According to a recent article in the Daily Express, The Queen loves chocolate like the rest of us. Apparently, it’s a case of “the darker the better”, with a particular fondness for dark mint.

A ‘Royale’ visit

While we can’t assume that all Royals share the same tastes, the visit of Princess Anne to our ‘chocolate factory’ in 2019 suggests a penchant for dark mint chocolate runs in the family. Our Mint Royale selector; a delectable combination of dark chocolate with buttery caramel, white chocolate and the bitterness of high cacao density and fresh, natural mint particularly piqued her royal palate. While she was effusive about all the chocolates we offered her, those present report that the Princess Royal was noticeably taken by the dark mint notes in the Mint Royale. Royal by name and nature, it seems.

Our CEO, Angus Thirlwell, in conversation with Princess Anne. Photo credit – Archant.

Gold-medal mintiness

It isn’t just royalty partial to our Mint Royale. The Academy of Chocolate awarded it a Gold Medal in 2016. (One of three Golds we won that year, although we’d never crow about it).

Even more remarkable are its origins. For the Mint Royale was not conjured into life by our team of skilled, experienced chocolatiers in our Hadley Park Inventing Room.

Our Eton Mess selector

People-Powered Provenance

Our Create-a-Chocolate competitions are all about people power. We ask our customers to suggest their own chocolate recipes, with the best ones winning fabulous prizes and their creation realised in chocolate form. We are routinely amazed by the standard of entries, but none of us expected some of them to leave such a profound legacy. For example, our Eton Mess selector was a contest entry from a customer way back in 2007. It’s still one of our most popular, iconic selectors.

And likewise, our Mint Royale can boast royal approval and gold medallist credentials.

With the Platinum Jubilee fast approaching, we simply couldn’t resist a glance back to royal visits and popular (chocolate) uprisings that have bejewelled our journey to becoming Britain’s largest independent chocolatier.

As British cacao growers, we take our roots to heart and have been inspired by countless classic British puddings. Our chocolatiers love giving them a cacao twist. And, occasionally, so do our customers.