A Little Bit of Chocolate Does You Good: Mathez Fine French Cocoa Dusted Truffles

These truffles were completely delicious! Soft dark chocolate - soft but not gooey soft - covered in cocoa powder that I had to lick off my fingers.  Extremely moreish.

And came in a fine tin too but it isn't a classic design so go it must.

I wish I could remember who gave me this very large tin of chocolate truffles. I mean, a whole kilo of chocolates! That's a lot. More than a lot. A very generous present. I do recall that the present giver was someone unexpected, someone I didn't know very well. And I was very surprised. But..... Who was it?

I remember where I was living, I remember thinking these were the best chocolates ever, I remember the tin contained two separate baggies of truffles. And I think I'm remembering much of it wrong because the sell by date is August 2003. How wrong can my memory be?

Why can I remember what I did in the summer of 1965 (went to the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam for the first time and fell in love with their amazing dolls houses) but not who gave me this handsome present.

Made by Mathez in France: chocolatier depuis 1934. I don't have a photograph of these sensational chocolates because I scoffed the lot years ago. I wish I had more.

I have written up several different tins over the last couple of days and completely failed to take a good photograph of any of them. I have wander the house closed the curtains, opened the curtains again, tried near the wind, tried away from the window. And none of my photos is without huge reflections. I guess I'll just have to put up with that.

A Little Bit of Chocolate Does You Good: Nestlé Rolo

When was this chocolate bar invented?

Rolos used to be individual chocolates filled with lovely soft gooey toffee and sold in a paper covered tube. Delicious.

I just discovered this bar of chocolate which is basically a bar of not individual chocolates.... stuffed with lovely soft gooey toffee. Yum! I liked this a lot.

A Little Bit of Chocolate Does You Good: Gin & Tonic Truffles

I got a little box of truffles for Christmas. Gin & Tonic flavour. Gin & Tonic? Really?

Really. Only I don't really think they taste of gin & tonic. The outer shell of these truffles is white as you see, and quite thick. The inner truffle is milk chocolate. And as I said, doesn't really taste of gin & tonic. A little bit citrusy perhaps? There are some crunchy crystals of something that may be citrusy. It's hard to tell.

It's a fun idea and quite tasty but I am definitely not convinced on the gin & tonic front.

A Little Bit of Chocolate Does You good: Waddesdon Luxury Salted Caramel Milk Chocolate

I picked up this packet of chocolate for the Chef when we visited Waddesdon Manor last autumn. The design, which is really why I bought this, is from the original architectural drawings of Waddesdon Manor by Gabriel-Hippolyte Destailleur (what a great name eh!) which are held in the bpk Kunstbibliothek, Staatlich Museum zu Berlin.

Never mind the chocolate, feel the grandness of the packaging!

And here's a paper bag from Wadesdon.

A Little Bit of Chocolate Does You Good: Lindor Winter Edition Hazelnut

Irresistibly smooth hazelnut says the box. Milk chocolate truffles with a smooth melting filling.

I won these Lindor Chocolates from Lindt & Sprungli in the office Christmas raffle. Ooh! Yum. Very much yum.

A Little Bit of Chocolate Does You Good: Butlers Butterscotch Milk Chocolate

I've only ever seen this Irish chocolate for sale on a cross channel ferry. From England to France - or vice versa. I'm sure it must be possible to buy it somewhere else.

A Little Bit of Chocolate Does You Good: Bad Brownies

The reluctant taste testers were given a box of brownies. Not strictly chocolate, but chocolatey and yummy. They come in all sorts of amazing flavours and are well worth a try if you are within reach of a shop or their delivery.

Take a look at their website.

Delicious. Merry Christmas chocolate fans.

A Little Bit of Chocolate Does You Good: Cadburys Dairy Milk Buttons

Who can resist a chocolate button? This tiny packet has been sitting around on the desk for so long it's got rather dusty. There can't have been more than 10 buttons, but it's ages since I ate them.

10 isn't really enough is it?

A Little Bit of Chocolate Does You Good: Cailler Sublim Noir Truffon

Classy dark chocolate from Cailler of Switzerland

A Little Bit of Chocolate Does You Good: Montezuma's Sea Dog Dark Chocolate with Lime & Sea Salt

This dark chocolate must be manufactured by the West Sussex branch of the Montezuma family.

"This bar was yet another experiment that was tested to great aplomb at a festival we attended" says co-founder Simon Pattison. Hmmnn, call me picky but I'm not sure that's exactly what he means.

Anyhow, this is very nice dark chocolate but I'm not sure I am mad about the lime. I like chocolate with salt, it's a great combination. But I don't like food that tastes blue. And I think lime taste blue.

But I like the packaging. I like the pre-Columbian style design. It looks like a jaguar are something perhaps? I'd like to be able to pin it down by saying Aztec or Maya or Toltec or something. But the internet is none too specific about these things and it seems whichever pre-Columbian civilisation you look up, you get pretty much the same result.

A Little Bit of Chocolate Does You Good: Lindt & Sprüngli Pistachio Delight

I really dislike pistachio flavour. Pistachio anything.

But the Chef is a big fan.

And he approves this Swiss chocolate (available in the UK).

A Little Bit of Chocolate Does You Good: Orset Lavande

I bought this packet of dark chocolate with lavender in France.

For some reason I never saw it in Switzerland.

Looks great doesn't it?

Yes, but to be honest the taste was a bit too weird for me.