fortunate enough to catch Dom on a quiet day, I was taken on a tour of his shop and rebuilt chocolate kitchen. Dom has shown much resilience in rebuilding after a fire tore through his shop last year.
Damson is located in the heart of Chapel Market, in Islington.
Akesson’s is another shining star on the London bean to bar scene.
The chocolates are made bean and more accurately tree to bar using cacao grown in Akesson’s own estates in Madagascar, Brazil and Indonesia, and paired with unique peppers cultivated alongside his prized cacao trees.
Bertil Akesson is the force behind the brand. Inspired by a childhood spent moving across continents until his family settled in Madagascar, Bertil became fascinated with cocoa, spices and other tropical commodities. Years later, he now owns cacao plantations across three continents and shares his passion for fine chocolates and peppers with the world.
The Akesson’s Organic boutique is located in the trendy suburb of Notting Hill in London.
The Verdict:
There is plenty of excitement in London’s bustling bean to bar scene. I’ve barely scratched the surface. Along with the likes of Beau Cacao and makers based outside of London such as Solkiki, Pump Street Bakery and Duffy’s, English bean to bar makers have elevated English craft chocolates to a force to be reckoned with and at par with their European and American counterparts. A hearty congratulations on this achievement and to all winners of the 2017 International Chocolate Awards in London!
