We all like figgy pudding - well, chocolate actually! (Seeds of Change Orange & Fig Dark Chocolate)

Member Name: i_am_joy

Product:	Seeds of Change Orange & Fig Dark Chocolate
Date:	20/06/09 (48 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Nice chewy consistency thanks to the figs, smooth and delicious orange chocolate

Disadvantages: Do you like figs?

As a Bzz Agent I was sent two large bars of Seeds of Change chocolate last week, I have already enjoyed (and reviewed!) their sumptuous Apricot and Cashew Milk Chocolate and now am enjoying (and reviewing!) the Orange and Fig Organic Dark Chocolate.

Dark chocolate is really my preference, from the humble Bournville to the delicious Green & Blacks Maya Gold and beyond - I just prefer it to milk chocolate as it's so much more flavoursome and luxurious. I also adore orange chocolate so couldn't wait to tuck into this wonderful sounding bar from Seeds of Change, although I must admit the addition of fig filled me with some trepidation as it seemed an odd choice and I've never really been over enamoured with this particular fruit in any of its guises.

I needn't have worried though as the flavours in this bar are absolutely delightful. I had been expecting pieces of orange in the bar but the flavouring actually comes from orange oil instead which gives it a delicious natural orange flavour, compared to the synthetic taste of Terry's Chocolate Orange (which I also love incidentally) it's absolutely excellent quality and lends the dark chocolate an intense and heady citrus flavour.

The dark chocolate is very smooth, I love how easily and creamily it melts in my mouth although for once this is not my preferred way of eating it. Because the fig pieces are quite large I didn't like the chocolate to melt all the way to nothing as I really didn't want to be left with lots of figs on my tongue, however plump and flavoursome they might be. To be fair to the figs (!) they are very tasty indeed, a little too chewy and tough for my personal tastes but when I passed a few squares of chocolate around when I had visitors the other day everyone else commented on how perfect they are - so yes, it's my aversion to figs coming through I think!

The chocolate clings well to the fruit so that when I am chewing I find the chocolate so moreish that I physically had to put the bar away after a couple of pieces as I would have otherwise no doubt carried on eating it until it was all gone. The figs make this a nice chewy bar of chocolate and because they are so sweet they do compliment the rich chocolate beautifully, a piece of this chocolate will last much longer than less adorned bars as they do take much more munching than usual!

Although I greatly preferred the Apricot and Cashew bar, I must say this was a delicious change from the usual bars I buy. To be honest I wouldn't have tried it if I hadn't had this sample, but I will buy it again despite my general dislike of figs. I think the richness of the chocolate masks the flavour of the fruit just enough to make it palatable (for me anyway, if you like figs then this may not be such a good thing) but the delightful texture they add to the otherwise smooth chocolate is interesting and more fun than if Seeds of Change had added your run of the mill raisins or currants.

Seeds of Change, incidentally, are a very ethical company. They donate 1% of their sales to projects worldwide which promote sustainable organic agriculture and biodiversity. Their ingredients are 100% organically grown and certified by the Soil Association, plus the company has recently made a large donation to the Kew Millennium Seed Bank which is attempting to safeguard over 24,000 worldwide species of plants. Their cocoa is ethically sourced from the Dominican Republic where Seeds of Change work with Conacado (National Confederation of Dominican Cocoa Growers) which help farmers to protect against pets and generally train them the make the very best income possible.

Environmentally friendly, ethical AND delicious - what more can you ask for?

Summary: Another lovely chocolate from Seeds of Change.