After ordering the tickets back in July, the Chocolate Festival finally rolled around last weekend. Now I will be honest and admit that I am a full on chocolate lover and so this was a day that I had been looking forward to very much! Islington is also a really unique, bustling place and I love it that sort of atmosphere. I love wrapping up to my nose in a scarf, layering on the knits and going out for the day in the winter season. The cold, crisp air is so refreshing (even in London) and there's nothing better than looking at towns' festive offerings and indulging in naughty but tasty treats and hot drinks.
So with my tummy grumbling for chocolate, my boyfriend and I headed to the event. Get ready for a post which is very photo heavy but they're photos of chocolate so who can complain!?
I have mentioned before that I am also addicted to peanut butter so obviously we bought the first peanut butter item that we laid eyes on. This was a chocolate and peanut butter cake and it was just as great as I'd expected. It's always a worry that people will scrimp on the PB but this had just the right amount in it and was so light and moist that it lasted all of 30 seconds...
A lot of the stalls had chocolates which were ready to give as Christmas presents and I think good quality chocolate is such a lovely thing to give at Christmas, especially as it's the time of year where everyone should indulge a little!
There were lots of products which I had previously not been aware of such as coconut chocolate sugar, honey infused drinking chocolate and even chocolate samosas! Which by the way, do not knock until you try them (although I'm not sure where you'd find them on a day to day basis).
I also tried my first glass of chocolate Baileys which was really yummy and I will have to buy a bottle to enjoy over Christmas.
It was really interesting to see the huge cacao pods in person - I've only ever seen the smaller ones. I did try one on it's own and I can definitely say that I need the sugar and milk goodness mixed in with it!
This stand had some lovely flavours of gluten free fudge ranging from 'strawberries and cream' to 'christmas pudding'. It was so creamy and you could buy them boxed which looked so tempting to give as gifts. On the subject of gluten free goods, the festival was full of stalls which had products to suit people with special dietary requirements. Whether you buy gluten free or dairy free, you would be able to find something.One company even sold products which were free from cream, butter, eggs and gelatine - and they were still delicious!
I love the idea of buying a jar which has all the ingredients you will need in it to make your desired baked, chocolatey goods. I can imagine these brownies would have been amazing but you could also make these yourselves at home and all you need to buy is the jar and the ingredients!
From the same stall, we bought one of these brownie bombs because... well you can probably guess why (the peanut butter fiend was definitely on the loose that day). I love anything in a milk chocolate shell and a brownie is up there with one of the best chocolate covered things I've tried.
I had such a lovely day at the Chocolate Festival and will definitely be booking tickets for next year. Did any of you go? I would love to know what you bought and if you didn't go, what are your favourite chocolates?
Hope you're feeling Christmassy :)
Hayley xx