Delicious Chocolate Things in London and beyond
Where you can get items with Nicolas Berger Chocolate, an almost-final call for the online tasting and a South London bakery you might not have heard of....
I feel like I understand now why strangers were encouraging me to have a second child. Even though, at the time, I couldn’t help but think “you don’t know what my experience was like”.
Never mind the fact that I probably couldn’t have another child. They meant well, I didn’t take offence. I’ve said plenty of misguided things in my life.
Their main reason, or so they told me, was so my daughter could have a play mate (always helpful to add to maternal guilt).
I fully realise now their urging was as much for my benefit as hers.
I’ve decided to focus on the plus side of not having “a play mate” for her - and I’m well aware this does not always, or even often, work out! - and look to what adventures I can organise for weekends this year which will keep me from having to be the customer at her ice cream shop in our kitchen too often...
Next weekend, whilst I go to Amsterdam, she’ll go to her grandparents in North Yorkshire with her dad. The following weekend to round off half term, we’ll all go to Suffolk. Yes, the not-at-all-ulterior-motive in this is we will all get to start that Sunday at Pump Street Bakery. Dreamy. I haven’t been for 5.5 years!
If we can time it right I’m hoping we’ll get to visit Tosier Chocolate and maybe even Pinch at the Maple Farm farm shop. I’m keen to try the cookies!
For your reference:
Pump St Bakery
📌 1 Pump St, Orford, Woodbridge IP12 2LZ
Tosier Chocolate
📌 Reckford Farm, Leiston Rd, Saxmundham IP17 3NS
Pinch at Maple Farm
📌 Maple Farm, East Green, Kelsale, Saxmundham IP17 2PL
The intended interpretation I hope you’ll draw from the above is:
sorry this is late, I’ve been quite occupied.
Since the last email we were busy packing and repacking as we spent our last nights in Melbourne in two different houses (thanks for hosting us, friends and family!), then 40+ hours of mostly sleepless travel, then jet lag (most of my days this week started between 12.30am and 2.30am 😴) whilst trying to get my taxes done, prepping to teach in a primary school (so much fun!) and prepping for a company team tasting tomorrow evening.
And, of course, time spent being a customer at the aforementioned ice cream shop.
I don’t choose a chocolate cone and chocolate sauce every time.
The Upcoming Online Chocolate Tasting
If you didn’t already know, the reason I’m going to Amsterdam in a few days is for Chocoa, a chocolate festival.
I tasted so many interesting developments in chocolate at Salon du Chocolat last November that I decided, if people were interested, I’d get myself to the next good chocolate festival and round up some interesting bars of chocolate, split them up and post them out and we’d all taste them together and chat about them.
Some of you said you were keen so I set the date last year:
The tasting will be via Zoom on Wednesday 6th March at 8pm UK time.
If you’d like to join me and some of the other readers of this Substack (👋 thanks! 🙏), then you’ll need to pre-order your pack by this 11am on Friday 9th February, otherwise I might not buy enough. 🤷🏻♀️ 😲
I’ll be posting overseas ones by Wednesday 14th February to allow them three weeks to arrive which feels like lots of time.
I don’t trust posting anything to Europe anymore, unfortunately 😒, but over the past 4 years everything except one package I’ve posted to the US and Canada has arrived within 2.5 weeks, usually within 10 days.
The call will be recorded in case anything comes up for anyone at the last minute.
If you’re already signed up, or thinking about signing up, please feel free to peruse the list of makers and let me know if there are any you’re especially keen to try and I’ll see what I can do!
This week’s Delicious Things…
I had three part-drafted emails prior to last Wednesday, as it happens, I’ve started a fourth draft here and, in this email, I will share with you delicious things I tried on that Wednesday, plus a bakery that makes a short-listed croissant that I finally got to visit on Thursday.
First, the Wednesday:
A tasting menu of Nicolas Berger Chocolate
I was one of very few non-chefs lucky enough to be invited to a special event for Nicolas Berger chocolate, hosted by Classic Fine Foods.
It’s not the first time I’ve tried his chocolate, or even the first time I’ve written about it.
And whilst it might seem unhelpful to tell you about chocolate that’s only available to chocolatiers, bakers and chefs, the beauty of this particular event is that what I tried were actual items that are - or will be - available to the general public (well, the wealthier public… 👀).
