Tuesday 15 March 2011

Egg-cellent Easter Eggs from Hotel Chocolat & A Giveaway!

Easter is just a few weeks away and this year my birthday happens to fall on Easter Sunday. So when Hotel Chocolat asked if I’d like to review one of their Easter eggs I was more than happy to accept – a yummy early Easter/birthday present combined!

They offered me their Milk Chocolate Giant Ostrich Egg – which comes with two egg-xtra thick shells of milk chocolate, studded with cookie pieces, crispies and white chocolate chunks, all accompanied by a selection of their chocolates, a rocky road and caramel slab and a cute chocolate bunny lolly. Sounds egg-tremely divine yes? Unfortunately for me, I had to turn them down as the cookie studded egg and some of the chocolates contained gluten.

After explaining why, they immediately said they would send me their chocolate mini egg selection box known as The Sleekster. 30 chocolates eggs in 10 assorted flavours in a selection of white, milk and dark chocolate – all gluten free! Ohhh yes please!

However, I think there was a bit of confusion somewhere as they first delivered me the Giant Ostrich Egg originally planned, before sending me The Sleekster egg selection!! All my family and friends were egg-ceptionally quick to volunteer their services as taste testers for the Ostrich cookie egg so rest assured, they were very much appreciated.

Everyone was amazed at how thick the shell of the ostrich egg was and commented that the crispie bits and white chocolate chunks were great at making each bite fun and different, although, some said this made it far too easy to eat! It was described as rich and milky. The chocolates were fought over with the Feuilletine Frenzy (hazelnut praline) and Macadamia Crunch (macadamia praline) being particular favourites.

From the first impression of The Sleekster egg selection I knew I was going to be in for a special treat. The box itself is dark, glossy and stylish and the dainty rows of perfect chocolate eggs inside, in varying shades of creamy white to dark mahogany brown only heightened my expectations.

Unlike some chocolates, these stunningly streaked eggs more than lived up to their attractive appearance in both quality and flavour. The chocolate is rich, smooth and creamy, and melts in the mouth, flooding your senses with intense chocolate flavour that lingers on for several minutes even after you have finished it. Pure chocolate indulgence.

The Sleekster eggs are filled with an assortment of pralines, truffles, caramels and ganaches, encased in thick white, 40-50% milk, milk caramel or 70% dark chocolate shells.

With so much choice it was hard to know where to start. I first selected the Blueberry Egg. A thick white chocolate shell filled with a blueberry infused white chocolate ganache. The blueberry ganache was amazing and so intensly flavoured, that there was no mistaking the blueberry. It was creamy and sweet, but not at all sickly.

Next I tried the Vanilla Custard Egg. This was a vanilla ganche inside a creamy milk chocolate shell. Simple flavours, but well matched. Delicious.

My surprise favourite of the range was the Caramel Egg. I’m not normally a caramel fan, often finding it too sweet, but this little egg was amazing. A 50% dark milk shell with a thick liquid caramel centre. I’m sure the caramel contained sea salt too, as it had a lingering saltiness that offset the sweetness and balanced perfectly with the darker milk chocolate. Wow. It danced with my taste buds – sweet, salty, smooth, creamy, bitter. Divine.

I’ll let you in on a secret, I’m normally a dark chocolate or nothing kind of girl. I have often treated myself to some of Hotel Chocolat’s dark chocolates in the past, but They’ve now changed my whole perspective to all chocolate types. These were some seriously good chocolates. The white chocolate is smooth and creamy rather than sweet and sickly and the milks are creamy with a rich chocolate flavour and you can actually taste the difference between the varying cocoa contents. The darker milks and 70% dark chocolate are rich intense chocolate flavour, lingering on the right side of smoky bitterness.

Now for the egg-cellent news – Hotel Chocolat have allowed me to offer one lucky person the chance to win a box of The Sleekster Egg Box Selection themselves! They’re gluten free and the range of white, milk and dark chocolates means there is bound to be something to please everyone. (Two do contain alcohol)

Plus, I’m running my own small giveaway. Seeing as I was lucky enough to also receive the Ostrich Egg I am personally going to send one other winner the Caramel Road Slab and Chocolate Bunny lolly (I’m afraid the rest of the egg got munched by the willing taste testers rather quickly!)

