The New Chocolate Connoisseur
The French have always enjoyed an enviable reputation for their love of gourmet food and their pride in turning premium quality ingredients into delectable, indulgent pleasures for the palate. From fine wines to foie gras, champagne to cheese, French gastronomy is synonymous with excellence.
So to food connoisseurs it comes as no surprise that the best chocolate in the world is made in France. Visit any French city to find an astounding array of chocolateries, each offering tantalising chocolates displayed like fine jewels. Not a sign of a mass-produced, sugar rush-inducing candy anywhere; just exquisite, handmade French chocolates created by second, third, even fourth generation chocolatiers, who practise their artisanal skills with a dedication bordering on obsession. That's the French for you.
Britain, on the other hand – although calling itself a nation of chocolate-lovers – only started to show an interest in luxury chocolates in the mid-80s. But despite our slow start, consumer trends over the past five years have shown that we're undergoing something of a revolution in the way we choose to indulge our chocolate passion, and the gourmet sector is now the fastest growing within the chocolate market.
Largely driven by increased media interest in the health benefits that can be derived from regular consumption of high quality, dark chocolate, discerning British palates are now seeking to delight their tastebuds with new and exciting chocolate recipes made from pure, healthy ingredients.
In response to the growing number of Britain's chocolate connoisseurs, Frenchman Pierre Soualah opened his Provence-inspired chocolate boutique – Chouchoute Chocolaterie – in Birmingham in 2002. French for ‘pampered', Chouchoute has since earned a reputation for its refined style and Pierre's infinite enthusiasm to enlighten the British palate with a unique range of handmade French chocolates.
Together with his artisan chocolatier, Pierre has created a distinctive assortment of intensely-flavoured chocolates to challenge the palate of any discerning chocolate enthusiast. "We use only the finest cocoa beans and noble ingredients such as cocoa butter and pure vanilla, blended with infusions such as cassis, aniseed, bergamot and hops to complement our soft ganaches and pralines perfectly", says Pierre, adding that his recipes change according to the season, with the addition of fresh tastes and delicate aromas.
Within the luxury chocolate sector its the so-called ‘super-premium' niche – comprising the most luxurious, independent brands and specialist products – that's attracting the most highly-sophisticated consumers, who value quality and provenance more than price alone.
Pierre Soualah confirms that the interest in super-premium chocolate is being driven by those customers with refined tastes, adding that British demand for his luxury French chocolates has far exceeded his initial expectations. "With the opening of Eurostar, travel to France has become even easier, and many British people have eagerly embraced French gastronomy", says Pierre. "A lot of my customers tell me how pleased they were to find handmade French chocolates in the UK because they are the finest money can buy."
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