Review: Robins & Sons Luxury Handmade Chocolates & A Giveaway

Who doesn't love chocolate?  I've written before about how this product of the cacao bean has held us all in thrall for centuries.

Robins & Sons Dipped Oranges in Chocolate

But all chocolate is not the same.  These days I find some commercial chocolates have such a high, cloying sweet taste that it's hard to taste the chocolate for the sugar.  No surprise then that even Nestle is reducing the sugar content of bars such as KitKat to see if we can cope.

I prefer my chocolates to be a little more challenging, taste-wise and if they are beautifully packaged, so much the better.

I was recently invited to sample luxury handmade chocolates from Robins & Sons and they are a cut above many of the others I have tried (and there have been a few!).

The one that started it all off - Robins & Sons Mint Crackle

Robins & Sons is a family business run by Andrea Robins, her husband and their two young sons and the company has an interesting origin.

In late 2012 Andrea was employed as a Clinical Scientist within the NHS and a visit to New York during ‘Thanksgiving’ led her to discover what she describes as "a wonderful ‘minty concoction' unlike anything I’d tasted before, thinly layered milk and white chocolate topped with crushed candy cane (aka Peppermint Bark)."

Being unable to find anything like it back home, Andrea decided to make her own and a slip up with recipe quantities led to her giving lots of her chocolate away - to a great reception.  This, the creation of the company's signature Chocolate Crackle and Mint Chocolate Crackle, led to a full time career as a chocolatier.

Now Robins & Sons have over 25 products, all of which have been meticulously sourced from around the globe for superiority in taste, texture and appearance.

Very Berry Chocolate Heart

They insist upon natural colours and flavours throughout, using only natural peppermint and Valencian orange oil extracts in their Robins and Sons Signature ‘Chocolate Crackle’, and fragrant Sicilian lemon oil in their Sicilian Lemon Crunch.

We tried a number of lovely Robins chocolates including:-

Available in Milk or Dark

Salted Caramel Nibble
Mint Chocolate Crackle (with peppermint oil and peppermint candy cane)
Dipped Oranges (whole candied orange slices dipped in milk or dark chocolate)

Available in Dark (70% cocoa solids)

Orange Chocolate Crackle (with orange oil and fruit candy cane nibs)
Sicilian Lemon Crunch (dark chocolate with lemon oil, lemon sugar crystals and meringue)

Available in Milk

Fruit & Nut Clusters (with almonds, cranberries & oranges)
Very Berry (white chocolate with dried Strawberries, Raspberries & Meringue)

The 'crackle' adds a great texture and little bursts of flavour on your tongue. We loved the natural fruit flavours and pieces of fruit and meringue which give a depth of taste and make you want to linger over each chocolate.

You can find the full range of their website at www.robinsandsons.com.  Sold in bags, bars and boxes, there's free delivery on orders over £30.  Even better, Robins & Sons chocolates are made just outside my university city of Swansea so it's great to keep the Welsh flag flying so to speak.

On the website you'll find a range of gift ideas, including gifts for Father's Day, all beautifully packaged and just begging to be hidden from the Husband who had to be forcibly restrained from munching his way through all the samples Andrea kindly sent.

And, if you would like to try them for yourself, I have a selection gift box (RRP £30) to give away to one lucky chocoholic.

A selection gift box is up for grabs

Entry is via the Rafflecopter widget and the usual terms and conditions apply which you can find on my competitions page.  UK entrants only.  The giveaway ends at 11:59 pm on Sunday 9th July.

Entrants must sign up to the Robins & Sons newsletter to be eligible to win the prize.  You can either sign up on the link below (just scroll down to the bottom of Robins & Sons home page) or via the Rafflecopter widget.

www.robinsandsons.com

Note: prize may contain traces of nuts and is not suitable for milk or soya allergy sufferers.



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!