What is the difference between ‘fine’ chocolate and ‘ordinary’ chocolate?
There is a world of difference between ordinary, mass-produced chocolate and fine chocolate. The differences are in the raw ingredients, the manufacturing process and the taste/content of the chocolates. In terms of raw ingredients, fine chocolate is made from fresh ingredients, carefully hand-picked and selected by specialist suppliers. Provenance of ingredients is hugely important in gourmet chocolate-making, something about which chocolatiers are passionate. Fine chocolate does not contain additives, preservatives, E numbers, transfats or sugar levels found in ‘ordinary’ chocolate. This means that fine chocolate is a far healthier – as well as far tastier – choice. The method of production is also markedly different. Mass-produced chocolate is just that: mass-produced, which means it is made on production lines by machines. In the fine chocolate workshop, the production is an art in itself: chocolate ingredients are gathered, the liquid chocolate is slowly conched and mixed to a perfect silky smoothness, and the whole is assembled by hand, with passion, dedication to detail and creativity. This means each chocolate is a handcrafted bite of pure heaven. That’s the difference!

Which is better, French chocolate or Belgian chocolate?
This is the thorniest of questions and likely to provoke tempers! Europe prides itself on its chocolate-making and its relationship with the cocoa bean goes back centuries. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, chocolate was a food for the rich – the cost was prohibitive so it quickly became a status symbol. Even now, one might encounter a slight snobbery in Europe when it comes to chocolate: many Europeans view our chocolate bar industry with distaste, finding our attraction to such ‘chocolate’ barely comprehensible. In France and Belgium, chocolate is a sensuous treat, a special indulgence and a food that is to be savoured – especially after a meal. Accordingly, French and Belgian chocolatiers are obsessed with creating the perfect chocolate, experimenting with tastes and textures – and defending their country’s pre-eminence in chocolate-making! We daren’t cast a vote – it really is a question of individual taste.