Salon du Chocolat

Where better to take two kids on a rainy Sunday than to A CHOCOLATE SHOW! ?

This is just the start.

Not only did I have a press pass, and an amazing choc-filled goodie bag...

Press Pass

Goody bag

... but I was able to teach them the origins of chocolate, from cacao trees, to cocoa beans...

Hotel Chocolat Tree of Chocolate

A 'real' cacao tree!

Cacao pods, with cocoa beans inside, shake it and hear them!

Grinding the cocoa beans.

...Wander around Fudge Street, Sweets Avenue, and Chocolate Lovers Garden...

... Listen to a brief introduction to the beautiful chocolate sculptures inspired by architects, designers, and fashion, each piece telling its own story, by Désir du Chocolat...

Frocks

Shoes!

... Peruse a wonderful range of chocolate animals, accouterments, and chocolate lollipops in various shapes, including a toothbrush, from ChocoPassion...

Turtles

Monkeys

Dalmatians

Spooky Halloween things

Elephants and more spooky stuff

Sheep and Owls

... Admire beautiful chocolate cakes and sculptures by Fleur Del Sel...

... Sample a range of Italian flavoured chocolate, displayed in beautifully coloured wrappers (the blue one is vanilla!) by Venchi...

Venchi

... Eat macarons flavoured with mango and passion fruit...

Macarons. Hand Painted.

... Watch a demo of the Fat Duck's chocolate techniques, by Hideko Kawa, Excutive Pastry Chef, The Fat Duck, sit up the front, and cheekily snatch all the wonderful samples...

What's inside this beautiful envelope with an edible stamp?

... The Queen of Hearts, a jam tart really!

Aero and Jaffa Cake fusion... indescribably delicious.

Heston's hand-crafted chocolate egg, filled with pannacotta and a whole host of amazing flavours - honestly, a flavour sensation.

It's just perfect inside. Sweet and a whole lot more.

... I think we'll need a bath after all this chocolate eating...

Chocolate Spa.

...And, most importantly, we are waiting by the phone in the hope that we have won this fantastic haul of chocolate goodies by Chocolate Lovers, all proceed going to The Sick Children's Trust and Alzheimer's Soceity. Win, win.

Thanks to all the exhibitors for their generosity, and to NudgePR for the tickets.