*** Trade Them For Something Else! *** (Co-op Truly Irresistible Fairtrade Belgian Chocolates)

Member Name: malibu_jenny

Product:	Co-op Truly Irresistible Fairtrade Belgian Chocolates
Date:	13/04/09 (91 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fairtrade, Pleasant milk chocolate.

Disadvantages: Big and sticky with heavy boozy fillings.

You know how it is the Bank Holiday Monday after Easter Sunday. Much like Boxing Day, but sunnier. So you feel guilty because you're slobbed in front of the TV or squabbling over the rubbish internet connection. You should go out for a walk, but there might be a film on later and then somebody makes a cup of tea and you go "oh, I know what I need... some more chocolate".

This year, Dad bought me an Easter Egg from the petrol station. It was a bit small and he ate some of it so it didn't last long. With this gone, I began hunting around. My Aunt and Uncle had wisely decided that Egg shaped chocolate meant less for your money and instead of an Easter Egg, I'd received a box of Co-Operative Truly Irresistible Fairtrade Belgian Chocolates. I love Belgian chocolates and when we were in Belgium I was eating them more quickly than we could buy them. These were beautifully wrapped in gold paper and red ribbon with the perfectly folded menu on the outside. I took my box of chocolates and settled down to stuff them.

Fairtrade is a certification, easily recognised on all kinds of products as a blue and green swirl on a black background. I like the thinking behind it; it means that disadvantaged farmers and workers in developing countries were paid a fair price for the product's ingredients. You're essentially contributing to a fairer world and the opportunity for people to work themselves out of poverty in better conditions, with a fair wage. The Co-Op is a huge supporter of Fairtrade and they sell all kinds of products carrying the symbol, including chocolates, wine and fruit.

So, what were my chocolates like? The milk chocolate was okay, the usual sugary milky mix. However, the white chocolate coating on the Tiramisu chocolate was grainy and cloying and the dark chocolate on the others bitter. The individual chocolates were large in size and I had to eat them in three or four bites with sticky fingers; I'd prefer to have smaller chocolates and more of them to make up the weight.

I wasn't too keen on the fillings either, the best were the Coquille (a sea-shell shaped milk chocolate cream with hazelnut) and the Fleur (an embossed milk chocolate square with praline). If you're a guest somewhere and you're offered the box, pick these.

I love Tiramisu, but the chocolate of this name tasted like anything but and the coffee mousse inside was thick and dry. The overall effect was stale Nescafe wrapped in a Tesco Value MilkyBar. The Canastra, the Cadeaux and the Nero failed their ambitious names, all three were completely overcome by the ganache included in them. The smell and taste of the alcohol was too overwhelming for the chocolate and they even left a bitter liqueur aftertaste.

I think the best way to describe these chocolates is rich, heavy and perfumed. They're the equivalent of the Easter Bunny dripping with Elizabeth Duke ghetto jewellery and soaked in cheap scent. I wouldn't recommend them for kids, milk chocolate lovers or to go with a cup of tea. However, if you want something ethically sourced to replace dessert at a dinner party they might be a good choice due to their size and richness and they would be considerably less overpowering if you were serving them with alcohol. The pretty designs would look good on a plate too.

My 240 gram box contained 16 large chocolates over two layers. They were an excellent gift in terms of thought and presentation, I'm genuinely sorry to have to slate them like this and I hope this review doesn't put anyone off buying any other Fairtrade product - most of them are exceptional quality.

A fair trade is decent chocolates in exchange for your money.

Summary: Turns out that these weren't meant for me....:-)