Green and Blacks Chocolate

You think Galaxy is the spirit of chocolate decadence? Cadbury’s is the ‘real deal’? Oh boy, do you not know what you’re missing! Green and Blacks – two words that will lead you to chocolate ecstasy!

Come over hear, and let me explain.

This stuff is, quite possibly, the food of the gods. And it’s organic, GM free, and fairly traded – and how often can you indulge in something so decedent with a clear conscience? I was converted to Green and Black’s many years ago, when it was still only really available in health food shops. I’m glad to say that their range is now much more widely available – newsagents, supermarkets and coffee shops as well as branches of Oxfam and health food shops.

It may be slightly more expensive than your everyday chockie bar, but the taste is so intense, it’s well worth it. In fact this chocolate is good for weight loss – once you’re converted you’ll never scoff down a whole bar of dairy milk absent mindedly ever again. Plus there’s less sugar and oil in each bar. Plus there’s the thought that that little bit extra you pay for your treat is going towards paying the people who grew and made it – and who needs that 15p more?

The individual 20g bars are normally about 60 pence, the larger 100g/ 120g bars about £1.80 to £2. Personally I find the very thin shape of the 20g bars slightly spoils the whole luxury thing, so would rather by a big bar, and wrap up each section myself. – Or at least that’s what I tell myself when I buy it anyway. You can also get little miniatures – individual squares – for about 20p, which make great mini-treats, and excellent stocking fillers.

The Range itself:

70% Dark Chocolate (Big and small bars available)

Now I’m a dark chocolate fiend – I like my chocolate dark and strong and not overly sweet (any similarities to Eddie Izzard’s ‘I like my women like I like my coffee’ sketch is entirely in your own head, you know). And this is the stuff of dreams – real chocolate taste, not drowned in cream and sugar and oils and stuff. And the texture as it melts in your mouth. Mmmmm. A rich, rounded taste. Less bitter than Lindt’s dark chocolate, and a million miles from Bournville’s gritty over-sugared sweetness.

This also provides the base for their Mint with honey and mint cream center (Begone foul After Eights!) and hazelnut and raisin (Take * that * Cadburys Fruit and Nut!) varieties, although I think I prefer my chocolate un adulterated myself.

72% Cooking Chocolate (150g bars only)

Even more concentrated than the dream-machine above – this is possibly the perfect chocolate! Packs a real punch, and makes the most divine brownies, if you can restrain yourself from just eating it out of the package. And it comes wrapped in black – style and taste – what more can a girl ask for!

Organic Fairtrade Maya Gold (Big and small bars available)

This is the bar Oxfam’s Fairtrade program was originally promoting. A lighter dark chocolate (only 55% cocoa solids) flavored with orange oil and spices and vanilla for sweetness – essentially the essence of Christmas. Not as strongly flavored as say a dark chocolate orange, but very yummy all the same. Definitely a winter treat.

Milk Chocolate (Big and small bars available)

Wrapped in bright purple paper, this eye-catching bar more than delivers – real creamy goodness here. Somewhere between Cadburys and Galaxy in creaminess, but less overpoweringly sweet. Much nicer than Lindt milk chocolate.

They also use this to make the cutest chocolate in the world – Kinkajou bars. Much better than Cadburys wildlife bars – actually in the shape of the cute lemur like creatures who live where the cocoa is grown. Totally irresistible for kids and grown ups (at least if you’re me)

White Chocolate (Big and small bars available)

Now, normally I would dispute white chocolate’s claim to be called chocolate at all – it’s normally more sugar and oil than anything resembling actual chocolate. But this is actually a dreamy treat – Full cream milk and vanilla along with the cocoa butter that makes it melt so deliciously. Perfect for kids, or for dropping into a mug of coffee.

In addition to actual chocolate bars, Green and Blacks are extending into chocolate biscuits, hot chocolate (the real kind, with milk) ice cream and chocolate spread. Each as yummy as you would expect from these chocolate meisters. There’s no risk here that you’re going to have to compromise on quality or taste because they’re an ethical company – this is what all green products should be – the very best they can be!

Their website http://www.greenandblacks.com/home/defau​lt.php4 has details of all their products, and even an option for mail order if you can’t track them down locally.

Overall, ten out of ten. Gold stars all round.

Go. Enjoy. Spread the word of the chocolate!