Notes on chocolate: Easter bars to hit the sweet spot

It’s Easter and it’s been a tough week. After various challenges these last few days, it was a joy to come home to Fiona Pâtissière’s four bars of delight, £30.50 (released periodically, see her website for more details). I’ve tried to time this column with a ‘drop’ so you should be in luck! If not, you can pre-order and bear in mind that production temporarily stops in June cos: weather.

I wrote about Fiona and her wicked, wicked creations three years ago and to be perfectly honest, I’ve avoided them ever since. Her bars are my absolute sweet spot. Careless Collection and Gabriella Cugno’s bars also hit this spot, the former now available in Harvey Nichols.

With them I become like a greedy girl in a boarding school on tuck box day. It’s not that I don’t share. I can’t. Handmade confections, using delicious ethical chocolate, containing yummy crunchy, chewy fillings are everything I am here for.

The flavours change every now and again, but at the moment it’s dark chocolate-covered salted maple caramel with pecan shortbread, or orange and Piedmont hazelnut mou. Milk chocolate is featured with salted peanut caramel with peanut chocolate nougat or passion fruit with a toasted coconut praline.

Fiona says to eat within three weeks as the ingredients are fresh. It’s laughable that she thinks you can keep them that long. I ate one a day, in secret and ignoring both my exercise bike and my scales in the corner. Alleluia!

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