Divine Chocolate gets an upgrade on Virgin

Divine Chocolate is delighted to announce that complimentary 45g bars of Divine Milk, Dark 70%, and White Chocolate will be served amongst other special treats on the Virgin Upper Class Graze menu on flights from 1st March – 31st May. Milk and 70% dark 100g bars of Divine Chocolate are already available for sale from the Virgin Retail Therapy in-flight shop.
Virgin Atlantic’s chocolate choice is one example of the airline’s commitment to sustainability and ethical sourcing.

Virgin Atlantic Chief Operating Officer Steve Griffiths said: "A key focus for Virgin Atlantic is sustainable growth and we are working hard to bring our passengers the highest quality products whilst reducing our environmental impact and supporting developing communities. We're thrilled to have such a respected ethical brand as Divine Chocolate on board and we know it will be popular with our customers.

"The Divine milk bar will feature alongside a number of other treats for our Upper Class passengers as part of our recently upgraded meal experience which includes a whole new cutlery and crockery service as well as a more contemporary food offer and, on certain flights, a fabulous new afternoon tea service.”

Divine chocolate has a wide range of flavours, as well as popular seasonal specialities and gifts – the most diverse quality range of Fairtrade chocolates on the market. The brand has distinctive ethical credentials – being the only Fairtrade chocolate co-owned by the farmers who supply the cocoa. As well as being stocked in major supermarkets and independent food stores nationwide, Divine is available in many out-of-home venues, from station platform cafes, to cinemas and theatres, restaurants and hotels.

Give your mum a sweeter Mothering Sunday With A Chocolate Delight Workshop - Or A Night Of Sweet Dreams At The Chocolate Boutique Hotel

Treat your mum this Mothering Sunday by treating her to a delicious chocolate making experience with a master chocolatier. Or go one step further and whisk her away to the pretty Chocolate Boutique Hotel for a night of sweet dreams instead!

Perfect for mother/daughter bonding, Chocolate Delight Belgian chocolate truffle making workshops take place most weekends in fifteen towns and cities nationwide.

They’re a wonderful way of finding out all about the fascinating history of chocolate before getting down to the serious business of chocolate tasting, learning how to make delicious Belgian chocolates by hand and then gift-wrapping them. A great gift for Mother’s Day, a voucher costs just £49 per person.

For a night of sweet dreams instead, whisk your mum away to the pretty Chocolate Boutique Hotel in Bournemouth – a chocoholic’s paradise! Here you can stay together in chocolate themed rooms, drink chocolate cocktails in the Chocolate Bar and even opt for chocolate pancakes for breakfast.

To buy vouchers for Chocolate Delight workshops, which take place in Bath, Birmingham, Bournemouth, Brighton, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Leamington Spa, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Newcastle, Nottingham, Manchester, Oxford and Stratford on Avon, ring 01202 759979 or go to www.chocolatedelight.co.uk.

To find out more about a night of sweet dreams at the Chocolate Boutique Hotel, ring 01202 556857 or go to www.thechocolateboutiquehotel.co.uk

Itineraries Announced For Seventy%'s Chocolate Holiday Tours

Seventy%, claimed to be the world’s leading authority on chocolate, has revealed the itineraries for its Connoisseur Chocolate Tours of France and Italy, launching in 2012 in association with Arena Travel.

Led by Seventy%’s founder and editor, Martin Christy, the holiday tour programme includes visits and direct access to the regions’ pre-eminent chocolate makers and chocolatiers.

Holidaymakers with a less refined understanding of fine chocolate need not be put off - as one of the world’s leading bean-to-bar chocolate experts, Martin will use his expertise to help the group develop their understanding, with a welcome talk that includes chocolate samples and tasting notes, as well as guidance throughout the tour.

The five-day Chocolate Masters of the Lower Rhône tour takes in visits to some of France’s oldest and most established chocolate producers, including:

• The original Bonnat shop in Voiron - something of a site of pilgrimage for fans of fine chocolate - followed by an exploration of the factory

• Chocolaterie A. Morin in Donzère, where the cocoa beans are roasted, ground and conched onsite in their own workshop

• Pralus in Roanne, home of the famous praluline bar

• Artisan chocolate house, Bernachon, Lyon, typified by its house speciality, Le Palet d’Or, made from fresh cream and dark chocolate adorned with gold leaf

• Other activities include a specially-designed chocolate dinner at a local restaurant

The five-day Chocolatiers of Florence and Tuscany tour is packed with specially arranged visits to eminent chocolatiers from across the city and the Tuscan Chocolate Valley, including:

• Andrea Bianchini, often referred to in Italy as the ‘King of Chocolate’

• Rivoire, master of its art for a century and a half, Rivoire has been producing chocolate on its site in the heart of the city since 1872

• Vestri, produces chocolate from its own organic cacao finca in the Dominican Republic

• Luca Mannori in Prato an innovator and international award-winning Relais Dessert and Maître Chocolatier

• Roberto Catinari in Agliana, considered the ‘father’ of all Tuscan artisan chocolatiers

• Slitti in Monsummano Terme, the first non-Frenchman to win the prestigious Grand Prix de la Chocolaterie de Paris

• De Bondt, Visignano-Navacchio, listed in Chantal Coady’s prestigious, The Chocolate Companion, as one of the 15 top chocolate manufacturers in the world

• Other activities include a private chocolate tasting led by their local expert Monica Meschini

Both tours include travel, accommodation in a 4* star hotel and free time for guests to explore the local area.

Details of an additional Chocolate Connoisseur Tour, taking in a plantation trip and the fascinating cacao trail of Ecuador, will be announced later in the year.

FSACTFILE:
With seventeen years’ experience of fine chocolate, Martin Christy has travelled the globe visiting cocoa plantations and meeting the world’s top producers. He was a founding member of the Academy of Chocolate in the UK and is a consultant to the fine chocolate and cacao growing industries worldwide. As well as his regular online chocolate blog, he has written features for UK magazines and has worked on several books about fine chocolate, including 'The Connoisseur's Guide to Chocolate' (Apple Press, 2007).
www.seventypercent.com

As one of the most comprehensive chocolate sites in the world, Seventy% brings consumers, professionals and industry producers together as a community to learn the finer distinctions of cacao and chocolate and the importance of a direct connection from ‘bean to bar’. In doing so it helps support the continued growth and development of the cacao and chocolate market, from the ground up.

• www.arenatravel.com

• Full itinerary for Chocolate Masters of the Lower Rhône

• Full itinerary for Chocolatiers of Florence and Tuscany