No bars and only two ingredients… yet this dark chocolate is intensely good

I have something very special this week. A while ago, Bobbie of L’Esterre chocolate contacted me wanting to know if I would try her chocolate. She had recently taken over the family cocoa business – started by her grandfather in 1949 – as she had found herself ‘stranded’ in Grenada, where the cocoa farm is, over the pandemic.

This is not an unusual request and I’m always happy to try new chocolate. Thing is, I didn’t expect it to be quite so good.

A big slab of lush, chocolate heaven with a velvety crumb and mascarpone icing, and just made for sharing and showing off

I almost never say no to chocolate cake. I’m a sucker for them all, from super-fudgy, flourless ones to intensely dark torte s. But this is the chocolate cake I’ll make for a crowd. It’s an easy, one-bowl bake with a velvety crumb and a milk chocolate mascarpone frosting that brings a luscious, creamy texture. Casual yet decadent.

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The viral Glasgow event made children cry and adults seethe. Could a California tribute provide some measure of absolution?

She was the sad Oompa Loompa seen around the world. Inside a bleak warehouse in Glasgow, a supposed celebration of Wonka’s delectable world of chocolate left children crying and parents calling the police. Attendees paid £35 to visit a bleak warehouse with a handful of props and posters; inside, they were treated to two jellybeans each and a few poorly costumed actors. Images of the event went extremely viral, making international news and inspiring a horror film and an hour-long documentary .

Two months later, I found myself walking toward another grim-looking warehouse, this time in downtown Los Angeles. I was here for Willy’s Chocolate Experience LA, a tribute to the Glasgow disaster promising live entertainment, a red carpet-style photo op and a rare chance to meet the celebrity Oompa Loompa herself.

Rich, crisp, complex, decadent – and no pastry in sight!

There’s a pub in east London that serves one of my favourite ever desserts. The Marksman ’s brown butter and honey tart is rich, crisp and full of depth – everything you could ever want from a sweet tart. Here, I’ve tried to recreate its flavour in the form of custard pots to serve at the end of dinner with an elegant grating of good-quality dark chocolate.

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Be as sophisticated as you like, but never knock Quality Street

I am in Oxford for work, staying in university rooms so beautiful that I instantly feel calmed and looked after. Timetabling and a sick child hoover up my plan to mooch around Oxford discovering chocolate shops in any spare time. That morning I had the foresight to prebook a (very good) cheese and chutney sandwich from the Hamblin kiosk in the market and two types of bun – cinnamon and vanilla – for tomorrow’s breakfast (the latter better).

The people I meet through this column tend to divide into three types: those who only like 70% (more next week for you) and above; those who like family favourites, and those who like to try anything new. I think of the middle bunch as I come back after an exciting but exhausting day comprising 24,000 steps, models of brains and dozens of texts. The woman running the accommodation can tell I’ve had a challenging (but brilliant) day and puts a box of Quality Street on my bedside table with a note so kind it makes me emotional.

With cocoa and sugar prices at record highs and tougher regulation to fight rising obesity, the head of Cadbury’s has a lot on her plate over the peak chocolate season of Easter

It’s Easter and chocolate is very much on the menu. But it could be meltdown for the industry as the cost of cocoa soared to a historic high of more than $10,000 a tonne last week after two years of poor harvests in the key west African growing region.

Sitting calmly among the relics of Cadbury’s history in the company archive, Louise Stigant, the boss of Mondelēz’s UK arm – which includes the British chocolate brand celebrating its 200th anniversary this year – is charged with making sure it has a future, as key ingredients, including sugar as well as cocoa, have soared in price .

Handmade pieces in a variety of gorgeous flavours, this is everything I am here for

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 .

Experts say the global shortage of the main ingredient of chocolate is linked to poor conditions for farmers supplying large companies

Every Easter, UK consumers collectively spend more than £1bn on food, drink, gifts, entertainment and about 80m chocolate eggs, racking up an average bill exceeding £50 each. But shoppers this year are paying more than usual: since last Easter, chocolate prices have increased by more than 12.6% , more than double the rise in supermarket food and drink prices.

The cost of cocoa, chocolate’s main ingredient, has been increasing all year, hitting a record high just before Valentine’s Day and again this week, when it was priced at more than $10,000 a tonne – meaning it is currently more valuable than several precious metals, and growing in value more quickly than bitcoin.

Analysts say fastest growing part of market is for ‘talking point’ eggs, with some clocking in at 1kg

At Easter, people used to get excited if theirs came with a mug and a bag of sweets but those days are over, with social media stoking demand for talking point “mega eggs” in fancy shapes and exotic flavours.

The choice is no longer just about the type: think “blonde”, “strawberry-white” or “pistachio” flavour chocolate not bog-standard milk, dark and white. There is also a race to create the thickest and, ergo, most luxurious shells.