The puzzling marriage of mint and choc

Mint and chocolate are a curious pairing. One seems so pure and medicinal, the other hedonistic and dissolute. It is a coupling that instantly makes me think of Christmas (69 days to go).

Summerdown (behind whom is Sir Michael Colman, formerly of mustard fame) is no stranger to the marriage of mint and chocolate, it does a great range; I particularly love its peppermint fondants. But new to the party are three bars, £3.25/100g, all containing single-origin Colombian cocoa and peppermint oil. There are two 70% bars, one with sugar crystals for a nice minty crunch, and a milk.

I confess I really went for the 37% milk mint bar. Gorgeously creamy and minty. All the Summerdown mint, Black Mitcham peppermint to be precise, is grown in Hampshire and its peppermint tea is a favourite in this house.

If you haven’t already and you do fancy it, there’s a very easy recipe for a giant after dinner mint on my blog which I urge you to try, and perfect for that is Summerdown’s peppermint oil, £5.30.

In Hotel Chocolat’s Inventing Room subscription box (£25) this month was 85% chocolate and Himalayan salt popcorn. I’ve never been fond of chocolate-covered popcorn, but not only was the corn popped into perfect, preternatural spheres, it was then lightly coated with a superb toffee crunch.

I can pretend the 85% chocolate made everything OK, because it balanced out the sweetness, but in effect I went at this like a horse into a nose bag.

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