A secret

As a bona fide chocolate monster, I have a secret. I can't be bothered with chocolate cake. Or chocolate muffins. Double chocolate cookies? Meh.

If it's not actual chocolate, chocolate ganache, chocolate buttercream or chocolate sauce - all melt-in-the-mouth chocolatey and/or gooey - my brain decides it's not worth it. Gimme a Sara Lee double chocolate gateau and I'll scrape off the creamy ganache, but leave you the chocolate sponge, thank you very much.

Of course, I'll eat chocolate cake under duress, but I'd really rather be demolishing a Lindt Bunny, enjoying the crack and melt of a lightly chilled Creme egg, or gnawing my way through a Hotel Chocolat slab (the big ones).

Hot chocolate is something else I really can't be doing with. I find the idea is always nicer than the reality. But I made an exception today at the opening of the new Hotel Chocolat Cocoa Bar. This is a White Hot Chocolate with Jasmine, and a Milk Chocolate Drizzled Pretzel Stack. It would have been rude not to.