Sampling Chocolates From Amelia's Chocolate, Scarborough
Published On Friday 2 Feb 2018 by Sticky Beak
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I like it when The Man Bird has to go out for his day job; not only does it get him out from under my feet, but when it’s to a trade show, he normally brings some goodies home for me to try. I have a bias towards savoury things, His Nibs has the sweeter tooth in our Nest; having said that, I do love a proper good quality, high Cocoa content Chocolate.
Amelia’s Chocolate happened to be standing at the trade fair that The Man Birds Company was at, and during a lull he wandered over to have a cheeky sample or two! He and Amelia got talking and he ended up buying a few bits to bring home; Amelia very kindly gave him some extra bits for us to try too.
I know that my Man has a penchant for Turkish Delight, so I said I would treat him to a box of the Chocolate covered morsels that Amelia had on her stall. The chunks were a lovely generous size and wonderfully fragrant, but best of all (according to His Nibs) they had a gorgeous covering of dark chocolate that not only cracked nicely when bitten into but also partnered the sweet treat very nicely.
Amelia makes all her chocolates herself along with her dedicated team at the shop she has in Scarborough, and you can taste the love and care that goes into each artisan chocolate. We had a box of the Mix Up Chocolates and this lovely little parcel had White and Milk Rainbow Drops in (remember those from your childhood?) except these were giant sized ones - mega yum :) The White Chocolate fudge was simply gorgeous; all rich, creamy loveliness that melted on the tongue, and I was a totally smitten kitten when it came to the Salted Caramel drops; they actually were salty!
Nobody can resist a good Cinder Toffee, especially one that has lashings of chocolate encasing it like a luxury robe. I am a fan of Lavender, both in the Osmic sense and in the Gastro sense, although I haven’t had it in chocolate before. Amelia scatters individual Lavender flowers in molten White chocolate drops and lets it set; the taste is beautiful and not at all over-powering, I suppose you would compare it to Parma Violets in strength of flavour.
For puritans there are the unadulterated chocolate drops, available in both White and Milk versions. I would be tempted to dip these into a cup of hot milk personally, a bit like dippers you can get. I would also pile in loads of marshmallows and oodles of whipped cream, but that’s just me!! But wait, Amelia has already done that for me (minus the whipped cream) with her amazing Milk Choc Marshmallow Hot Choc Stirrer; all the hard work has been taken out of making a delicious Hot Choc. Yay!! :)
As well as individual small chocolates, Amelia does a fantastic range of chocolate slabs and bars. His Nibs loved the White Chocolate and Strawberry bar; I found it a little too sweet, but then I don’t have such a sweet tooth as him. The White chocolate is undeniably creamy, deliciously so, and the Strawberry in it wasn’t artificial in taste at all.
The Chocolate Orange bar was more up my street, probably due to the Dark chocolate it contained. It was really nicely presented with delicate orange stripes on the top and pastel orange hued centre. It was smooth and mellow to taste, and not at all bitter; the Orange note was just the right strength. Another Dark chocolate slab has been partnered with slices of dried Cranberries, and the sharp taste of the fruit was a great contrast against the chocolate. Let’s not forget the all-important factor here either - it counts as one of your 5-a-day because it has fruit in, right?!
I went all gooey inside when the next bar to sample was a cheeky little Dark Chocolate and Crystallised Ginger number. I love Ginger, simple. There is something sophisticated about grown-up, robust dark chocolate and spicy, warming Ginger pieces; it makes the palate sit up and pay attention. It also manages to satisfy both sweet- and savoury- toothed camps. On a personal level I was very pleased to see the crystallised Ginger pieces were good sizes; His Nibs was pleased for a different reason – the thickness of the chocolate!
Sighs of joy echoed around our living space when we bit into the Dark Chocolate Praline bar. A lovely thick, dark chocolate shell encompassed a smooth, nutty praline centre and it truly was a delightful morsel to savour. It was also the prettiest in my opinion, with its gently shimmering surface that enticed you to bite into itJ
If you find yourselves in Scarborough, do pop in and treat yourself to some of Amelia’s Chocolates, they are superb. You can also order online via the website; www.ameliaschocolate.co.uk
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