Category: #chocolate

WORLD CHOCOLATE DAY 7th JULY 2021…

World Chocolate Day is on the 7th July 2021. World Chocolate Day, sometimes referred to as International Chocolate Day, is an annual celebration of chocolate, occurring globally on July 7. The day is celebrated on July 7th because it was on this date in 1550 that chocolate was first brought to Europe. The first World Chocolate Day was celebrated in 2009.

According to Hotel Chocolat it is difficult to pinpoint an exact reason why July 7 was chosen as the day to appreciate chocolate, but according to Wired Magazine, it can be traced back to July 7, 1550, when cocoa was first brought to Europe in large quantities. Some reports state that Christopher Colombus might have brought cocoa to Spain much earlier, around 1504, but the aristocracy held a monopoly on it for centuries before it trickled down to the lower classes and gained widespread popularity.

Although World Chocolate Day is most commonly celebrated on July 7, there is also the existence of International Chocolate Day, which is held on September 13 in the United States. This event is held on this specific day because it is the birthday of Milton Hershey, who founded the Hershey Chocolate Company in 1894.

Either way, World Chocolate day is a fairly modern event, as people only started to celebrate it annually in July around 2009.

People celebrate World Chocolate Day by eating chocolate (obviously) which is of course the best way to celebrate the versatility of chocolate is to sample a flavour combination you’ve never tried before. Fans of fruit and chocolate can experiment in tropical tastes with our creamy and zesty Passion Fruit Chocolate, or try our cocktail-inspired salted espresso martini, covered in our sweet and malty caramel chocolate for a more sumptuous treat.

For the purists, our rare and vintage collection has our single origin chocolate collection, where you can savour specific cacao bean varieties in our lovingly-crafted chocolate bars. For a savoury kick, the deep fruitiness of our Ecuadorian 100% cocoa packs a punch, or if you’re looking for a more mellow flavour, the white chocolate from the Dominican Republic has 42% cocoa butter, giving it a fabulously creamy texture.

If you’re a well-versed chocolate lover, then push the boundaries by using our chocolate in a savoury recipe; melt a square of dark chocolate into your spaghetti bolognese or chili con carne to impart a richer, deeper flavour to the classic dishes.

World Chocolate Day is an opportunity to expand your chocolate horizons and try new flavours. If you find it impossible to make a decision, then why not try one of our chocolate boxes, where you’ll find exciting new flavours nestled among your classic favourites like salted caramel or decadent champagne truffles. Or, get creating and whip up a Mexican hot chocolate with cinnamon and a pinch of chilli, sprinkle some cocoa nibs into your brownies for a salty kick, or go all out and make traditional Mole sauce; it’s World Chocolate Day after all!

Source: Hotel Chocolat, Wikepedia

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5 FOODIE DATES FOR YOUR DIARY IN JULY…

Five foodie dates for your diary for the month of July.

1.2nd-11th July is National BBQ Week – National BBQ Week has grown in popularity every year since its inception and even a lockdown and a pandemic could not hold the event back last year, neither will it this year. More details on BBQ Ben’s website here.

2. 5th – 11th July, is the Great British Pea Week , is an annual celebration of peas! It aims to increase awareness and understanding of the provenance and heritage of peas, giving British consumers a reason to celebrate the little green nutritional wonders during harvesting time. Head to the Great British Pea Week website here for more details.

3. 7th July is World Chocolate Day – people around the world raid their cupboards, treating themselves to some chocolate. Whether it be dark, milk or white chocolate, World Chocolate Day is a great excuse to enjoy the delights of cocoa, either with a comforting favourite or by trying some new flavours! Who needs an excuse to eat chocolate anyway!!!

4. 16th July is National Cherry Day – this will be the 11th year of celebrating the humble cherry. And National Cherry Day was originally started back in 2008 to raise awareness of Britain’s cherries. Do you know that during the 20th century, Britain lost 90% of its cherry orchards? This is because following the wars, cherry orchards were planted over with more vital crops to feed the people.

So, the good folks at CherryAid (we thought this was a drink!) started a campaign to get more cherries grown in the UK. And whilst we still import 95% of all cherries, we’re now producing much more of these little red delights, which is good news. For more details on National Cherry Day head to the website here.

5. 18th July is National Ice-cream Day – A dessert as scrumptious and versatile as this deserves to be celebrated, and National Ice Cream Day gives you the perfect excuse to do so! Ice Cream Day gives you the perfect excuse to indulge in this sweet treat and to experiment with different ways of enjoying it. #IceCreamDay