I cannot resist chocolate-covered nuts. They are, to my mind, the most perfect of pairings and I absolutely kid myself that it’s OK to eat tons (see also: peanut M&Ms) because it’s nuts, and nuts are good for you.
So I was excited to try Paz Nuts’ nut offerings. Paz makes mostly premium nut products – think honey-roasted cashews and almonds – but also a small range of chocolate-covered nuts. They come in lovely little glass jars with bamboo lids – another excellent reason to buy these choco-nuts (‘It’s not just chocolate and nuts, it’s a useful jar!’) My favourite were the honey-roasted pecans in dark chocolate, £8.50.
Melt has launched a Mix Slab Box, five different roughly cut chocolate slabs in a box (£19.99, 200g). I wasn’t a fan of three of the slabs but two of them were fantastic, namely the blond white with caramelised almonds, which was first class, and the dark with hazelnuts. You can order just these if you visit the London shops, phone to make an order or specify it in the requests online (where you enter your address). The dark hazelnut slab is also available on its own (£16, 200g).
Melt’s Summer Collection gift box (from £18 for 10) also produced a standout in the shape of the apricot caramel and rosemary. The other chocolates in the box are coconut (think posh, mini Bounty bars) and summer fruits pâté and they were OK but not my favourite. Again, you can request a whole box of just the apricot caramels, which were a really unusual and delicate flavour. Or visit a shop in person and buy just one for £1.70.
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