I was just asked to review some chocolates sold under the names of two UK celebrity chefs – Gordon Ramsey and Antony Worrall Thompson – for the London Evening Standard. Both offerings were standard supermarket fare (which is to put it politely).

The feature came out in today’s edition, 19 November 2004, page 24 (but not in the final edition). You can also read it online at [url="http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/insiders/guides/articles/14841743"]Chefs’ chocolate wars! [/url].

Martin Christy
Editor
http://www.seventypercent.com

I think I’d prefer to say ‘confections’ rather than besmirch the good name of truffles. Slightly off-topic for me, but it meant I didn’t have any reputations to protect or chocolate makers to stay on good terms with.

Martin Christy
Editor
http://www.seventypercent.com

That was the taste! For the Antony Worrall Thompson box anyway. For the Gordon Ramsey box, the flavours were just wrong! They actually edited my reviews a lot, so here is the orginal version before it got trimmed:

quote:

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Anthony Worrall Thompson’s Original Chocolate Collection

Taste:
Astonishingly sweet confections with way too much sugar, burying almost all other flavour.

Quality of ingredients:
Although Anthony tells us his food range has ‘nothing unnecessary added’, five ‘E’ number colours as well as artificial flavouring supplement the long list of natural ingredients.

Freshness:
In the package we received, several of the collection suffered from ‘bloom’ – a white deposit formed on chocolate by heat damage.

Packaging:
Good presentation, which just heightens the disappointment when you try the contents.

Value for money:
Not a good way to spend your money if you want a chocolate fix, rather than a sugar overdose!

Verdict: Will appeal to those with a very sweet tooth, otherwise steer clear!

Gordon Ramsey’s Just Desserts

Taste:
A good guessing game to be played here, as the flavours rarely seem to relate to the descriptions – the pistachio truffle is more like coconut and the ‘blossom honey’ has not a hint of honey!

Quality of ingredients:
No ‘E’ numbers here, but the mystery catch-all ingredient ‘flavours’ occurs five times.

Freshness:
Creating fresh truffles with a shelf life of more than a few weeks is almost impossible without industrial techniques. Boxed chocolates like these are usually already several months old when bought.

Packaging:
Showy.

Value for money:
Chocolate should be about quality not quantity – better to spend your money on good fine chocolate.

Verdict: Although neither of these offerings are recommended, the Ramsey box wins by a sugary whisker.

Alternatives

With a little care, it’s quite possible to make quality chocolates with real fine ingredients without breaking the chocolate piggy bank. For around the same money you can get Booja Booja Organic Champagne truffles, or for just slightly more twelve superb genuinely hand made all natural, all fresh chocolates from L’artisan du Chocolat, Lower Sloane Street, SW1. Or for an even healthier chocolate fix, £6 buys you a couple origin chocolate bars, full of the natural and varied flavour of cocoa beans from around the world.

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Martin Christy
Editor
http://www.seventypercent.com