MicroBarBox - Chocoholic's Chocolate Cocktail Box

It might only be Wednesday, but that doesn’t stop us dreaming of Friday at The Amazing Blog! We were thrilled to discover British company, MicroBarBox, as their novel cocktail boxes allowed us to indulge in a cocktail (or two) from the comfort of our own homes. The concept of a ‘bar in a box’ is a great one, the liqueurs and spirits you need to create delicious after dinner drinks are delivered straight to your door, and with several different versions, you can choose your box dependant on whether you’re a gin, vodka, whisky, or prosecco lover.

We decided to give the Chocoholic’s Chocolate Cocktail Box a whirl. This decadent delight contains a plethora of alcoholic and chocolatey treats, including Coole Swan White Chocolate Liqueur, Kendal Mint Cake Liqueur, Sweet Potato Chocolate Moonshine with Chilli, Bramley and Gage Cherry Brandy, Baileys Orange Truffle Irish Cream Liqueur and Wild Chocolate Vodka - all of which come in 50ml measures. In addition to that, you get 35g of Fudge Kitchen Classic Chocolate, as well as 40g Divine White Chocolate. What more could you ask for? They have created our liquid ‘chocolate heaven’! Although completely acceptable as a way to treat yourself, this box would also make a perfect Christmas present for your loved ones. The boxes are elegant, encasing the chocolatey goodies in black packaging, with pink and white lettering. If you have the willpower to save these treats, then they will also be great additions to your beverage collection.

These can either be mixed in your own experimental way, or you can follow the cocktail serving suggestions to create some fabulous chocolate cocktails. Our favourite was definitely the Winter Wonderland cocktail, which contains the Coole Swan White Chocolate Liqueur mixed with 1/3 of Kendal Mint Cake Liqueur. Perfect for a cosy catch up on wintery days! Everything you need is combined in the box, just add some ice for a refreshing bonus. For £35 you can order the Chocoholic’s Chocolate Cocktail box here or browse the selection of other boxes here. NB: the box contents are regularly updated so your contents may be different (although equally delicious!)

In order to always keep your selection updated, you can even become a Cocktail Club member, and get your monthly Cocktail box delivered straight to your door. The lovely MicroBarBoxTeam have also created a discount code for you, our readers, which you can use when purchasing their Chocoholic’s Chocolate Cocktail Box. Simply use the code “AMAZING10” when placing your order. Enjoy!

Butterscotch, Mixed Nut Brittle and Salted Caramel by Fudge Kitchen

All of us at The Amazing Blog are huge fans of Fudge Kitchen and their addictively sweet treats. Having never previously reviewed their products before, we leapt at the opportunity when it finally came around. Fudge Kitchen very kindly sent us three of their products, including some Salted Caramel, Butterscotch and Mixed Nut Brittle. 

Fudge Kitchen has been making hand-crafted treats for over 30 years, using traditional techniques to make new sweet treats. Each piece of confectionery is hand decorated in a small batch, and contain only natural ingredients. The Salted Caramel is utterly delectable; sweet caramel is topped with thick milk chocolate and pink Himalayan rock salt crystals. It had a rich, sweet and salty flavour that left us wanting more. The Butterscotch is a relatively new product for Fudge Kitchen. Creamy Gourmet Butterscotch is smothered in milk chocolate, combining an iconic British favourite with the velvety texture of smooth milk chocolate. The butterscotch is vegetarian-friendly and contains no gluten so everyone can enjoy this. The mixed nut brittle was the perfect snack to bring to work for when we needed a sugar boost. The thick caramel brittle is infused and filled with mixed nuts adding extra texture, flavour and snap.  This snack is also gluten-free and vegetarian-friendly.

We cannot wait to try Fudge Kitchen again and hope to do so soon. If you want to try these delicious treats then click here for the Butterscotch which will cost £6.50, the Mixed Nut Brittle is available here for £6.00 and the Salted Caramel here for £6.50
 

Assorted Fudge By Buttermilk

Who doesn’t love Cornwall? It’s a beachy county full of ice cream, scones and fudge, and it is the county’s remarkably delicious fudge that The Amazing Blog turns its attention to today.  Buttermilk is a brilliant family run Cornish company that has been creating remarkable artisanal confectionary since 1964. Their award winning treats are lovingly handmade using traditional methods, including copper pans over open flames. As such, they make a host of delicious and mouth-watering confectionary that you should share with the whole family, but won’t want to.

We were spoiled for choice when buttermilk sent over four exciting products, all traditional treats with a tantalising Buttermilk twist. We tried their Caramel Sea Salt Fudge, Cookies and Cream Fudge, Chocolate Almond Brittle and Chocolate Honeycomb. The Cornish honeycomb was marvellous, light and airy it had a bitter sweet juxtaposition in its flavour, as the dark toffee of the honeycomb clashes with the sweet and creamy milk chocolate it’s covered with. The nutty and sweet taste of the chocolate covered and hand broken almond brittle is infused with sea salt that adds a burst of sophistication to a loveable childhood favourite.  Similarly the buttery caramel sea salt fudge crumbles and melts as the opposing flavours of sweet and salty melt together - it’s no surprise this fudge has won awards, its moreish-ness is nearly unparalleled, that is until you try Buttermilk’s new cookie and cream fudge of course. This fudge contains delectable pieces of real chocolate cookies in the perfect, smooth and creamy fudge. For a 150g box of fudge  it starts from £3.75 and the honeycomb and brittles from £3.99. Or if you have a sweet tooth, why not spoil yourself with a 'Taste Them All' mixed pack of 10 varieties for just £38. 

