Best luxury chocolates: the finest gourmet, handmade selections to indulge in
Break-up or break-time, bad day or good luck – it’s no exaggeration to say that chocolate has become something of a panacea to any eventuality in life, ever since it was brought over to Britain in the 17th century.
But the actual origins of the sweet treat that we know and love today goes back centuries. In fact, it has been discovered that as early as 1900BC, those living in what is today known as Mexico fermented, roasted and ground the cacao plant to produce a paste that was then mixed with water and flavourings and drunk.
Sometime after this, the Europeans adapted the recipe for the original cacao drink by adding large amounts of sugar to suit the palate of the West and it wasn’t until 1847 that Joseph Fry discovered how to convert chocolate back into a solid, thus resembling something close to what we think of as chocolate nowadays.
So, what of the chocolate of current times?
Well, don’t get me wrong, we all enjoy a good old Galaxy bar now and again but there’s something particularly special about the higher-end chocolate brands that make the whole experience that little bit more tempting.
Perhaps it’s the packaging – the
