Meet Jack... (Thorntons Continental Chocolate)

Member Name: BestMum

Product:	Thorntons Continental Chocolate
Date:	08/08/02 (447 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: It's chocolate

Disadvantages: It's fattening

I have something rather heavy and loathsome that I'm obliged to carry around with me wherever I go. When I walk into town on a lovely summers day it's weighing me down; it just won't move any quicker than the pace of a snail. It's particularly cumbersome at this time of year when it's warm and sunny and is on display more than usual. My husband has named it Jack; his reasons will become clear later on. He's cheeky like that.

It rocks from side to side in shameless abandonment, not a care in the world. It becomes offended if I try to hide it from view, and just doesn't understand why it should be classed by my good self as huge, ugly and downright obscene. It still manages to protrude from everything I try to cover it with.

I must admit though, with all the money I've spent on nurturing it each day, helping it to grow, I'd be a very rich woman. It particularly enjoys Chicken Korma with pilau rice, and is quite partial to Sweet and Sour Chicken too, but it's favourite of all favourites has to be Thorntons Continental Chocolates.

Before my friend and neighbour departed on a weekend jaunt, she asked myself and Jack if we would feed her children while she was away (two rabbits and a cat), to which I happily obliged. Although Jack was giving me a bit of trouble getting into the rabbit enclosure, everything else was okay. On her return she came bearing gifts, as a thank you for my help.

After she'd gone I tore open the large square package to reveal what my tingling taste buds were already telling me - a box of Thorntons Continental Chocolates! Well, when Steve came home and offered me a bubble bath, massage and an early night I said, "No Way! Jack and I are sharing the bed tonight with a box of sheer decadence and there's no room for you!"

I switched the TV on and lifted Jack onto the bed and we snuggled into the crisp sheets whilst I took a closer look at
my evening's pleasure. The box proclaimed an exquisite selection of fine truffles, mousses and pralines covered in Thorntons unique milk, white and dark chocolate featuring hand-finished decoration. Gone was my interest in the TV, I had need for it no more.

Upon opening the pale pink box, I was greeted with the sight of fourteen of the most handsome looking chocolates I had ever seen. This was an 180g box and should last me at least half an hour. I headed straight for the contents card, which described every little peace of heaven in glorious technicolor. Here's what it contained, and my thoughts (censored of course):

***

Alpini
Hazelnut and almond praline covered in milk chocolate, rolled in icing sugar.

5/5 - This was delicious and thick, but I wanted it to last longer. Same old story.

***
Cappuccino
Coffee and double cream encased in creamy white chocolate, sprinkled with ground coffee.

1/5 - I don't mind a cup of coffee every now and again but I'm afraid coffee and chocolate together is a no-no for me. Far too sickly, and would have preferred another Alpini in its place.

***
Caramel Truffle
Soft caramel encased in a smooth chocolate truffle, dipped in milk and dark chocolate.

5/5 - absolutely devine. My second favourite, although the caramel is very soft and dark and not the sweet gooey variety as found in Galaxy Caramel bars and the like.

***
Cherry Truffle
A half cherry hand-placed onto a rich truffle, laced with Kirsch liqueur.

1/5 - This was very strong and wasn't at all pleasant. The combination didn't really work very well.

***
Rich Chocolate Truffle
A milk chocolate shell filled with a rich chocolate butter truffle.

5/5 - Oh swoon, just thinking about it makes me reach for the tissues to wipe away my drool. Very rich and very naughty.

***
Champagne Truffle
A luxu
rious truffle laced with Marc de Champagne

5/5 - This certainly wasn't as overpowering as I thought it would be. A very light chocolate and a pleasure to devour!

***
Diplomat
Sugar roasted almonds and smooth praline presented in a gold foil wrapping

3/5 - It was okay but nothing special, although it did come in nice shiny gold paper.

***
Vanilla Truffle
Chocolate and vanilla flavour truffle, hand finished with waves of white chocolate.

2/5 - This tasted more like a Champagne Truffle and vice versa; could they have been mixed up? Very strong and quite bitty. It left me with a funny aftertaste too.

***
Heavenly Hazelnut
A duet of fine pralines sprinkled with chopped hazelnuts.

4/5 - Lovely, lovely. A pleasant, easy to eat chocolate. I could have taken on a few more but sadly it wasn't to be.

***
Viennese
A feather-light vanilla flavour truffle, smothered in our special Viennese chocolate, delicately sprinkled with sugar.

4/5 - Super, it lived up to its description of being feather-light. I'd finished it without realising I'd begun. Darn, I think I may have to research this one again.

***
Apricot Parfait
Sun-dried apricot pieces blended in a smooth parfait, sprinkled with golden almonds.

2/5 - A little sickly for my liking, and too many apricot bits that tasted nothing like they should have done.

***
Seville
Chocolate truffle flavoured with orange oil and crunchy wafer pieces.

5/5 - Now this one really did get my saliva glands going, the king of the box by far. I like the fruity ones.

***
Rum Truffle
Rum and double cream truffle, hand finished with waves of milk chocolate.

2/5 - A little overpowering, this one gave me nightmares as I ate it just before I went to sleep!

***
Brandy Truffle
A fine chocolate truffle blended with Courvoisier Cogn
ac and fresh cream.

2/5 - same as above. This one gave me nightmares too!

******************

I decided to feed Jack each delicious nugget, one by one until we could eat no more. Completely satisfied, we fell asleep. Jack, of course, is my ever-increasing bottom (or 'ass' as my husband prefers to call it...hey, wait a minute...)

The chocolates were a selection of milk, white and dark and were of excellent quality, but very rich so under normal circumstances you couldn't eat too many at a time. And at £5 for 14 little beauties, were quite good value too. They're also suitable for vegetarians.

Thorntons have a wonderful website (www.thorntons.co.uk) with every edible pleasure imaginable just a click away from your doorstep, including flowers and wine, hampers, café gifts, teddy bears, and of course their toffee and fudge selection.

Also, if you fancy splashing out on a bouquet of flowers for your nearest and dearest, it's worth remembering that if you order from Interflora.com, you can include with the bouquet a small box of Thorntons continental chocolates.

For those susceptible to food allergies, most of these chocolates contain nuts, or nut oil.

100g - £3.00
120g - £4.25
180g (as featured in this review) - £5.00
400g - £10.00
550g Continental Casket - £12.00
645g - £15.00
910g - £20.00
965g Continental Heart - £25.00
1350g - £35.00
Continental Cascade, three boxes in one - £36.00

Prices taken from Thorntons website.

Summary: