All About Chocolate

Articles covering chocolate's history, production methods, health aspects and culinary applications. Topics range from manufacturing processes to pairing suggestions and cooking techniques.

About Organic Chocolate

Organic chocolate is made with ingredients grown without artificial chemicals, using farming methods that protect the environment and local communities.

Alternatives to Chocolate

Carob, dairy-free chocolate, and sugar-free options can help you enjoy treats without the health downsides of regular chocolate.

Chocolate and Health and Nutrition

Chocolate was once prescribed as medicine for everything from hangovers to scurvy, though modern views paint it as unhealthy.

Chocolate as a Cosmetic

Chocolate might actually benefit your skin, but not for the reasons beauty spas claim it will.

Chocolate as an Accompaniment

Chocolate pairs beautifully with ice cream, strawberries, mint and savoury dishes—here's how to enjoy it.

Chocolate Facts

Common myths about chocolate storage and quality reveal how to keep it fresh and why it actually tastes better when chilled.

Chocolate Myths Explored

Chocolate doesn't actually cause acne, though the myth persists from post-war eating habits and high-sugar diets in general.

Chocolate News: What's New

Chocolate makers are quietly overhauling everything from wrappers to packaging to keep bars cool and cut waste.

Chocolate Techniques

Master the basics of melting chocolate without burning it, then learn tempering, curling and piping techniques to elevate your desserts.

Cocoa Solids: What They Are and Why They Matter

Cocoa solids determine chocolate quality, here's how to read labels and pick better chocolate based on cocoa content.

Exploring Raw Chocolate

Raw chocolate is unprocessed cacao with high levels of theobromine and over 300 beneficial compounds, offering health benefits that roasted chocolate loses.

History of Chocolate

Chocolate has been consumed for over 2000 years, starting as a spicy drink made by ancient Mesoamericans before becoming the solid confection we know today.

How Chocolate Is Made

From cocoa flower to finished bar, here's how chocolate gets made through fermentation, roasting and careful blending.

How to Taste Chocolate

Good chocolate tastes different depending on where the cocoa comes from, so tasting it properly means paying attention to texture, flavour and origin.

Planning a Chocolate-themed Garden

Grow a chocolate-themed garden with summer plants and hard landscaping features that work with the UK's challenging winter climate.

Quiz: Are You a Chocolate Addict?

Brain scans reveal chocolate cravings activate the same areas as drug addiction, raising questions about whether chocolate addiction is real.

Quiz: What Is Your Chocolate Personality?

Your chocolate habits reveal surprising things about your personality and how you see the world.

Uses of Chocolate

Chocolate has been used as currency, medicine, and a kitchen ingredient throughout history and across cultures.

Vegetarian and Vegan Chocolate

Check which chocolate is truly vegetarian and vegan by understanding whey powder, rennet, and hidden animal ingredients.