Beautiful British chocolates to tempt every palette

Chocolates are still a little bit of a mass market disappointment these days – thanks to Cadbury, Nestle and Thornton dumbing down the taste and pleasure aspects of the cacao to churn out mass quantities of Dairy Milk that people profess to love.  On the continent things are quite different, quality bars of chocolate are everywhere and at least 50% of them are dark chocolate with gourmet type fillings.

If you are looking for a gift for a chocolate lover – don’t do them a disservice and buy the same old off the shelf crap.  It’s not real chocolate!  Really invest in something that they will be blown away by.

Barbara Holdsworth started making hand crafted chocolates in the Peak District back in 1988 and has grown that cottage industry into a successful business – employing local chocolate artisans and utilising the finest ingredients.

We tried the Sensational Collection £15.95 for 220g which contained a plethora of gorgeous cream filled choccies – lime, strawberry, cranberry, lavender amongst others.  We loved the lime – you could smell the zestiness as you held it up to your mouth before letting the creaminess envelope your taste buds.  The strawberry and clotted cream were smooth and rich in taste – like nothing you’ve ever tasted before and the apple/chilli and apple/geranium would satisfy even the most gourmand of chocolate aficionados.

The brown box Renaissance Collection (£15.95 for 220g) features beautiful versions of family favourites such as caramel cups, fudge squares, toffee enrobed in chocolate, hazelnut whirl, orange creme and many more…These are perfect for fussy choc lovers that enjoy the classics.  These are like Quality Street – but awesome.

There are other gift boxes as well as loose bagged chocolates 500g for £18.95.  You can buy online at Holdsworth Chocolates