Why subscribe?

Because you love DELICIOUS THINGS.

Especially fancy chocolate, flaky croissants and incredible desserts.

And probably you either live in London or are planning to visit. I write about other places too and each week at least one thing that’s available across the UK and sometimes abroad, but you should know there’s a London-heavy lean.

Why might you want to become a paid subscriber?

My hope is that as well as bringing you the shortest route to something delicious made by someone who cares and knows their food, I’ll also be saving you money and stomach space in sending you curated suggestions.

I’ve spent 18 years learning how to taste “professionally” (I know, sorry) and I spend a lot of time and money trying things in order to know the London food scene. Plus, writing and editing these newsletters takes about a day of week. So that’s £1.50 a week towards 6-8 hours of my time - you can’t even get a good cookie for that price anymore.

Paid subscribers also get the full archive and 30 minutes of chat with me every Monday at 8pm UK time.

Hi! I’m Jen.

My job is to show people delicious things. I’ve been running Chocolate Ecstasy Tours since 2005 (yep, I can’t get my head around it either) and I also work as a Food Innovation Consultant because I understand retail and manufacturing having worked as a Buyer and Food Developer.

I’m on the Grand Jury of the Academy of Chocolate and I’m a judge for the Great Taste Awards, the Quality Food Awards, the International Chocolate Awards, the Brazilian Chocolate Awards, and others.

Hopefully all of that means you’ll trust my recommendations. 😅

Each week I’ll tell you about things I genuinely recommend are worth eating (or drinking). I spend most of my time in London, sometimes travelling, I also visit food trade shows and share the most exciting new products that might be in a supermarket or deli near you soon.

Old emails will be locked so subscribe to get make sure you don’t miss a mention. Every new edition of the newsletter goes directly to your inbox.

Join me!

We all eat better when we share our recommendations! I love hearing from you and this is where you can tell me you don’t agree with me - or let me know if a place’s standards have slipped since I told you about it. I’ll be here, replying back to you and someone else might chip in, too.

Come and join the food obsessed. The people who plan their trips around where they’ll eat. And the people who ask to see the dessert menu before they order anything else.

I can’t wait to chat with you!

Tell you again why you want The Next Delicious Thing in your inbox?

I want you to eat good food.

And I want to support the people who make good food.

This space is mostly about craft chocolate, artisan bakeries and desserts, but I’ll also share savoury things (with a heavy lean on vegan/vegetarian because that’s how I eat 99% of the time), restaurant recommendations, snacks and condiments you’ll find in supermarkets, and businesses that post treats anywhere in the world.

I’m based in London so it’s London-centric, but lots of things I share can be purchased from anywhere.

1. Food recommendations online are overwhelming.

And dubious. Right?

Social media feels like a fleeting place to share these days and biased towards what looks good in the two seconds before someone flicks from your video to another. Online magazines have “top 10” lists that can be great, but feel heavily influenced by businesses that can afford PR or have Instagrammable items.

I’ve been writing this newsletter for a while now (hi to you if you’ve been reading for while!), and I thought that Substack was a better home because you can comment on it and see one another’s comments! So it won’t just be about me, and what I love. I can’t wait to hear from you all.

During the pandemic I ran monthly public Online Mystery Chocolate Tastings - 20 of them! - I loved seeing many of the same people and hearing your thoughts on flavours. I hope this can bring some of that same sense of community.

I really hope you’ll find that my recommendations fit with food you love and I hope we’ll build a community here of people with similar taste, sharing our findings and the joy we get from great food.

2. A space for people who love food and the people who make food.

This is a home for all the artisan bakers and craft chocolate makers and passionate chefs, and the people who appreciate them. For the people who care about the provenance of their food and whether the companies pay their staff and suppliers well.

I attend food shows only available to poeple in the industry so I’ll keep you up to date on exciting new products I find there, and I spend my time (and money!) exploring new places and products in London - and beyond - and I will share the good stuff from these adventures, too.

3. Why sign up?

Every Wednesday I send a list of the things I’ve tried that I’ve loved and tell you why I love them. If you want to know what’s good to add to your list for the next time you need something new and delicious, then I hope you’ll love receiving these emails.

You can reply to me and share your thoughts directly, or comment on the posts that live online.

4. Why trust my recommendations?

I’m fussy, for starters. I’m also on the Grand Jury of the Academy of Chocolate and a judge for the Great Taste Awards, the International Chocolate Awards, the Quality Food Awards and others.

I’ve been working in the food industry for more than 17 years (since I started Chocolate Ecstasy Tours, which I still run) and I get paid for my opinion on how food tastes. It might not be to your taste, but I hope it is, and we can become friends who love good food.

5. I hope you’ll join me on this (mostly) sweet adventure!

We all need more joy and what easier joy to come by than a taste of something delicious to cheer up our week.

Here’s me with a pastry. If good pastries make you as happy as they make me, then I think you’ll want to subscribe.

I can’t wait to chat with you!

Jen x

P.S. if you’d like me to show you around (with London history too!), book a team building event, client entertaining or have me come and give a delicious after dinner talk (with chocolate, of course) then visit https://chocolateecstasytours.com ☺️

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