Friday Favourites - Sweet Treats

The weekend is nearly upon us and so is the urge to indulge, and here at The Amazing Blog we know just how!

For something wickedly moorish pick up a packet of Ultimate English fudge which champions local produce in the Yorkshire region.

Using rhubarb grown in the heart of the rhubarb triangle itself by celebrated farmer D Westwood & Sons, the companies’ new rhubarb coconut ice gives a nostalgic nod towards the childhood-cherished rhubarb crumble.

If you fancy something more traditional check out their All Butter Fudge or the Salt Water Chocolate Truffle Fudge which combines the finest all butter fudge with the highest quality Belgian chocolate which recently was awarded a gold star in the Guild of Fine Food Great Taste Awards.

You can purchase Ultimate English fudge via retailers across the UK. You can find your nearest stockist here.

If you’re after a slightly healthier option then look no further as Chocolift is a lactose free, no added sugar chocolate with sweeteners extracted from plants, 38% pure cocoa, 8.2g whey protein isolate and 2g of coconut oil. The blend of cocoa, whey protein and coconut oil is a great alternative for chocolate lovers on sugar and lactose controlled diets, and at only 89 calories per half a bar we think it’s a great diet friendly option.

You can buy an 8 pack of Chocolift bars for £28.65 here.

Here at The Amazing Blog we also love Sweet Virtues’ award winning luxury truffles, which are nutrient-dense and power-packed with more than five super food ingredients in every truffle. The raw centre is made up of a blend of Maca, Lucuma, Coconut Nectar, Carob, Ginseng, Sunflower Seeds and Ground Almonds mixed with 72% Organic raw dark chocolate with Bio Live Cultures. Each truffle is hand-made and is dairy-free, suitable for vegetarians, vegans and those on gluten-free diets.

Available in three delicious varieties, Maqui, Chia Seeds & Lime and Baobab & Vanilla, the truffles come in boxes of around 10 (£13.95 for 115g), or a two truffle ballotin box (selection pack containing one ballotin box of each variety for £7.50). Both are perfect as a unique and luxurious gift or the ultimate guilt-free treat for oneself.

The Sweet Virtues range is currently available with a number of retailers, including Harrods, Daylesford, Planet Organic and Partridges of London, or from the company’s website.

Last but not least, we all know that chocolate makes you feel good, and Lovechock does just that! Made by hand from the best organic, raw cacao from Ecuador, instead of being roasted the beans are cold grounded, providing a natural source of flavonoids and ‘love chemicals’-  goodies that make you feel happy and loving.

Lovechock is milk free, soy free and gluten free and is sweetened with Coconut blossom nectar, which has a low GI value and therefore keeps the blood sugar levels more stable than common sugars. All Lovechock products are 100% vegan (recognized by the Vegan Society) and come in a variety of flavours including Goji/Orange, Almond/Fig and Mulberry/Vanilla.

We’re also loving Lovechock Rocks which are a great snack for when you’re on the go. The rocks are fruits or nuts covered in raw chocolate and a pinch of reishi, and come in three different flavour combinations Mulberry/Hemp seed, Almond/Cinnamon and Raisin Coconut.

You can buy Lovechock products from Planet Organic, Real Foods and The HealthBay.

Fudge Fancies

In an office full of girls known for their fondness for a sweet treat (in fact savoury will also do, we’re not really that fussy!), this week’s diet has well and truly gone out of the window thanks to gourmet fudge makers Fudge Fancies.

Founder of Fudge Fancies, Michael Goodchild has been dubbed ‘the Heston Blumenthal of fudge’ for his exquisite and experimental range of flavours and presentation. However, unlike Heston there is not a bacon flavoured, frothing, exploding gimmick in sight. Instead, Michael has created a range of the most delicious flavours and unique combinations including Bakewell Tart, Eton Mess, Cappuccino and Mango and Coconut. Office favourites were narrowed down to the Apple Crumble (made from white chocolate fudge mixed with slow baked pink lady apples and topped with a crunchy biscuit crumb) and Sticky Toffee Pudding (made with a dark chocolate fudge mixed with dates, raisins and caramel and covered in creamy milk chocolate).

All the fudge is handmade and contains 100% organic dairy, all natural ingredients and no artificial flavourings. Each fancy is individually wrapped and beautifully presented (making them the perfect gift or party favour) and if you have trouble deciding which flavours to choose you can play a game of Fudge Roulette to receive a surprise selection. We’ve been drooling over the amazing three-tier chocolate fudge wedding cake ever since we discovered their website…all that’s left for us to do is find a man prepared to marry both us and our attachment to Fudge Fancies.

Buy online here(box of 4 - £4.80, box of 8 - £9.60)