Lightening Online

Farmboy and I rarely celebrate Valentine’s Day.  I guess in a way we’re just too practical!  Plus, our wedding anniversary is March 30th so it seems like a bit of overkill to make a fuss over Valentine’s Day as well as our wedding anniversary.

One year we did go out to the local Pub for dinner.  That was more to do with the fact that they had a “buy 1, get 1 free” offer for Valentine’s Day than anything else though. 

We’ve just been away for a few days.  Just Farmboy and myself.  We figured we’d combine an early anniversary celebration with a wanted trip to the Caravan and Camping Show.  So we left the kids with Farmboy’s parents and took off for a couple of days.

Given the close proximity to Valentine’s day, we figured we’d kind of celebrate BOTH Valentine’s Day AND our Anniversary.  I figured to do that a BIG box of chocolates was in order. 

2 Days before Valentines Day and all I seemed to be able to find was MASSES of Easter Eggs and very few boxes of chocolates!  I was rather surprised.  Finally we found a stack of these in Kmart.  Even better, they were on sale.  Handmade chocolates by Jessica Walker.  The box LOOKED impressive.  The box SOUNDED impressive.

We also bought a bottle of champagne.  I am rather partial to pink champagne and this one was rather more delicious than any other I’ve tried.  Probably would have been a good idea to write down the name of it wouldn’t it?  Pity I didn’t take a photo of the bottle for my blog.  I did choose it rather scientifically.  There was a pretty pink ribbon as part of the picture on the label! 

So as you may be able to see in the photo, I’m holding my glass of pink champagne and gazing fondly at all those chocolates.  How to choose….. how to choose….

Well, one of the reason I chose this particular box (other than it being BIG and on SALE) was the descriptions on the back of the box.  I’m rather partial to nuts in my chocolate at any time.  But every now and then I get a hankering for caramel.

So these 2 descriptions sounded good to me….

Caramel Dream: Smooth milk chocolate with a caramel centre

Bittersweet: Dark rich chocolate with a smooth caramel centre

Mmmmm……sounding good.  Figured I’d start with the caramel dream.  Lovely name and wrapped in beautiful gold paper.  Bit into it.  Looked back at the box.  No caramel.  Just chocolate truffle inside.    I thought perhaps I’d misunderstood which was which.

Into the next kind….. chocolate truffle inside.  What the…….?????

Alright, what about this one?

White Knight: White chocolate truffle

Sounds okay to me.  Not caramel, but I like white chocolate too.  What was in the centre of this one?  The same chocolate truffle!!!  I expected it to at least be WHITE chocolate truffle.

Obviously I’m no Connoisseur when it comes to fancy chocolates.  But aren’t they at least meant to taste DIFFERENT from one another? 

By the time we got half way through the box, my dreams of something with a caramel centre were fading….. nearly every chocolate tasted the same.

Finally, I found one that tasted something like the description on the box.

Jessica’s Favourite: Smooth orange flavour truffle

Well, it bore a resemblence to the taste of a jaffa so I’m figuring that was at least different from those that tasted like chocolate flavoured truffle.

I guess it was fortunate that it was getting rather late, I was overtired and had the nice relaxing effect of a glass or two of champagne in my system because all of this struck me as hilarious!!!!

I guess at least I had the excuse to try each and every chocolate in the box (and the nut one did actually  have a tiny piece of nut in it and I *think* the toffee one might have had a slight toffee flavour to the truffle inside it (????).  The white chocolate and coconut one wasn’t really to my liking at all.  But indeed, it had no truffle within it so at least I can give it credit for that!!!

Farmboy found a little note from Jessica Walker herself (well, supposedly) printed on the box.  We both found it quite entertaining…..

“I am delighted to announce the further development to my range of chocolates.  Each tempting piece has now been reduced to about 8g….”

Well, you might be delighted about the fact that you’ve reduced your chocolate sizes, but maybe we’re not so….well…..delighted.

“….perfect for the diet conscious….”

On my lap is sitting the largest box of chocolates I have EVER had in my possession and on it are the words “perfect for the diet conscious…..”.  Somehow that just struck me as hilarious.  You don’t buy chocolate to be DIET CONSCIOUS.  Do you????

“….or just for sharing with friends and family.”

Lets be honest here, who shares their chocolate?  Anyone?  Anyone……..?

“So why not give in to temptation?”

Temptation to what?  Share them?  Nope, won’t give in to that temptation.  Go on a diet?  Nope, not finding any compulsion to do that right this minute.  Bite every single chocolate in an effort to find the caramel one?  Yep…..tried that.

So what did I end up with for my fabulous Valentine’s/Early Anniversary Chocolate????

I kid you not.  This is an actual photograph of the actual caramel filled chocolates we ate.  Last night on our way back to the apartment where we were staying, we stopped in at a tiny supermarket and bought something we *knew* would have caramel inside. 

And they were VERY yum!!!  And they went well with the rest of the bottle of pink champagne.

And farmboy bought me these as well.

They had red ones.  Lots of red ones.  Just the one in pink.  Farmboy let me choose.  I chose pink. 

He doesn’t buy me flowers very often.  I won’t let him.  Cos mostly they’re a rip off.  But it’s nice every now and then.  And these weren’t too badly priced.  And they make me smile.  Which I’m learning is a good enough reason by itself.

And the Jessica Walker chocolates?  Don’t worry, I’m still eating them.  They’re not horrible.  They just don’t have caramel ones.  And the box says they do.  So they should.  But they do have chocolate truffle ones.  And I do like chocolate truffle.  Except when I’m in the mood for caramel.

Anyway, I hope you had a FABULOUS Valentine’s Day, whether you celebrate it specifically or not.