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37 K64 S42 021228

We were delighted to see the Tasting Club truck in the flesh during our recent visit to Ghana. However, we were even more delighted to hear that its arrival has had some unexpected consequences.

We’ve often commented on the difficulties involved in getting around the cocoa-growing areas of the Osuben Basin. Indeed, the treacherous state of the roads witnessed during the last rainy season was one of the main reasons for the purchase of the aforementioned truck. So we’re very pleased to report that from the word go, the truck has lived up to all expectations. In particular, we were heartened to meet two farmers, each of whom has had over 1,000 seedlings delivered this season. Before the arrival of the truck their farms were inaccessible.

find out more on page 13

Hurricane Tomas made an unexpected visit to Saint Lucia, passing directly over Rabot Estate and the new hotel. Club Founder, Angus Thirlwell was there and witnessed everything.

Hotel passes hurricane test

Truck-U-Lent!

See page 15

We’ve dug out a rather compromising photo that is just crying out for a caption this month. Send us yours and you could win one of three Sleekster Everything Selections up for grabs.

Feeling Witty?

The Chocolatier’s Mystery isn’t just the perfect game for the party season – if you solve the crime you could win a whole year of FREE tasting boxes! See back cover for your last chance to order.

WIN awhole yeaR of fRee TaSTing!

continued on page 8...

The truck is inscribed with this old Ghanaian saying that rings true today more than ever.

newsThe monthly newsletter from the Tasting Club

Issue 131

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Send your letters to The Chocolate Tasting Club, Mint house, Royston Sg8 5hl, or simply email me on simon@hotelchocolat.co.uk we are waiting to hear from you!

Fancy winning a whole year’s worth of tasting boxes by doing nothing other

than being a member? See page 4

i do hope you’ll excuse my rather corny headline on the front page this month, i just couldn’t resist. Corny it may be, but it really does sum up what’s

happening with the Tasting Club truck over in ghana. we didn’t realise until we got there, but it is already a valued member of the community, lending itself to many communal projects and generally pulling its weight. Further good news is that it seems to have inspired the village to really rally round. The elders have told us on previous trips to Osuben that they were worried about the decline in community spirit.

ediTOrLetter from the

Further good news is that it seems to have inspired the village to really rally round.“ ”On page 13 this month you’ll see that the hurricane season produced a last and unusually late hurricane this year. Unfortunately, hurricane Tomas struck the south of saint lucia and the soufriere region was particularly badly affected. Hotel Chocolat co-founders, Angus and Peter, as well as their wives, were all there.

And finally, i’d just like to say that the photo on page 15 is terribly misleading. There is, of course, a completely innocent explanation but i do look forward to reading your captions.

Until next month, happy tasting!

simon Thirlwell Club news editor

EdIToR

CHOCOlATe enrOBing

Improve your chocolate knowledge

enrobing is the process by which individual chocolates are given an outer shell by being slowly passed through a waterfall

of molten chocolate. Typically, this involves fairly firm fillings, like pralines for example, that are either piped onto chocolate discs or

made in trays and then ‘guitar’ cut with wires. The advantages are twofold, firstly it seals in the filling and helps keep it fresh. Secondly, by doing that, it allows chocolatiers to use fillings that are too textured or too firm to be suitable for moulded shells.

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dOn’T FOrgeT – score by post or online at www.chocs.co.uk and you’ll be automatically entered into the prize draw

winnersThis month’s Prize Draw

How would you like to receive FREE tasting boxes for a whole year? Well, this is your chance because at the end of January we’ll be entering all of our current members into a Prize draw.

What do you need to do to enter? All you need to do is keep enjoying your tasting selections, as all active members on 31st January 2011 will be automatically entered. The draw will take place in February and the results will be announced at the end of that month.

What can you win? We’ll choose 10 winners in total and they’ll all win their current frequency of monthly boxes, as at 31st January. For example, if you are taking every monthly selection, your prize will be 13 boxes. Or if you are taking every other selection, then you’ll win 7 boxes and so on.

S39 Elements prize draw winner is Mrs Jane Wade from York who wins a Nutmania Giant Slab.

Next month’s prize is a Rocky Road Giant Slab.

K61 dark Selection prize draw winner is Mrs J Beckingham from Chesterfield who wins a Sleekster Serious Dark Fix Selection.

Next month’s prize is a Peepster Dark Adventure of slabs.

d128 Classic Selection prize draw winner is Elfriede Thompson from Hereford who wins a Sleekster Milk Oblivion Selection.

