Harrods Hazelnut Hot Chocolate drink

This is another of the Harrods powdered hot chocolate drink, presented in a metallic brown tin and priced at £9.95.  Again, despite instructions on the tin, only one heaped teaspoon of the powder is enough to make a really yummy mug-ful of hot chocolate drink - and this has a very nutty taste to it, too, reminding me some of the Ferrero Rocher chocolates in the gold wrapper!  This is well worth trying out and is available by mail order from the Harrods online shop HERE
This item is no longer available at Harrods due to rebranding (as of March 2017)

Book Review - Anne Frank Remembered

Anne Frank Remembered: The story of the woman who helped to hide the Frank family

By Miep Gies with Alison Leslie Gold

Published by Simon & Schuster, a Touchstone book

ISBN number 067 1662341/9780671 662349

This is a wonderful book written by Miep Gies, the lady that worked for Otto Frank's jam factory in Amsterdam and helped hide the Franks for many years in what is now called The Annexe, where Anne wrote her diaries.  It starts with Miep Gies' own childhood - she herself was a refugee from Austria during World War One, and sent to Holland to escape the bombings.  Her story then carries on through her employment with Otto Frank, and the beginnings of the World War Two and the attempted destruction of European Jewry.  It tells of arranging the hiding of the Frank family (as well as the others that hid in the Annexe) and then the final discovery and removal of the family, and continues to the end of the War and Otto Franks arrival back in Amsterdam, and the recovery of Anne's diaries.

This is a remarkable story and provides an extra insight into the story of the Frank family and is well worth reading.

New item on Etsy shop

Just listed this item on my etsy shop ......

HERE

Fortnum and Masons Orange hot chocolate drink

This is another of the Fortnum & Masons hot chocolate drink range and I'm not convinced I like this.  First time I tried it, I didn't like it at all.  Second time I tried it, it tasted slightly better but not much.  It's flaked chocolate (like the caramel one of their I like) and instructions say to use 2 tablespoons of the chocolate, heat up the milk in a pan and when hot, pour a little of the milk onto the chocolate and then mix into the paste, and then pour the rest of the milk in.  It has a strong taste in my opinion but I didn't like it at all.  A friend tried it and says that it tastes like a dark chocolate rather than a milk chocolate which may explain why I don't like it.   (But then the Harrods Mocha hot choc reminds me of a 70% chocolate and I like that one)

I'm not convinced.....!!

This can be purchased from Fortnums HERE and costs £15 a tin.

Mozartkugeln chocolates

These Mozartkugeln (Mozart sweets or Mozart balls) are one of my most favourite chocolates which I originally discovered over 30 years ago.  Whenever I see them in European duty free shops, I always make a point of buying at least one box!!!

These are spherical chocolates, with a pistachio centre, surrounded by chocolate marzipan, regular marzipan and an outer coating of milk chocolate, then wrapped in a gold foil wrapper.

There are several different packagings of these, in various boxes and tins, these shown here produced by the Mirabell company.

These items can be purchased (widely at European duty free and elsewhere) HERE which are the Mirabell Mozartkugeln, marketed on the boxes as "real" Mozartkugeln

The Furst manufacturer Mozartkugeln can be purchased from HERE which are the original chocolates, in silver foil wrapping.  I've never tried those ones - they don't seem to have the pistachio centre though - but considered it in the interest of fairness to include a related item with the same name!

History regarding the various names of the Mozartkugeln can be found in Wikipedia HERE