27 February 2011

Cherries & Chocolate - Green & Blacks / Hotel Chocolat [By @Nli10]

Over Christmas I had the opportunity to try a few odd combinations of dark chocolate (my favourite) and cherries (something I've never really seen the appeal in).


These Hotel Chocolate Mulled Wine Cherries were a gift to my partner from my sister for Christmas. They are a strange proposition as they are actual cherries, soaked in mulled wine and then coated in lush dark chocolate. They are perfect sharing snack items as they smell fantastic, have a powerful and lasting impression and you really don't need more than a couple.

Essentially they have a very alcoholic taste and (while the aftertaste is very much cherry and chocolate) this is the lasting memory I have of these. We still have some left - the taste is nice and not off-putting, but the strength of it means that I couldn't just sit there and munch away. As a casual everyday snack they just don't work, but pass these out after Xmas dinner or at a new years party and you'd have a hit on your hands.


There are a series of five minibars in the current Green & Blacks gift set, but due to the curse of FoodStuff Finds I ignored my favourite (the very dark bar) and went for the unknown - dark choc with cherries. I needn't have worried though, small and powerful as this bar is the flavours are actually quite nice. The sweetness of the cherries offset the bitterness of the chocolate and enables you to polish the bar off in double time. While working away this little snack didn't stand a chance and left a nice taste in my mouth to boot.

I'd happily buy more of these - probably not as a full size bar, but these minis work well. And as other people seemed to leave the cherry bar till last you may be able to sneak in a couple of them from the box before someone else figures out they are quite a good match.

Overall I was surprised at how well these two flavours work, and while I'm more enamoured by the Green & Black's bar I think it's the mulled wine not the cherries that makes the Hotel Chocolate cherries a one-bite-is-enough experience.
By @Nli10

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