Next month’s prize is a warming Winter Cocktails Selection.

Your chance to win – FREE TaSTING FoR a YEaR!

One collection equally divided between so-called ‘feminine’ and ‘masculine’ recipes – who will vote for what and which flavours will come out on top? There’s only one way to find out. His & Hers – coming soon in time for the Season of Love.

www.chocs.co.uk/HISHERS

Just where do the dividing lines fall when it comes to chocolate? Are there any dividing lines at all? That’s exactly what the His & Hers Collection hopes to find out.

CollectionCollection

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TheThe

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Results Fortified 5 starEvery year, the now infamous Fortified Collection never fails to be one the highest scoring special editions of the year. And the Fortified 5 Star certainly lived up to its name, as you can see from the tipsy top 10!

Meanwhile, at the top end of the chart the first three chocolates were separated by only 0.05, which is tantamount to saying that you very nearly couldn’t decide! And who could blame you when you’re confronted by such classics as Irish Coffee, Grand Marnier and Calvados? The only surprise was that the Club’s traditional favourite, amaretto, managed only fourth place.

in fact, of the 18 recipes in the box, only one failed to score well over the 8. The

odd one out, Smoky Special, got very close with a score of 7.9, which is good going when you consider the smoky, peaty notes of Laphroaig whisky were involved – and they turned out not to be everyone’s cup of tea, so to speak.

Fortified5Starcertainlylived up to its name, as you can see from the tipsy top 10.“

”

1. Irish Coffee by M Meier 8.86 (48% scored 10/10)

2. Flambéed Orange by K Kalenko 8.83 (41% scored 10/10)

3. Calvados Star by G Pereira 8.81 (39% scored 10/10)

4. Amaretto Amour by R Macfadyen 8.76 (36% scored 10/10)

5. Pear-Fect by G Pereira 8.75 (37% scored 10/10)

6. Speyside Smoothie by o Nicod 8.73 (36% scored 10/10)

7. Golden St Lucia by R Macfadyen 8.70 (42% scored 10/10)

8. Champagne Sparkle by M Meier 8.67 (40% scored 10/10)

9. Vodkatini by K Kalenko 8.66 (41% scored 10/10)

10. Kirsch Surprise by E desmet 8.61 (46% scored 10/10)

Winner – Irish CoffeeIt’s said that Irish Coffee was

invented in County Limerick during the 1940s, to warm up the chilly passengers who had just stepped off a boat plane flight from America. And ours proved to be just as popular, with lashings of creamy white chocolate, punchy coffee and a generous splash of whisky liqueur – so it had a fairly good punch, but in a mellow way.

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ghana -

Nursery Manager, David, will show farmers how to hand pollinate their cocoa trees this year. Meanwhile, the borehole we sank last year is well used but it is also being extremely well maintained.

Seedlings – last year we produced 110,000 for farmers to expand and rejuvenate their farms, but it seems that we’ve been the victims of our own success. Thanks to the truck more farmers have access to our seedlings and this year we sold out early! For 2011 the target is to raise at least 180,000.

Satellite nurseries – we plan to further expand the network of these smaller satellite nurseries with the addition of three more, bringing the total to eleven. We also aim to open two, more substantial nurseries on a new main road that will greatly increase our reach – more on that soon!

Borehole – the above-mentioned nurseries will need a water supply, so therefore we plan to sink another borehole.

Land regeneration – we expect this valuable project to become self sustaining this year, as we have been growing our own mucuna seeds, allowing us to step up the amount of land we can return to cocoa growing.

Hand pollination – we’ll be teaching farmers how to pollinate the delicate cocoa flowers by hand and thereby hugely increase the yield of their trees.

We’ll bring you more detail on all of these exciting developments in coming editions!

It has been another busy year in Ghana’s Osuben Basin and a very successful one too – but it’s time to look forward and see what exciting projects are in store for the next 12 months.

plans for the coming year

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continued from page 1

However, as we spent some time in Osuben Village, it emerged that the truck has been doing far more than we envisaged and has already become a valued member of the community. But in order to put that into context, let us first tell you about the bumpy road to Osuben Village. It’s an unpaved, mud road that links Osuben with the outside world and not just Osuben either, but all 30 of other hamlets and villages that are scattered throughout the Osuben River Basin. It’s the only route for the agricultural produce of the area, especially cocoa, to find its way to the outside world. The population of the area also rely on the road for healthcare, education and just about every other service you could think of.

