Quality not quantity

There are very few people who don’t love chocolate, and of course it doesn’t all have to be of the high end, artisan variety. However, when you consider food and health together, there is a school of thought that says that a quality product that is made using quality ingredients, with provenance, is more likely to satisfy those chocolate cravings, without the need to eat huge quantities.

Here in the UK, Chocolate Week, which celebrates international fine chocolate brands, gets bigger and bigger every year, which is great news as it shows that more and more people are starting to appreciate fine chocolate. What makes it even better is that, perhaps unsurprisingly, there are plenty of friendly happy people involved to share it with.

I started the week with some judging for the International Chocolate Awards, which was held in London, and what a pleasure it was. This was my third year on the tasting panel and each time I take part I learn more and more about the nuances of fine chocolate. It really is a fascinating subject for so many reasons.

Earlier in the year, I was awarded a Level 1 Certificate in Chocolate Tasting after attending a course held by the International Institute of Chocolate Tasting. The institute was founded by four internationally renowned experts in tasting chocolate, tea and wine, who together have many years of experience in tasting and exploring the world of fine chocolate – Martin Christy, founder of UK chocolate brand Seventy%; Monica Meschini, a chocolate taster from Italy; Maricel Presilla, a chef and author from the US; and Nancy Gilchrist, independent educator and wine expert.

I didn’t realise how much I had learnt until I was again called upon to take part in this event. However, as with anything, becoming an expert takes many years of dedication. This is certainly a worthy cause.
I look forward to hearing the results; the world final winners will be announced at The Chocolate Show, Olympia, London on Saturday. In the meantime, I will be attending the show myself on Friday and am looking forward to seeing some familiar faces, and honing and developing my chocolate tasting skills of course…