Chocolate

[Connie]

Do you miss chocolate?

I did at first, I have to confess but then I found some fantastic alternative manufacturers that make the most stunning chocolates. OK the price is pricey as well, but they are a treat and the sort of thing people purchase for me rather than me going out and buying them.

So I shall name my favourite.
I am not referring to standard names where you are just purchase the dark chocolate option having checked the ingredients. I am referring to proper normal chocolate where manufacturers have made a really nice chocolate that everyone can eat.

So top of the list is

• Booja Booja - if you have not tried Booja Booja chocolate and you are vegan (and in the UK) you are missing out big time (unless you are allergic to nuts). Their chocolates and ice-cream are heavenly. (http://boojabooja.com/). Their chcolates are even available (in limited supply admittedly) in supermarkets, but the best supplies can be found in health food shops, even high street brands.
• Hotel Chocolat - they now have a dairy free milk chocolate option and their shops will feature an entire area that is vegan, just ask. The dairy free milk chocolate option is done using almonds and is great. Not on a par with Booja Booja but great as an alternative. Their website is a touch off, in that not all vegan options fall under their vegan category, but if you select dairy free instead, and then mentally filter out honey as you through, you will get a more complete list. Their classic dark hot chocolate and their chocolate chips are wonderful. (http://www.hotelchocolat.com/uk/)
• Willie's Cacao - more on the dark chocolate side of life, but it is not bitter dark chocolate. It is artisan chocolate and you do pay for it, but it is available in supermarkets and is really nice. I especially like the pink label Madagascan Black 100% Sambirano Cacao (http://williescacao.com/index.php?rid=home). As a word of warning, their website is weird, big time!

So what vegan chocolate out there do you like and not the 99p bag of horrible plastic tasting chocolate drops?

 

[LilAnn]

I haven't found any I can stomach.by the time this is over I suspect I'm going to miss chocolate more than anything else.

 

[cocolgooh]

I like Moo Free chocolate. They do a wide variety of different flavours of chocolate as well which makes it more appealing in my opinion. This is the link to their products page.
http://www.moofreechocolates.com/dairy-free-chocolate/products
They do original, honey comb (vegan toffee), orange, mint, hazelnut, milk chocolate (rice milk), banana chip, cranberry and hazelnut and various different ones for different holidays throughout the year as well. They're generally well priced too.

I also really like "Choices" chocolate. It's also vegan. It's quite a bit more expensive than moo free chocolate too. In my opinion it tastes better though. I bought myself a couple of bars of this over Easter as they had it on special offer and I was able to get two little bars for £1.50 when they're normally £1+ for a little bar. It's worth it though! I can't find a link to their store anywhere though. I know Tesco and Sainsburys sell it in the UK if it's any use to anyone though.

 

[felielizab]

My mouth started watering at the post title so yes, I miss chocolate very much. I haven't had any chocolate for over a year and as I am typing this, there is a bin of brownies downstairs on my kitchen counter (thanks to my in-laws!) Thank you for posting about these. They sound delicious!

 

[Kamarsun19]

Do you miss chocolate?

I did at first, I have to confess but then I found some fantastic alternative manufacturers that make the most stunning chocolates. OK the price is pricey as well, but they are a treat and the sort of thing people purchase for me rather than me going out and buying them.

So I shall name my favourite.
I am not referring to standard names where you are just purchase the dark chocolate option having checked the ingredients. I am referring to proper normal chocolate where manufacturers have made a really nice chocolate that everyone can eat.

So top of the list is

• Booja Booja - if you have not tried Booja Booja chocolate and you are vegan (and in the UK) you are missing out big time (unless you are allergic to nuts). Their chocolates and ice-cream are heavenly. (http://boojabooja.com/). Their chcolates are even available (in limited supply admittedly) in supermarkets, but the best supplies can be found in health food shops, even high street brands.
• Hotel Chocolat - they now have a dairy free milk chocolate option and their shops will feature an entire area that is vegan, just ask. The dairy free milk chocolate option is done using almonds and is great. Not on a par with Booja Booja but great as an alternative. Their website is a touch off, in that not all vegan options fall under their vegan category, but if you select dairy free instead, and then mentally filter out honey as you through, you will get a more complete list. Their classic dark hot chocolate and their chocolate chips are wonderful. (http://www.hotelchocolat.com/uk/)
• Willie's Cacao - more on the dark chocolate side of life, but it is not bitter dark chocolate. It is artisan chocolate and you do pay for it, but it is available in supermarkets and is really nice. I especially like the pink label Madagascan Black 100% Sambirano Cacao (http://williescacao.com/index.php?rid=home). As a word of warning, their website is weird, big time!

So what vegan chocolate out there do you like and not the 99p bag of horrible plastic tasting chocolate drops?

Chocolate has the same chemistry make up as coffee and is highly addictive, there are vegan Chocolate option available, but seeing first hand for my wife it's a hard habit to kick, but she as come along way. Vegan or not I recommend staying away from chocolate, if you can.

 

[gettingskinny70]

I find vegan chocolate at my local health food store!

 

[winter.frost]

I have cut out theobromine from my diet, which is a toxin found in chocolate. It is a more complex, indigestible, insoluble stimulant than even caffeine.

That doesn't mean I don't have chocolate, though, it just has to be the white stuff which doesn't have any of the theobromine. Cocoa butter, in other words, is safe from this toxin.

Scroll down you might find the resources listed in this article interesting:
http://www.fredericpatenaude.com/blog/?p=262

 

[emilynt3]

if anyone's missing nutella, they do a really nice alternative at Sainsbury's

 

[Skathi87]

I don't know how many people here live in England, I've spent a year of tasting pretty much all the dark chocolates shops have to offer and I've finally found 2 that aren't bitter. Co-op's own dark chocolate is very nice, and also ASDA sell Heidi's Dark Chocolate for £1.50 each, unless you can get it in a deal. VERY nice chocolate. They do all kinds of mixes - ginger, rasberry, cranberry etc but check the label first because I don't think they are a vegan only chocolate company.

 

[Sally]

The only chocolate I have found to be smooth and creamy is Plamil's Lots of This ... None of That milk chocolate
http://www.plamilfoods.co.uk/dairy-free-chocolate/lotsofthis-noneofthat-bar. I tried it at the Viva Roadshow and it was really nice. It doesn't crumble like so many do. It has a bit of sugar in it so it tastes nice. Don't know where to buy it though, apart from online.

 

[Sally]

I'm eating Celtic Free From Fine Dark Chocolate Bar. It's lovely and creamy and tastes really nice.

I'm also eating (the things one does for research) Dairy Free Buttons. These are a bit sickly, at least I think so, and I prefer milk chocolate.

Both are available at Holland and Barrett.