It’s a 4-kilometre stretch of road that snakes its way towards the larger village of Kwahu Praso where the nearest tarmac road then takes you to the nearest trunk road. But notwithstanding its importance, travelling over that 4 kilometres is costly, time consuming and often treacherous. In the best of conditions it takes 25 minutes, in the worst of conditions it’s impassable. During the rainy season, that usually lasts from April to November, parts of the road get completely washed away by the rains while

the remaining parts develop deep potholes and gullies and all of it is extremely slippery. So it’s not surprising that the Osuben Basin is often completely cut off from the rest of the district during the rainy season.

This year, despite a particularly severe rainy season, the story of Osuben’s bumpy road has been quite different. Unlike previous years, the people have not simply looked on helplessly waiting for government intervention while their only link to the rest of the district is washed away. With an upsurge in communal spirit, they have mobilised village labour to repair and re-shape bad portions of the road.

And it was the arrival of a certain 6-tonne truck that galvanised this communal spirit. Soon after it arrived, the village elders asked if the truck could be used to help keep the road open by transporting gravel and other materials. It seems that this willingness to lend a hand was contagious and encouraged others to volunteer their services. But this is only one example of how the truck has helped in village life – it is frequently called upon to take fence posts here, rocks there, or a tree trunk somewhere else. And in each case there’s a contribution for fuel and the upkeep of the lorry.

Buying this truck was essential for the continued development of our Engaged Ethics programme in

Ghana, but how wonderful it is that it also has had many unintendedconsequencesthatbenefitthewholecommunity.

“”

A collage of images showing the treacherous nature of the road to Osuben; Terry & Simon taking the truck for a spin; the truck loaded up with seedlings and road mending materials; and Essie sharing her expertise in applying decal stickers to the truck.

Truck-U-lent!

10

scores

Classic SELECTIOn – D128 1. Fruity Fondant by E desmet 8.61 (39% scored it 10/10)2. Irish Coffee by K Kalenko 8.58 (35% scored it 10/10)3. Peach Prosecco by o Coppeneur & G Bernardini 8.55 (38% scored it 10/10)4. Dizzy by G Pereira 8.51 (28% scored it 10/10)5. Strawberry Affair by o Nicod 8.42 (33% scored it 10/10)6. Lemon Curd by o Nicod 8.33 (30% scored it 10/10)7. Butterscotch noir by E desmet 8.18 (24% scored it 10/10)8. Vanilla Almond by o Coppeneur & G Bernardini 8.17 (28% scored it 10/10)9. Madame Butterfly by JC Vandenberghe 8.17 (24% scored it 10/10)10. Italian Blend Milk Tasting Batons 8.11 (22% scored it 10/10)11. Coconut Slice by K Kalenko 8.10 (25% scored it 10/10)12. nutty Fudge by R Macfadyen 8.07 (21% scored it 10/10)13. Grenada 44% Milk Tasting Batons 8.03 (19% scored it 10/10)14. Pear Frangipane by M Meier 7.90 (22% scored it 10/10)15. Whisky Caramel Melters by R Macfadyen 7.78 (22% scored 10/10)

dark SELECTIOn – K611. Irish Coffee by K Kalenko 8.80 (39% scored it 10/10)2. Dizzy by G Pereira 8.74 (43% scored it 10/10)3. Butterscotch noir by E desmet 8.73 (32% scored it 10/10)4. Congo Dark Tasting Batons 8.55 (30% scored it 10/10)5. Peach Prosecco by o Coppeneur & G Bernardini 8.54 (28% scored it 10/10)6. Vanilla Almond by o Coppeneur & G Bernardini 8.52 (35% scored it 10/10)7. Whisky Caramel Melters by R Macfadyen 8.38 (31% scored 10/10)8. Fruity Fondant by E desmet 8.34 (41% scored it 10/10)9. Pear Frangipane by M Meier 8.24 (23% scored it 10/10)10. nutty Fudge by R Macfadyen 8.21 (23% scored it 10/10)11. Strawberry Affair by o Nicod 8.05 (28% scored it 10/10)12. Madame Butterfly by JC Vandenberghe 8.05 (15% scored it 10/10)13. Lemon Curd by o Nicod 8.03 (38% scored it 10/10)14. Coconut Slice by K Kalenko 7.86 (22% scored it 10/10)