After years working at some of the best restaurants and patisseries in France and beyond, Nicolas Berger rose to being Alain Ducasse’s executive pastry chef at the Plaza Athénée. He was the one who set up Alain Ducasse’s original chocolate factory in Paris in 2013 and last year he set up his own, under his own name.
Nicolas Berger chocolate is probably the most expensive couverture (chocolate for baking/patisserie) available in the UK. Nicolas literally makes every single batch himself. Production stops when he comes to events like Wednesday’s.
So, it makes sense that places who use this chocolate are themselves quite expensive to dine at. My preview suggests that if you can afford it, it’s at least worth it!
And at least one doesn’t require a £200+ tasting menu to taste for yourself!
I loved all that we tried, so here you go:
Morel by Ikoyi
I looked up the price of the tasting menu at Ikoyi after I tasted this absolute flavour phenomenon. It was the only savoury item on the menu and a beautiful example of how perfectly cocoa/chocolate can enhance a savoury dish.
Chef Jeremy Chan described how he made it and that there were 50 different ingredients, including caramelised jeruselum artichoke, rye, rum butter, smoked chillis, beer, heather honey, blackthorn salt, caramelised sesame seeds…
You can only get a set menu at Ikoyi - which describes its menu as “spice-based cuisine around British micro-seasonality … with a focus on sub-Saharan West Africa” - and it’s £300pp, or £200pp for a shorter menu on Thursday and Friday lunchtimes. If you’re comfortable spending this amount on food - and there are plenty of restaurants in London that’ll cost in this region - then I would definitely consider spending it here, based on this one morel morsel.
📌 180 Strand, Temple, London WC2R 1EA
NEAREST STATION: Temple
Afternoon Tea Patisserie by Roger Pizey at Fortnum’s
It’s been YEARS since I had afternoon tea at Fortnum’s but trying this has made me want to return.
Roger Pizety has been Fortnum’s Executive Pastry Chef for the past 5+ years. He used to work at Marco Pierre White and was the head pastry chef when Paul A Young was there in the early days of his career.
This perfect little dessert will be coming to the Spring afternoon tea menu and contains a ganache made with woodruff. I know.
What is woodruff?
Sweet woodruff (Galium odoratum) is a ground-cover plant that produces tiny edible flowers in the spring which are used in medicine, cheese making, salads, for garnishes and, apparently, desserts.
It’s also known as wild baby’s breath and as sweet-scented bedstraw. The latter name came about because its fragrance was still so intense once dried, it was used indoors to mask bad smells.
When picked young and eaten quickly the flavour is apparently mild, but if dried and kept airtight the flavour is of hay and vanilla.
If you fancy foraging yourself, make sure to eat fresh or keep the dried flowers airtight because exposure to oxygen can make them mildly toxic.
It grows in the shade and grows easily, but non-invasively, which is wonderful news for anyone interesting in gardening and delicious things.
There was another fruity layer to the dessert and I didn’t catch what it was - I thought it was woodruff before I knew what woodruff was. 😅 But the acidity of it perfectly complemented the rest of the dessert.
Whatever it was, it was wonderful.
📌 181 Piccadilly, St. James's, London W1A 1ER
NEAREST STATION: Green Park / Piccadilly Circus
KAYU Mayfair Pain au Chocolat
Kayu have used Valhrona since they’ve opened (first in Dubai), and they still do, but they’re switching to Nicolas’ batons for their pain au chocolat. It’s a 65% Peruvian and Venezuelan blend and it’s wonderful.
Usually the batons for a pain au chocolat are around a 50% cocoa content so as not to clash with the pastry, and frankly too sweet for my liking, though I’ve disliked some more expensive ones that were too intense, too. This was stunning. I’m delighted to be able to get to try it easily again.
📌 42 Curzon St, London W1J 7UE
NEAREST STATION: Green Park
Ice Cream Union
I’m a big fan of Ice Cream Union. They’ve always used great chocolate, alongside other high quality ingredients, mostly ones they’ve made from scratch (their own honeycomb, cookies, coulis, etc).
We visit them on the Chelsea Sweet Treats Adventure and sample lots of their fabulous and frequently changing ice cream and sorbets.
Their ice cream maker (and former chocolatier), Mireille Discher, created a milk chocolate ice cream using the 60% Madagascar milk origin. I liked it even more as it melted, when the flavours of the chococlate became even more apparent.
