Velvetiser - can you use any chocolate?

[BertyFlanter]

So, thanks to a thread on Mumsnet (the what was your best buy last year thread) I am eagerly awaiting delivery of my velvetiser with selection pack tomorrow.
I was so excited to get my hands on one, I didn't realise the website says you can only use Hotel Chocolat hot chocolate. I'm happy to treat myself to the odd box, but I envisioned using it pretty much daily, which at £1.20 a pop isn't going to happen!
Any velvetiser owners out there who have successfully used normal grated chocolate? Or any top tips?

Used two other types of grated chocolate type hot chocolate with no probs at all. We have tried grating our own and that was fine too but not sure we quite got the right amount.

I’m still using the Hotel Chocolat sachets it came with, but I have some Betty’s in the cupboard I’m intending to try in it. I will let you know tomorrow.

I bloody love my velvetiser though.

Ok so I’m sitting here drinking a very nice cup of Betty’s chocolate, made in the velvetiser. I think the Betty’s chocolate flakes are slightly larger than the HC ones; the machine made some slightly groany noises while whisking and there was a small amount of residue stuck to the sides after I poured out the hot choc, but apart from that it worked just fine.

So I think it’s fine to use other brands. I haven’t tried grating regular chocolate bars, but I suspect from this that you’d need to grate it very fine, to match the size of the HC flakes as closely as possible. If you can do that I don’t see why it shouldn’t work.

Has it arrived yet?

The kids use Cadburys powder and I use G&B.

The only thing it doesn't seem to like much is if you chuck a spoon of nutella in when the milk is cold and powder hasn't dissolved yet - you have to do that once it's got going a bit. Or Nestlé caramel. Both make a magic cup, just once the milk is warm.

M&S do nice hot chocolate with chocolate flakes, so that would probably work. If you're lucky, you might find the Christmas version reduced.

In the Q&A bit for the velvetiser on their website they suggest that using their chocolate is best because it’s grated a particular way.

I’d say that any good chocolate would work if grated finely :)

What is a velvetiser and do I need one?

This is the velvetiser. If you are in the habit of making proper hot chocolate with milk and chocolate flakes, then yes you definitely need one.

www.hotelchocolat.com/uk/velvetiser-hot-chocolate-pack.html

I spent the grand total of £16.99 on the Lidl milk frother which I understand can also make hot chocolate, but I haven't yet got round to trying.

It's like a mini kettle with a little whisky thing inside that heats and/or froths milk, so what I need to do is also put some of my M&S hot chocolate mix in it to give it a go.

Thank you all, it arrived today and is truly a thing of beauty 🙂
So far we've tried the milky 50%, the 70% and the hazelnut. All so delicious. Also braved letting my daughter make a grated Oreo Cadbury's bar one. It worked well, but we deliberately didn't use too much in case it clogged. Will experiment adding a little more each time.
All in all very happy and impressed so far. The kids are delighted too.