Elements – S39 1. Toffee Caramel 8.60 (43% scored it 10/10)2. Dizzy by G Pereira 8.52 (34% scored it 10/10)3. Drop nut by M Macfadyen 8.43 (35% scored it 10/10)4. Trinidad Blend Milk Tasting Batons 8.36 (11% scored it 10/10)5. Grenada 44% Milk Chocolate 8.13 (28% scored it 10/10)6. Lemon Curd by o Nicod 8.08 (24% scored it 10/10)7. nutty Fudge by R Macfadyen 7.99 (26% scored it 10/10)8. Coconut Slice by K Kalenko 7.84 (32% scored it 10/10)9. Congo Dark Tasting Batons 7.63 (17% scored it 10/10)10. Strawberry Affair by O nicod 7.51 (8% scored it 10/10)

Toffee Caramel

Irish Coffee

Fruity Fondant

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Fortified collection comments…I ordered 3 boxes of Fortified – ALL FOR ME! It is the outstanding box of the year every year for me and this one maintains the phenomenally high standard. Although it wasn’t for me – I admire the bravado of popping a Laphraoig choc in there.

Jude, Online

Thank you so muuuch… I love you sooo much… you’re my bestest friends you are and I love you (tears running down my face)… Maybe I shouldn’t have tried them all at once!

Andi, Online

What a fabulous box. The extra shots in some of the more delicately flavoured centres really made a difference. Would score it 20 if I could and cannot wait for my next one at Christmas. Congratulations to all chocolatiers for an excellent box.

Lynda Bridge, Warrington

This has to be the most outstanding chocolate experience of our lives – simply bliss! We can’t wait for the Fortified 5 Christmas collection to come out... but we have to. Thank you Chocolate Tasting Club!

Sue Haskell, Online

Some of these just blew your socks off with the alcohol content! Wouldn’t like to be breathalysed after a dozen chox!

Karen, Online

feedback

Bouquet Strawberry Affair – Classic “Oh! Oh! Oh! I closed my eyes & thought for a moment summer had returned. Delicious!”

Ruth Barber, Bradford

Brickbat Peach Prosecco – Classic “Eurgh! Whoever dreamt this one up needs to be slapped!”

Lorraine Lawson, Northumberland

Bouquet Lemon Curd – Dark “When will you learn? Never put lemon in chocolate.”

Jenny Price, Port Talbot

Bouquet Coconut Slice – Elements “I just don’t like coconut, its like eating suntan lotion!”

Rebecca Thompson, Tidworth

Bouquet Pear Frangipane – Classic “Now why don’t they grow these on trees?”

Jenny Kartupelis, Cambridge

Bouquet Fruity Fondant – Classic “Loved the look of this both outside and inside! Tasted like raspberry ripple, which is fine by me!”

Sue Page, Halesowen

Bouquet Butterscotch Noir – Dark “I didn’t know whether to give this chocolate a score of 10 or 2. 10 for the taste and 2 because it crumbled to pieces when I bit it – all over my best jumper!”

Michele Clare, Sheffield

Bouquet Lemon Curd – Dark “Quite luscious. Just like Granny made.”

June Summerfield, Ipswich

Bouquet Toffee Caramel – Elements “I could bathe in this chocolate, the flavour, texture and overall warmth and gorgeousness have left me pining... must have more...

Vicky Everson, Milton Keynes

What You Say!

12

preview

We’re sure we can already hear the distant hippity-hop of the Easter Bunny, which can mean only one thing – Easter is on the way and so it’s time to send Club News Editor, Simon Thirlwell, undercover to discover what’s in store. Here’s what happened…

“Given my recent misdemeanours in the development kitchen it’s difficult for me to get past security at the moment. So, in my quest to bring you a scoop, I tried a different tack and headed for the design department on a Friday evening, which would give me ample time to snoop around for any clues about this year’s Easter Collection.

The good news is that there were clues everywhere and I can tell you there’ll be the usual extra thick shells next year, in classic milk or dark chocolate. Leafing through the draft of a menu, I discovered that there will also be a selection of gorgeous Easter chocolates nestling inside the shells, but that’s not all. There’ll also be a ‘letterbox friendly’ alternative to the traditional Easter Egg and there’s an extra surprise too – but just then the studio manager returned to lock up, which meant I had to leave quietly and you’ll have to wait until next month for the full run down!”

easteris coming

updates

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Hurricane Tomas

Tomas hit Saint Lucia late on Saturday afternoon with the area around Rabot as its epicentre. Fortunately, not only

is Rabot Estate built in a leeward position to protect it from storms (it has been standing since 1745 after all) – but the new hotel buildings have also been so well constructed that there was no damage at all to any of the hotel or estate buildings. Soufriere, the nearest town to Rabot Estate, and the surrounding area didn’t fare as well, with many buildings and structures suffering serious damage. Estate Director, Phil Buckley, sent estate workers, materials and equipment to help repair homes in the community.