📌 166 Pavilion Rd, London SW1X 0AW
NEAREST STATION: Sloane Square
Plated dessert by Gwenael Girard at Pavyllon London
One of the best afternoon teas I’ve had was at The Four Seasons. I don’t think this particular chef was there then, but the menu at Pavyllon looks superb. “Modern French”, it’s billed as.
This tiny bowl might’ve looked like a simple chocolate mousse but contained three origins of chocolate: Cuban and Venzuelan in the dessert and a third I didn’t catch for the cocoa nibs that sat on top with a cocoa nib tuille.
Once you dug your spoon in, there were caramelised hazelnuts and caramel providing texture and flavour to keep you coming back for more and lift the chocolate before it got too rich (apparently this is a thing? 🤷🏻♀️😘😂)
📌 in Four Seasons Hotel London at Park Lane, Hamilton Pl, London W1J 7DR
NEAREST STATION: Hyde Park Corner
Thanos’ Chocolate Cigar.
OK, this one isn’t currently available anywhere but once Thanos Linardakis has decided where he will work next I will let you know. Someone that makes something this clever and considered - as well as delicious - is someone I’d follow to their kitchen.
That’s it! Thank you to Classic Fine Foods for having me!
The suburban South London sourdough bakery with the short-listed Croissant
Maitre Chez has been on my radar since before they were shortlisted for the Isigny-sponsored croissant competition last year (Felicity Cloake was one of the judges and I can’t wait to ask her about it during the live podcast on Saturday 23rd March), but it’s not terribly convenient from my home.
I was delighted to realise the bakery was only a tiny detour from the school I was going to teach at on Thursday. And they open at 7am! How great is that? I wish more bakeries and brunch places opened early here. 7-7.30am is standard in Melbourne. Some open at 6am!
I’m not sure what it says about us Londoners that the earliest I know of opening here is E5 Bakehouse at 8am on a Sunday, and it’s still fairly empty at 8.45am.
Side note: I had another wonderful breakfast there this morning. My god, their cardamom bun is nailing it right now, so buttery and with crisp, caramelised edges. It was Maya’s choice and I begged for bites of it which she only very reluctantly deigned to give me.
📌 E5 Bakehouse, 396 Mentmore Terrace, London E8 3PH
NEAREST STATION: London Fields
Anyway, back to Maitre Chez. This is what I bought:
Pain Suisse
Pain au Raisin
Basque Cheesecake
Chocolate Chip Cookie
Brownie
Pistachio, Pear and Grapefruit Tart
Seeded 100% rye sourdough.
The lamination was excellent and I really enjoyed both pastries, particularly the comforting filling of the pain suisse.
The choc chip cookie was classic and crisp and I happily demolished it all.
The bread is packed with seeds, close-crumbed and is staying moist, days later. It reminds me of seeded loaves I’ve made myself and enjoyed.
The other things I bought were a little sweet for my personal preference. Don’t let that stop you trying them.
I think the locals are lucky to have them.
📌 92-96 Westmount Rd, London SE9 1UT
NEAREST STATION: Eltham
There are lots of seats inside and they do wine some evenings and host monthly supper clubs, it seems.
I’m hoping this Wednesday I’ll have a London local’s hot spots to share with you! Or maybe part one of my Melbourne highlights? We’ll see.
Questions for you:
Have you been to any of the above places? What did you think?
Can you remember the most awkward thing anyone’s said to you?
Where else should I go for weekend adventures? Accommodation suggestions particularly welcome. I’d love places with things that will occupy a 4.5yo, that ideally aren’t too long by car or by train, but really that have something delicious for me. 🤫
Thank you!!
love and weighted blankets,
Jen xx
P.S. don’t forget the subscriber chat tomorrow at 8! I’ll send a link to it tomorrow afternoon and you can add your questions early if you like and I’ll reply to any that come through before or between 8-8:30. ❤️
Thanks for all these recommendations! 👏
The Chocolate Tours look amazing!
Yes to more bakeries should be open early! I know of a few that have 7am - Paul Rhodes in Greenwich and also Today in brews in walthamstow. Occasionally you can find the old school bakeries open as early as 5am for the builders and early door shift workers that make the British classics like baps and buns!