This year why not skip the usual ghoulish pumpkins and other horrors of Halloween and celebrate the Day of the Dead instead with Chococo’s range of chocolates that has been inspired by the Mexican celebration of El Dia de Los Muertos – The Day of the Dead. The team at Chococo, led by founders Claire and Andy Burnet, has created a range of stunning handmade chocolate skulls, chocolates, lollies and bars.
Rather than being a sad event, The Day of the Dead is a celebration where families meet to remember the lives of the departed from 31 October – 2 November. In Mexico and other central American countries, families will feast on chocolate and special foods as they honour the dead and, when they gather at the decorated graves of their loved ones, they drink hot chocolate. As part of the decoration for these festivities they create highly decorated calaveras (skulls) traditionally made out of sugar.
Chococo uses fine origin chocolate from Madagascar (milk chocolate 65% cocoa, dark chocolate 67%, 70% & 85% cocoa), Venezuela (milk chocolate 45% cocoa) and Colombia (white chocolate). Chococo has always been a firm believer in working with fine origin chocolate high in cocoa solids and low in sugar, using local seasonal ingredients and no additives or preservatives. Chococo also only works with natural colours that are vegan-friendly, in this range the yellow is curcumin, the blue is spirulina and the pink is beetroot.
Chococo has also launched a NEW and improved house milk chocolate this year. Made with fine Venezuelan cocoa beans, it now contains 45% cocoa solids, which it believes is one of the higher cocoa content milk chocolates being offered as a house milk chocolate in the UK currently.
Chococo cares about the impact of its packaging on the environment and always has done – since launch back in 2002, its iconic selection boxes have always only ever had cardboard grids inside to hold each chocolate in place, never plastic trays. All Chococo’s gifts for Day of the Dead are either recyclable or compostable. For more information please see the notes to editors section.
The full range is available to order on its website www.chococo.co.uk and will be available from its four Chocolate Houses in Swanage, Dorset; Winchester, Hampshire; Exeter, Devon; and Horsham, West Sussex from early October. Alternatively you can call 01929 421777 to order these delicious chocolates.
The 2019 Day of the Dead range:
NEW Day of the Dead Selection Box (£11.50/9 chocolates; £17.50/16 chocolates)
Enjoy these suitably seasonal handmade chocolates nestled in a plastic-free box with cover design inspired by The Day of the Dead:
- NEW Mexican Chilli – Mexican ancho chilli-infused coconut milk ganache with cinnamon, vanilla and a touch of Dorset sea salt.
- NEW Spiced Devonshire Rum – Raisins marinated in dark rum from the Two Drifters distillery in Exeter, blended with nutmeg, cinnamon, clove and Madagascar origin dark chocolate.
- NEW Gold Cocoa Nibs Gem – golden caramelised white chocolate studded with roasted Madagascar cocoa nibs for an intense cocoa crunch contrast to the sweet caramel flavors.
- Black Garlic Caramel – a luscious muscovado caramel infused with sweet black garlic from the South West Garlic farm in West Dorset.
- Spiced Pumpkin – spiced pumpkin jam made especially for Chococo by Susan of the Alweston Jam & Chutney Empire in Alweston in Dorset, tops a fresh Dorset cream and dark chocolate ganache spiced with pure pumpkin puree, cinnamon and nutmeg.
- Cardamom & Pistachio – cardamom-infused fresh Dorset cream and white chocolate ganache dipped in milk chocolate and rolled in crushed pistachios.
- Black Summer Truffle – a blend of Venezuela origin milk chocolate and Grand cru de Sambirano Madagascan 70% dark chocolate with fresh Dorset cream infused with local black summer truffle. The truffles have been foraged for Chococo by Dorset truffle hunter Sasha Dorey and her truffle hounds. Each truffle is hand-dipped in Madagascan dark chocolate and rolled in tiny chocolate pieces so that it looks like a truffle!
- Dorset Smoked Sea Salt Caramel – a muscovado caramel infused with sea salt, harvested and smoked on the Isle of Portland by the Dorset Sea Salt Company (Bronze Academy of Chocolate Award 2018).
- Cabin Pressure Gin & Rosemary – Horsham’s Cabin Pressure gin blended with a fresh rosemary-infused cream & dark chocolate ganache. (2 Star Gold Great Taste Award 2019 – “the flavours come together in a brilliantly balanced way”).
NEW Hand Decorated Day of the Dead Skulls (£14.50/ 200g each)
These stunning 3D chocolate skulls are both handmade from Venezuelan origin 45% milk chocolate. There are two different skulls to choose from and they come presented in a recyclable clear cube. As each skull is carefully hand-piped by one of the Chococo team of chocolatiers, each one is unique. The two skulls are:
- ‘Pedro’ the milk chocolate skull – this skull is decorated with white and dark chocolate patterns to give it a ghoulish, yet somehow friendly appearance.
- ‘Tita’ the colourful chocolate skull – this skull has a thin outer layer of naturally coloured white chocolate, Ruby chocolate roses as eyes and hand-piped naturally coloured Colombian white chocolate patterns.
NEW Day of the Dead Skull Bars (£7.50 each/ 125g)
These handmade skull bars are available in three different styles. They are inspired by The Day of the Dead decorations and the style of the famous Mexican artist Frida Kahlo and her floral headdresses. As they are all hand-decorated, each one is unique. Presented in plastic-free packaging of a compostable woodpulp bag tied with ribbon.
The three to choose from:
- ‘Frida’ the Milk Chocolate Skull Bar – made from Venezuelan origin 45% milk chocolate, this bar is decorated with naturally coloured white chocolate roses, ruby chocolate roses and caramelised white chocolate roses. It also features hand-piped white chocolate patterns.
- ‘Rosa’ the Dark Chocolate Skull Bar – made from Madagascan origin 67% dark chocolate this bar is decorated with naturally coloured dark chocolate and dark chocolate flowers. The flowers feature a light dusting of edible shimmers. This bar is dairy-free and vegan-friendly.
- ‘Blanca’ the Milk & White Chocolate Skull Bar – made from Venezuelan origin 45% milk chocolate, this bar has a thin outer layer of Colombian origin white chocolate. It is decorated with naturally coloured white chocolate roses, ruby chocolate roses and caramelised white chocolate roses. It also features hand-piped 67% Madagascan dark chocolate and white chocolate patterns.
NEW Monster Mini Bar & Monster Lolly Set ( £7.50/100g)
If you are looking for something more zombie-like, how about this gift for the little ones (or the grown-ups!) handmade from Venezuelan origin 45% milk chocolate. Both the mini bar and lolly are hand-piped with a Colombian white chocolate monster face. The perfect gift set for little zombies on 31st October. Both are in plastic-free packaging – the lolly has a paper stick and is in a compostable woodpulp bag tied with ribbon, the mini bar is in a compostable woodpulp bag in a recyclable cardboard box.
NEW Single Origin Hot Chocolate Flakes (£7.50/125g)
Toast your ancestors with a rich hot chocolate made of pure grand cru de Sambirano 70% dark chocolate from Madagascar. This Raisetrade chocolate is produced from tree to bar, for us to work with, in Madagascar by Chocolaterie Robert and is the same chocolate we use in our Chocolate House cafes for our house hot chocolate. It also a vegan drink if made with any plant-based milk. Packaged in a reusable cardboard tube.