Celebrate the creamy confectionary like the world’s top chocoholics do!
Something as good as chocolate shouldn’t be reserved for special occasions, and the world’s top chocolate consumers, the British, sure know how to celebrate their favourite treat: with a week-long cocoa-fuelled festival. A whopping eight million British consume chocolate daily, and the numbers undoubtedly skyrocket during London Chocolate Week from 12 to 17 October. If you’re not in the capital for chocolate tastings, workshops and demonstrations, these chocolate-coated experiences (aside from your favourite British chocolate bars!) available year-round in the United Kingdom ensures you won’t be missing out much until the next London Chocolate Week come 2016.
Stay: The Chocolate Boutique, Bournemouth
Every chocoholic will feel right at home in the world’s first ever chocolate hotel where you can find flowing chocolate fountains in every one of its 13 cocoa-themed rooms. Decked out in sumptuous hues of chocolate, cream and caramel, rooms at The Chocolate Boutique are perfect for all occasions, from romantic getaways to a girly ‘night-in’, starring daily helpings of chocolate and cocoa-coated breakfasts. Live out your wildest fantasy of a slumber party that entails feasting on chocolatey treats all night long!
thechocolateboutiquehotel.co.uk
Visit: Cadbury World
Ever wondered what goes on behind the making of your delicious chocolate? Go on an educational tour at Cadbury World, Birmingham that draws you into the world of chocolate through 14, fun-packed zones tailored for groups and families. Not only will you learn the fascinating background of Cadbury, you’ll be ‘showered’ in chocolate rain, plummeted into the air in a Cadbury Crème Egg, ‘dunked’ into a bowl of liquid Cadbury Dairy milk, and witness the making of Cadbury confectionary before your eyes, with some bonus demonstrations thrown in! To cap the tour, visit the biggest Cadbury Shop in the world to stock up on your favourite treats at a discount.
Eat: Confessions of a Chocoholic Afternoon Tea, Hilton on the Park Lane
Veer off the traditional afternoon tea of scones and cucumber sandwiches for a once-in-a-lifetime Confessions of a Chocoholic Afternoon Tea that artfully marries the decadence of chocolate with creative arrangement. The tiered stand is decked out with freshly baked chocolate chip scones and a chocolate praline spread, delicate cupcakes and dainty chocolate minutiae atop an edible chocolate plate. All chocolate are made from quality, delicious Valrhona chocolate, and the tea is served with a choice of either champagne or Hamey & Son tea blends.
Watch: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory play
When your tastebuds have overloaded on chocolate, move on to literary worship by booking a seat for the famed stage adaptation of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at Theatre Royal Drury Lane. The musical has reached its 1000th performance milestone since its June 2013 debut, just in time for the 2015 London Chocolate Week. Feast your eyes on sugary corridors, edible, life-size delights, a chocolate garden and more, along with dazzling stagecraft and ingenious costume designs. You’ll be reduced to sugar coma once more, without further spike to your blood sugar levels.
charlieandthechocolatefactory.com
Tour: Chocolate Ecstacy Tours
Finally, there comes the time to walk all the chocolate off, and the Chocolate Ecstasy Tour provides just the perfect setting. Pick from a number of chocolate-tours unique to select areas, including Mayfair, Chelsea, Notting Hill, York and Brighton, to visit, taste and purchase confectionary from only the most exquisite chocolate boutiques. If you like, you can even sign up for full day tours, or arrange for a personalised one – the best excuse for walking off all those calories.
