Seven days of chocolate heaven

Chocolate Week (12-18 October) is going from strength to strength, and Divine Chocolate, the company co-owned by cocoa farmers, is once again delighted to be co-sponsoring this nationwide celebration of fine chocolate.

Top chocolatiers and chocolate companies are creating a programme of total chocolate indulgence, and Divine, along with a host of lovely partners, has some really special experiences lined up and exclusive new recipes to share. For news of Divine’s new products out this autumn, and a continually updated list of Chocolate Week events and promotions visit divinechocolate.com.

Divine Chocolate has sponsored national Chocolate Week since it began six years ago when it was launched in collaboration with the Academy of Chocolate. For the full Chocolate Week programme visit chocolate-week.co.uk.

This year Divine has asked celebrities, top chefs and restaurateurs to come up with their perfect Divine chocolate pudding recipe exclusively for Chocolate Week. The list so far includes two-Michelin star chef Michael Caines; TV chef Alan Coxon who recently presented the BBC2 series Ever Wondered About Food; Ireland’s best known chef and food writer Clodagh McKenna; renowned baking & chocolate expert Linda Collister; young chef Sam Stern who’s fifth cookery book for students is due out early next year; Michelin-starred chef Rob Rees MBE; and bestselling children’s author Anne Fine.

With cupcakes being the hippest treat this year, we’re planning a bit of a chocolate cupcake fest. Couture cake-maker to the stars (everyone from Madonna to David Beckham to the Queen) Mich Turner, of Little Venice Cake Company, will be among the experts creating their tribute to this little baked chocolate icon.

Divine is joining forces with longstanding partner The Pudding Club in the Cotswolds. Made famous through Rick Stein’s BBC series Food Heroes, The Pudding Club at Three Ways House Hotel was set up to celebrate traditional British puddings like Spotted Dick and Jam Roly Poly!

• Divine’s resident chocolatier will be heading down to Gloucestershire to host Divine chocolate masterclasses for the Pudding Club’s Chocoholics Weekend on 17-18th October.
• An exclusive Divine Chocolate à la carte and set menu will be on offer to guests staying at the hotel throughout Chocolate Week, with chocolate featuring in every course. With lasts years menu featuring Pan seared scallops with white chocolate risotto; Partridge with bok choi, roasted walnuts & dark chocolate sauce; and White chocolate & vanilla cheesecake, guests are in store for some seriously decadent spoiling.
• Guests and non-guests alike can also visit the hotel each day during Chocolate Week for a Divine Guilty Pleasure Afternoon Tea featuring delights such as Chocolate & banana cake and Luxurious hot chocolate with cream & chocolate flakes.
• Free Divine chocolate bars will also be supplied in the hotel’s 48 rooms and guests will receive a free jute bag with chocolate shortbread, a bar of Divine chocolate and a chocolate pudding made on site making their stay a trip to remember.
• Please visit thepuddingclub.com for further information.

Restaurants across the country are teaming up with Divine to offer Divine-themed Chocolate Week menus – these include winner of the Observer Food Award’s Best Vegetarian Restaurant 2008 Terre à Terre in Brighton, Urban Angel in Edinburgh, and Fusion Brasserie in Worcester.

Divine tasting sessions will be taking place at cafés, bookshops and stores across the country, including London’s most prestigious department store Liberty; the Eden Project in Cornwall, and at the launch of the John Lewis Foodhall at Bluewater in Kent with opportunities to sample Divine’s two brand new flavours: Dark Chocolate with Raspberries and Butterscotch Milk Chocolate.

Divine will be hosting a tasting workshop for families at Eco Age, the chic ethical shop owned by Colin Firth’s wife in London, on Saturday 17th October. The exclusive Divniitini cocktail inspired by and using Divine will be on offer at the chic Sanderson Hotel in London’s West End.

A full list of partners and programme of events will be available soon on divinechocolate.com.

Divine will also be hosting a chocolate debate on 15th October which will see some of the industry’s leading experts discuss the history, sociology and politics of the chocolate trade.

In association with Chocolate Week, Divine and other chocolate companies will again also be exhibiting at the Spirit of Christmas Fair at Kensington Olympia in London. Running from 4-8 November, the show is held in association with House & Garden Magazine and attracts in excess of 33,000 visitors.