How should chocolates be stored? – The ideal temperature for chocolate storage is between 14-18C. A cool, dry, dark cupboard away from direct sunlight is ideal. (That’s right, you should not keep chocolate in the fridge!)
Should you keep chocolate in the fridge? – No. As mentioned above chocolate doesn’t like being too cold or around too much moister as this can lead to blooming. If it’s 30C + then you can make an exception, however try to avoid putting it in/out/in/out as this will cause it to bloom quicker.
Why does chocolate develop a white coating? This is called blooming. Its perfectly safe to eat still, however does stop it being quite so silky smooth.
What is chocolate bloom? – Blooming is when sugar and/or fat rises to the surface of the chocolate causing it to go white. This is caused to temperature changes and excess moister. Putting chocolates in and out of the fridge will cause blooming as the moister content is high and temperatures will cause the fat to rise to the surface.
Can chocolates be frozen? – Yes, but I wouldn’t recommend it. As mentioned above temperature changes and moister lead chocolates to bloom and its extremely difficult to freeze chocolate without affecting this.
How long do chocolates last? – Solid chocolates generally have a very good shelf life. As a general rule we always have 3 months on as a minium. If chocolates are shorter dated we will state this within the description. All our chocolates will last until the event (i.e. if we sell Christmas chocolate in September, the best before will always be past Christmas.)
What is the difference between Belgian and British chocolate? – Generally Belgian chocolates will use a higher cocoa content along with a higher cocoa butter content and less vegetable oils giving a richer, more intense chocolate flavour.
How many chocolates are in a gift box? Our boxes start with just 2 chocolates, perfect for table settings and go all the way up to our Glorious Gold round box containing 72 chocolates, perfect for sharing. Check out the product description for how many chocolates are included in each box.
What percentage cocoa chocolate is best? – Some people think cocoa solids need to be 72% + for a good quality a dark chocolate, however anything over 55% will detract from the taste of the flavours within the chocolates. Most of our dark chocolates will have a minimum of 51% cocoa soilds and our milk chocolates will have a minimum of 30% cocoa solids. (BTW, Cadbury’s Buttons have only 20% cocoa solids and cut down the cocoa butter by using more vegetable oils instead)
Do your chocolates contain palm oil? – Most our chocolates don’t use palm oil anymore, however if palm oil is used, it will only come from responsibly sourced suppliers.
Do you have any Chocolate that is fairtrade?All our chocolates containing Fair trade Cocoa will have the logo in the brochure and it will be listed on the web as fair trade.
Do you do Vegan Chocolates?We have a range of Vegan products; these can be viewed here: Psssst: As they are vegan, they're also dairy and lactose free!
Do you have any sugar free Chocolates?We don't have any sugar free or no added sugar products this year.
Are any of your Chocolates nut free? As our products are made in factories that also create nut products, we can’t say any of our products are nut-free as there is a tiny chance of cross-contamination.
Are any of your products soya-free?Unfortunately, not, it’s a main ingredient of chocolate.
Do you have any Alcohol Free Chocolates?We have a range of Alcohol-Free products; these can be viewed here:
Are any of your chocolates Gluten Free?We have a range of gluten free products; these can be viewed here:
What are the expiry dates for the products?For specific items, please call the office. Chocolate tends to have a long date though so there is plenty of time to enjoy them.
Can I see the ingredients before I buy a box of chocolates?- Yes - Please click HERE to view our ingredients list, however if you have a serious allergy we always suggest you call the office first on 0118 932 1043 to discus.