As it’s also my birthday over Easter, to win, simply visit Hotel Chocolat’s site and tell me which of their yummy chocolate selections would be your ideal birthday gift and leave a comment below. Open to UK residents only. Please put (UK) in brackets with your comment and some way of contacting you. Competition open until midnight Monday 21st March. The two lucky winners will be chosen at random and contacted soon after for their addresses.

25 comments:

Clare said...

(UK) Wow - that is a seriously decadent looking selection! I am also a dark chocolate girl mostly - but they look amazing. Looking at the site - I think the Signature Dark Collection 26 Pieces
would be my dream birthday selection (but boy those litle eggs look good)
I am off to check out their website a little more and just drool
Clare
xx

Anonymous said...

(UK) I was given a Exuberantly Fruity selection for Xmas but my boyfriend ate virtually all of them when I was at a conference. I'd have to ration the chocolates and hid them if I won.

Abitofafoodie said...

(UK) I love all Hotel Chocolat goodies so it is hard to choose a favourite! Unlike you I'm a huge caramel fan so I might choose a lifetime supply of caramel chocolate batons and caramel road slabs!

Please Do Not Feed The Animals. said...

I love everything from Hotel Chocolat but I would choose their new robot chocs - The Nibblatrons as we love robots in this house! (UK)

Choclette said...

Hard to choose one thing as I'd love most of what they have to offer. But given my blog and penchant for baking, I think I'd go for the Chef's Collection. (UK)

pigglet said...

(uk) it's my birthday at the end of march and i have hinted to hubby that i would love to get a baton selection. what a fab give away the little eggs look lovely.
thanks for the chance to win

Baking Addict said...

I love Hotel Chocolat goodies and it's a hard decision to make but I'll have to choose the signature dark collection as dark chocolate is my favourite (UK) thebakingaddict@gmail.com

Unknown said...

Those eggs look fabulous! Not sure I would let the Easter Bunny hide them for the kids tho' thanks for giving us a peek!
Kim
http://kim-thelunchbox.blogspot.com/

Anonymous said...

Can't believe Easter is around the corner. What an excellent selection of chocolate!

Unknown said...

These look delicious, sure wish I was in the UK! Can I win it for a close friend living there? If yes, then {UK} me too :)

Simones Kitchen said...

O yeezz. those look divine! Lucky you for being send all those chocolates!

The Caked Crusader said...

That Sleekster box of mini eggs looks awesome - I've not seen the blueberry ganache before, what a colour!

precisemon@gmail.com said...

(UK)...difficult to pick one, but if I could choose my Easter present, it would be The Milk Chocolate Ostrich Easter Egg™! x
PS - ziluka@email.com

Caroline said...

(UK)I would choose pink Champagne truffles

Simon said...

(UK) I`d like the "You Crack Me Up Extra Thick Egg" - cute and tasty looking! Yum!

Thanks
Simon.

Anonymous said...

Lucky You!and ur family! What a sweet treat!

emily13 said...

I'd choose Ultimate marzipan selection, I love marzipan and i've never had a whole box full like that! (UK) emily@amorphous.co.uk

Babs said...

(UK) Spoilt for choice - would choose the The Milk Chocolate Ostrich Easter Egg - bigger is better! :)

Barbara.

Louise said...

(UK) Call me greedy... but if I could pick my dream birthday selection it would be the ultimate chocolate hamper! £300 worth of AMAZING chocolate.... Everything you could possibly want! I've had quite a bit of Hotel Chocolate stuff before and i've never been disappointed.
Louise

emsiecov said...

I seriously love the Aztec Chilli drinking chocolate - perfect after returning from a cold winter's walk in the park with the dog.

Caroline said...

I think it's the mark of a good company that they took your dietary considerations into account - very impressive!

If I had to choose an Easter egg it would be the Serious Dark Fix Extra Thick Easter Egg - I love my dark chocolate!

(UK - email on blog)

Alison MacDonald said...

I think if I could be greedy and pick anything I wanted it would be The Chocolatier's Table Luxe.(UK)

@buzylizzy1 on twitter

Ursulab said...

I'd love Triple Chocolate Wham Bam thanks.

Danielle said...

How to choose just one I'd take everything on there if I could! Having said that the Rocky Road giant slab is amazing. As it's my birthday in a couple of weeks though I'd probably have to say the egg selection box having now seen it would be top of my list! I'm off to carry on dreaming and salavating!

Monica H said...

That's such anawesome giveaway- you lucky girl!

Congrats to the winners!