Chocolates

[GVmama]

Can anyone recommend any chocolates that don’t taste all waxy and oily? The taste of chocolate has changed almost entirely in recently years (the children don’t seem to have noticed). I used to love Guilian seashells but they’re all greasy and horrible now too. I’d love to get myself a box of chocolates for Christmas but don’t know where to turn now!
He’s anyone had Lindt Lindor recently? Have they been ruined yet? Any other recommendations?
Thanks 😊

Lindt Lindor are as bad as the others, IMO. But I do like Green and Blacks.

Guylian seashell are so bad. I don’t know if they’ve always been like that, and my tastes have changed, or if they’ve literally just become disgusting.

Lots of Aldi chocolates don't have palm oil in, so are still creamy rather than greasy.

Palm Oil and American ownership has ruined many chocolates.
As above, go for Green and Black.
Have a Google of Palm Oil free chocolates and you'll find something decent, I'm going to do the same now.

You have to pay more, chocolates have got cheaper in their ingredients. Guylian were always pretty ropey IMO.

Green and Black or Divine are nice, and I love Booja Booja. Or we have local makers, but they are pricey so you have to get fewer!

A bit expensive, but if there's a shop near you, Leonidas are lovely:
leonidasbelgianchocolate.co.uk/

From Ethical Consumer, a but off topic but not good reading:

"Cocoa sourcing rating

Due to the child labour issue, all companies who were deemed to have insufficient policies on cocoa sourcing lost half a mark in our ethical scores under Workers’ Rights.Companies were rated as follows:

Sufficient cocoa sourcing policies:

Cocoa Loco,Lindt,Traidcraft,Equal Exchange, iChoc, Vivani, Ritter Sport,Plamil,Lidl,Divine,Tony’s Chocolonely,Fairafric,Vego,Beyond Good, Chocolate Madagascar,Pacari,Co-op,Moo Free,Willies, Ombar, Mia.

Insufficient cocoa sourcing policies:

Ferrero,Mondelez(Cadbury, Green & Blacks),Mars, Biona,Tesco,Marks & Spencer,Waitrose,Nestlé,Aldi,Hershey’s,ASDA,Morrisons,Sainsbury’s,Hotel Chocolat,Guylian,Godiva,Booja Booja,Seed and Bean,Montezuma."

Paul A Young, wonderful chocolates.

This year I am trying Harry Specters, recommended by someone on a similar thread. They look amazing.

M&S do some lovely chocolates. The cocoa dusted Belgian chocolate truffles are gorgeous and imo their version of Lindt Lindor is much nicer than the actual Lindt ones which I’ve really gone off for some reason.

Also from Ethical Consumer:

"These companies produce palm oil free chocolate

Divine,Beyond Good, Chocolat Madagascar,Pacari,Moo Free,Booja-Booja,Seed and Bean,Montezuma,Tony’s Chocolonely,Fairafric,Vego,Willies, Ombar, Mia."

Paul A Young are the best IMO

Booja booja chocolate truffles are amazing too (and vegan)

Very useful @ANameChangeAgain thank you! I used to work in a restaurant years ago (ok decades ago) they served Guilian seashells as after dinner chocolates bulk bought in a huge cardboard box and they were the most delicious chocolates I’d ever eaten, it was hard not to eat the whole plateful on the way out to the restaurant! They’ve definitely changed and not for the better.
I was given a box of Nestle Dairy Box a few months ago and they were truly disgusting, even the children left them. Very disappointing.

Laderach. Just sit down before browsing!

Aldi do a version of Guylian that taste quite similar. Not sure if they would be worse or better. I haven't really noticed a change in the quality of Guylian but I only like the original, the truffle ones are greasy and horrible.

I second Leonidas - very good quality if you like Belgian chocolates. Best value is from chocolate express.

Some from M&S are good

Prestat

Booja booja

Tony’s

Whittards rose and violet creams. Im obsessed.

Lindt taste like butter now. Booja booja are lovely and quite consistent, as are montezuma, particularly their lime and sea salt one.

FFS this thread has made me open the excellent chocolate I had bought for cooking! vivani.de/en/our-chocolates/ in case you were wondering.

I just know that I will end up eating all of it, and then have to buy more!

I'm now being pursued around the internet by pictures of Leonidas chocolates ... Highly tempted to order some.

Another vote for Leonidas.

Chocolate Express sell them online and their service is excellent

I’ve just done some reading up on Guylian chocolates and apparently in 2018 they stopped using palm oil for their truffles and now use a mixture of shea butter and vegetable oil 🤢
The website states that the original seashells have never contained palm oil so maybe it was a truffle I had recently, it was truly vile.

Tony's is good and has an ethical story behind it.

Marks and Spencers Swiss box of chocolates are great imo.

Audreys- they supply fortnum and masons
www.audreyschocolates.co.uk/pre-packed-boxes/hn/prepacked.aspx?hn

They are heaven in a bite

I love divine chocolate, their seasalt and caramel one is delicious!