Don't you fig-get about me....Well, everyone else used a fig pun in their titles, lol (Seeds of Change Orange & Fig Dark Chocolate)

Member Name: sparkymarky1973

Product:	Seeds of Change Orange & Fig Dark Chocolate
Date:	16/07/09 (28 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Rich, scrummy, bitter dark chocolate flavoured with orange and fig.....very nice

Disadvantages: Ouch- how much for a bar of chocolate?

As my wife is an agent for BZZZ, recently we were sent two Seeds Of Change chocolate bars to taste and report back on along with several money-off vouchers. The first variety, Milk chocolate with cashew and apricot, I have already discussed but now I have decided to take time out and share with you my thoughts on the other bar, Dark chocolate with orange and fig.

My first impression is that this company are attempting to offer something substantially different from anything else available on the market by producing what some might consider slightly strange flavour combinations. Obviously their nearest competitor in this field are Green And Blacks and, since their chocolate has been around for some time now, that is obviously tough opposition to try and beat. But by supplying the public with alternative taste sensations, Seeds Of Change certainly deserve points for trying!

The fact that they are an ethical company also ways heavy in their favour as does the fact that they use all natural and organic ingredients to make not just their chocolate but also their wide range of pasta, sauces and cereal bars.

But there is really something about putting fig in a chocolate bar that didn't immediately appeal to me ~ my previous experiences of fig are limited to fig rolls which I haven't enjoyed since I was a kid! That being said, tasting this bar for the first time I will admit I was pleasantly surprised and it actually works better than it sounds ~ no doubt because the sharp, citrusy orange present here, combined with the rich bitterness of the dark chocolate, all but overpowers any taste of the fig. And this is some of the best quality dark chocolate you are ever going to get ~ much nicer than my previous favourite which has always been Bournville; as dark chocolate goes, this has always been a winner in my house but Seeds Of Change here supply a bar that excels even that!

If you are not a fan of dark chocolate then you are so not going to like this; my wife had a couple of mouthfuls and declared it far too bitter for her liking, but then that is what makes dark chocolate so much my favourite ~ there is nothing for me quite like the bitterness of the cocoa mixed with the heady sweetness of the choclate. As far as this bar is concerned, my wife compared it very much to what she would expect a dark chocolate orange would taste ike though the quality of the chocolate is beyond compare in my mind with Terry's inferior offering. Not that there is anything inherently wrong with Terry's Chocolate Orange (the heresy of even suggesting such a thing!!!!), but this is the difference between a BK whopper and a prime fillet steak. This chocolate really is in a different league and though I am still not sure about the fig, it is pleasant enough that I would purchase this chocolate in the future, though the price tag does put me of a little- more on that in a mo, and it is certainly a much nicer bar than the milk with apricot and cashew that I previously reviewed. This then, is the better of the two bars...

But at around £1.94 for a 100g bar, the price of an ethical conscience does not come cheap! The chocolate bar felt very thin to me and whilst there is no debating the quality, this is not an everyday bar but something bought as a treat and in these hard times, just how often can you afford to treat yourself at the minute? I find myself asking what else I could buy with the money and honestly, just short of £2 makes something of a difference to my weekly shop!

For nutritional information, please refer to my review on the milk chocolate with apricot and cashew review; suppliers of these bars include Sainsburys, Waitrose and all good health stores. Though they claim to be stocked in Tesco and Morrisons on the Seeds Of Change website, I have not seen them and our local Tesco is a much bigger than normal Extra store as well. Doing my research yesterday however, I did see that Tesco stock the Seeds Of Change range of pasta sauces.

Expensive but then how much are you actually willing to pay for your beliefs in natural and organic produce that is ethically and morally sound? If the answer is to pay through the nose, then you probably won't snub this price-tag....

Summary: Ethically sound and organic chocolate that comes at a price...