Angus told us, “We’re delighted that the Rabot Estate and hotel buildings were completely undamaged and they passed this rigorous examination! However, it will take several weeks to clear up the estate grounds, as quite a few of the older cocoa trees were felled as well as some tall shade trees. In addition, our carpenters and stonemasons are being deployed in the community to help with repairs before completing work on the hotel. We also anticipate that there will be delays in obtaining building materials for a few weeks.”

As a result, the opening date for the hotel has had to be revised to 28th February 2011, although the Boucan Restaurant will be opening on schedule on 1st January 2011.

On Saturday 30 th October, just after breakfast, it became clear that Tomas, a newly formed hurricane, was heading straight for Saint Lucia. Which was particularly important information for Club Founder, Angus Thirlwell, as he was there – along with Hotel Chocolat co-founder, Peter Harris and their wives. They were there to carry out the final pre-opening tests for the hotel and, as it turned out, it was in for a rigorous test!

delays hotel opening

None of the estate buildings suffered any damage, but quite a few cocoa trees were left needing a helping hand. And the storm also left a dramatic sunset view of the Piton Mountains

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and finally

Hello Channel islands!

in the shadow of St Paul’s

Liberty Wharf is Jersey’s first, and only, covered mall, situated in historic buildings on St Helier’s waterfront. And once you step inside you’ll see that it has been thoughtfully converted, so that it is brimming with atmospheric charm.

The store itself is in the brand new development, One new Change, located on Cheapside in the heart of the City of london and which was recently opened by the chairman of Marks & spencer, sir stuart rose. it’s london’s newest shopping destination, stuffed full of cafés and restaurants and flagship shops, like Hotel Chocolat, naturally.

It’s quite fitting that Hotel Chocolat’s latest London store has such a stunning neighbour as St Paul’s Cathedral, because this is the 50th store to fling open its doors!

And lest there be any jealousy amongst the Channel Islands, there’s also a brand new store in Guernsey. You’ll find it in Commercial Arcade in St Peter Port. And the best news of all is that Tasting Club members can claim their preferential 5% discount at both – just remember to bring along your membership card!

hotel Chocolat Jersey – unit 16, Liberty Wharf, St Helier.hotel Chocolat guernsey – 28 Commercial arcade, St Peter Port.For more on stores please see www.hotelchocolat.co.uk/stores

And all with stunning views of st Paul’s Cathedral – in fact, there’s even a panoramic lift in the centre of the building that will give you one of the best views in london over st Paul’s famous dome.

one new Change, 43 Cheapside, London EC2V 6aH.

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competition

Caption CoMPETITIoNWhilst sorting through the photos from Ghana, we came across this one… Club News Editor, Simon Thirlwell, clearly has some explaining to do, mainly to Club Director, Terry Waters*. But first, we’d love to have your captions!

If you’re one of the three funniest, you could be tucking into a Sleekster Everything Selection. So get your thinking caps on and send us your caption

By email to: simon@hotelchocolat.co.uk

By post to: Tasting Club Caption Competition, Mint house, Royston Sg8 5hl

Your caption:

*Please be assured that no Terries were harmed in the taking of this photo.

write to us at: The Chocolate Tasting Club, Mint house, Royston, Sg8 5hl email: simon@hotelchocolat.co.uk or via our website: www.chocs.co.uk Club news: editor: Simon Thirlwell; Contributors: Simon Thirlwell, Terry waters.© The Chocolate Tasting Club plc 2010

Not the usual suspects...

...and not the usual party game

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an irresistible game for the party season ● For up to 12 players (when the chocolates are cut in half) including 30 chocolates, Menu & Suspect Cards ● Narrative Cd (45 mins) ● Exclusive Prize draw

to win a year’s fRee chocolate ● Members-only price £22.95 including delivery

Micha – the new wifeVictor – the nephew

John – Vice admiral

Victoria – the first wifeRichard –

the butler

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