My Name is Phil and I am a Chocoholic

Phil loves chocolate.  If chocolate was a woman he would have dumped me years ago and run off into the sunset with her.  Thankfully I put up with his 'other woman'.

Being a chocolate connoisseur he prefers the fresher, fruitier, raw varieties over the older, over-cooked ,chemically enhanced types that most people know and love (thankfully for me this also applies to his women!).  Each type has its own attractions, but the naturally sweet, minimally processed raw types are ultimately more satisfying and nourishing.

I have been known to make raw chocolates myself, following recipes from 'Jessica's Raw Chocolate Recipes' and a few impromptu variations, but we are always on the look out for new varieties of raw chocolate in health food stores.  

Just when we think we have sampled all the brands available, a new one pops up for us to savour.  This was just the case on our recent trip to Bristol, where we found ourselves in 'Harvest'  on the 'Gloccy' (Gloucester Road) where Jacques Cop, Head Chocolatier from Coco Caravan, was there to tempt us with his range of lovely tasty raw chocolates.  He was kind enough not to object when Phil went back for seconds of his free samples, and even offered a taste of the chai variety which wasn't included in the free samples. 

What made his chocolate different from the others we have tried was the inclusion of caramel, to tasty effect.  This ultimately worked in his favour as we purchased a large bar of Hazelnut and Currant Caramel to take home with us.  Looking back now we wish we had bought more. 

Luckily it is available to buy on-line along with many other saliva inducing chocolaty treats (the Indian Chai and Tamari Roasted Almond ones are next on our hit list).  We also hope it won't be too long before we see Coco Caravan products arriving on the shelves of our local health food store.

Check out their luscious range of vegan chocolate delights  - http://www.cococaravan.co.uk/