Have I got some chocolatey thoughts for you...

I guess by now it must be pretty obvious that I'm a bit of a foodie, and once I've climbed out of my bath of cheesy mashed potato the next thing to get my heart racing has got to be chocolate. In fact, I can't believe it's taken me six weeks of blogging to get around to writing about it.

I don't discriminate, I love the humble cocoa bean in all its forms and I can enjoy a bar of Cadbury's as much as the next person, but ever since reading about Willy Wonka's chocolate factory as a child I've been aware that there really is so much more to chocolate than just a popular brand of milk.

In my opinion you can't really call yourself a true chocolate connasseur if your idea of heaven is a chunk of Galaxy Caramel. Come on come on - you need to put some effort in! And this is where supermarket-free shopping comes into its own, because the confectionary aisles in Asda, Tesco and chums tend only to be stocked by the mass produced big-name brands. If you really want to experience the best in chocolately wonderfulness, you need to follow the example set by the umpa lumpa's (they may have been irritating with all that "doopity doo" nonsense but they knew how to get their little orange hands on good chocolate) and find yourself a chocolatier.

Chocolate Bar on Ecclesall Road

When I need a hit of something stronger and more refined than Cadbury's Buttons I head to a place called the Chocolate Bar in Sheffield. It may look small and unassuming from the outside,  but stepping inside is like entering a glittering paradise of chocolate and sweets. Every bit of space inside this shop, every wall and shelf, is piled high with chocolate. There are well-known brands, unusual varieties and some combinations you've never heard of before. 

And my goodness me, all this is before you even reach the counter, where behind a glass pane is the most incredible display of beautiful handmade chocolates that  ever was seen. There are tiny milk chocolate figurines, marbled chocolate pyramids, chocolate cups, fondants, soft centres and dark delights, all beautifully finished with little details like sugar hearts. For a few pounds you can have a box made up to order with your choice of chocolates - making a wonderful personalised gift. And then behind the counter jars of traditional boiled sweets are stacked from floor to ceiling in what must be every schoolboy's dream.

The view inside Chocolate Bar

Chocolate Bar is a family business and for 29 years it has been owned and run by a lady called Christine and her daughter Fiona. 

I popped in yesterday to grab a few gifts for friends and got chatting to Fiona about my challenge to avoid the supermarkets for a year and about why it's so important to support local shops.

Fiona explained that the supermarkets only tend to stock chocolates that they know they can "shift fast" whereas at Chocolate Bar the emphasis is on variety and offering something a little bit unusual and special. 

For example, both the supermarkets and Chocolate Bar sell Swiss brand Lindt. But while the supermarkets tend to only stock the most popular varieties of milk and dark, in Chocolate Bar you can find types of Lindt that I've never seen before, such as cherry and pistachio. 

And as well as importing some unusual varieties from Europe, Christine and Fiona are also very keen to support small British chocolate makers. They've recently introduced a display of Maxwells chocolate bars, which Fiona tells me are made by a man originally from Sheffield (as you've probably guessed by now I love anything from Yorkshire!) who has set up a chocolate factory in Essex. 

Like Willy Wonka before him, this chap specialises in weird and wonderful combinations, including strawberries and cream, toffee apple, and caramel and sea salt. And my god they're GOOD. For the last couple of months I've been unable to visit the Chocolate Bar without coming away with at least one bar of Maxwells and they're packaged so prettily that they make lovely little presents, so I'm getting my family and friends hooked now too.

My mum and I enjoy a girly weekend away once a year and we always take some posh chocolate to enjoy in our hotel room. On our last trip I opened a bar of Maxwells and handed it over to mum, supposing of course that she was going to break off a few squares and hand it back. 

Five minutes later I asked if I could possible have a bit of chocolate. Her head whipped round and she looked at me with a mixture of surprise and guilt.

"Oh. I ate it," she said.
"What, all of it?" I replied.
"Erm. Yes."
"Oh"
"Did you want a bit?"
"Well... yeah..."
"Oh. Sorry. But thanks, it was very nice."

So that's the Maxwells effect! And you certainly can't find it in the confectionary aisles of the supermarket.

Yesterday I came away from Chocolate Bar with three bars of Maxwells (milk with blueberry, dark with raspberry, and apple and cinnamon crumble), a little box with a selection of handmade chocolates for a friend and a Lindt  teddy bear for my grandma.

Now that's dedication to chocolate!

Yesterday's purchases from Chocolate Bar