"Chocolate is good for you"

ELLA DAVEY AND CHIMJIKA EBENEBE, FROM UCLU CHOCSOC, RETELL THEIR EXPERIENCES AT THE LONDON CHOCOLATE SHOW.

“Chocolate is good for you.” This is what I reassure myself as I step into Olympia, and what I can only describe as heaven for me: The Chocolate Show.

On the 16th October my committee and I subjected our bodies to six hours of chocolate consumption, and it was fabulous. I discovered chocolate related items that I never knew I needed, including a chocolate tap (that I want installed in my kitchen… or bath!), as well as a collection of chocolate sauces designed to be eaten each day of the week.

Not only was the show a delight for the taste buds, it was also a treat for the eyes. There were chocolate sculptures of the Queen and Benedict Cumberbatch, two staples of British culture. Also, intricately carved statues of elephants along with pumpkins and Christmas trees ready for the upcoming festive season. I also stumbled across my future career: a chocolate painter. Yes, the paint is replaced by chocolate! However, despite my desire to make it into the world of chocolate artistry, I believe the urge to eat my resources and the desire to lick clean my canvas would be too strong.

This brings us to the next show stopping event we were fortunate to witness: the chocolate fashion show. All the designs were (you guessed it!) made from chocolate. From ball gowns to cocktail dresses, there was creativity behind each piece and they were all good enough to wear. Although, I can assure you if I wore any of the items, I would almost certainly end up naked by the end of the day.

To say the least, our day went from weird to wonderful… and then back to weird. We spent the afternoon sampling a classic combo of chocolates, until we came across some more unusual flavours, shall we say.  Sun dried, herb infused INSECTS; from crickets, to mealworms and grasshoppers! It was Roald Dahl’s James and the Giant Peach which inspired this ‘chocolate and insect’ theme and it was a strange, yet scrumptious pairing indeed.

If you love chocolate and want the opportunity to try all the chocolates that a student budget can’t afford, then The Chocolate Festival is the place for you. From eating designer truffles only sold in Dubai, to bars of 100% cocoa content worth more than your monthly Wifi payment. I definitely think I made the most of my £10 ticket! Now, if you’re questioning whether the ticket is really worth the price, think about this: I, a chocolate obsessed student, who has singlehandedly consumed a kilo of Nutella in under 5 days, struggled eating all the free samples at this event. Do not fear the thought of missing out on tasters after you have eaten to the point of stomach ache. I pass onto you my wise advice: bring a sandwich bag and fill those pockets. Even though you will never want to see chocolate again for at least a month after this event, the satisfaction of having visited every stall in the building is worth it.

Images: Stephanie Shen, UCLU ChocSoc