Holly Caulfield tells Kucha of her passion for
inspiring, delicious, organic chocolates that lift everyone's spirit!

It all started one day after seeing Chocolat, a beautiful film based on the book by Joanne Harris. At the time I was an artist, bringing up my daughter on my own. This tale of transformation through eating delicious chocolates inspired me to train to become a chocolatier. Using organic ingredients I have created my own range of uplifting chocolates which are made in Hove and carry the soil association stamp.

The packaging around my chocolate bars and fish is created using my own paintings which are magical and uplifting. If you like my art then please visit my open house in Hove during the May festival. Art and chocolate, house 16 on the hove arts trail www.hovearts.co.uk. We have two jewellers, three sculptors, two painters, organic face and body oils, vintage creations, handmade books and photographs of Venice.

The Aztecs started the trend many years back and we are now rediscovering the joys of cooking with chocolate. The word chocolate comes from the Aztec word xocolatl which means bitter water because they made a drink from the crushed up cocoa beans and certainly didn’t add sugar. The Mexican dish Mole (moh-ley) usually involves smoked chillies and chocolate to produce a sauce that accompanies meat. The fruity tones and complexity of flavours within chocolate are rather like wine and vary according to the origins and type of bean. Single estate chocolates are becoming more popular nowadays and have very distinctive flavours.

In the name of research, I have tasted more chocolate bars then most people have had hot dinners ! I can safely say that my chocolate bars are amongst the very best. In my excessive search for more intense and fulfilling chocolate indulgences I found lacking the variety and quality on offer, so set forth on a mission to create my own organic recipes that satisfy the most discerning chocoholics.

I found a lot of supposedly good chocolates contained high quantities of sugar and low quantities of cocoa. I found that the revered Belgium chocolates on offer had soft centres filled with unhealthy ingredients. Also, certain companies add vanillin which isn’t vanilla and is made from tree bark, its used as a cheap alternative.

I was frustrated with the hype around some brands that boiled down to lies and relied on the ignorance of the customers. Thankfully, more recently people are becoming aware of the truth behind good chocolate, a little bit like they did with wine twenty years ago. There are different varieties and processes that produce very differing results in the end product. Single origin chocolates are becoming more popular nowadays and are certainly worth experimenting with. Chocolate is even said to be good for you in moderation and this is especially true of dark 70% plus organic chocolate, so forget the guilt and indulge.

My chilli and coconut dark chocolate is the best seller, as it’s a great contrast of flavours and not too hot. The cardamom milk chocolate is very smooth with no bits, as its made with organic oil of cardamom. If you like the flavour of Turkish delight then you might like the geranium rich milk chocolate made with 46% cocoa and not the usual 34%. The cranberry and cinnamon white chocolate is very tangy and bursting with goodness. The rich milk 46% is a very good chocolate to eat for a rich smooth chocolaty experience.

The packets of fish are great as gifts with six in a pack, and a mixed bag for those wishing to sample more then one flavour. Each pack depicts an original painting from my print archive which due to popular demand will be available to buy very soon at www.chocoholly.com.

To View Chocoholly Chocolate Bars and Fish click here >>


Handy Tips For Cooking With Chocolate
Whether you are cooking a chilli or a chocolate mouse here are 5 tips:

1. Quality not quantity, buy the best you can afford. For savoury dishes use cocoa or a chocolate with a high cocoa content (over70%).

2. Chocolate keeps for a year if wrapped, in an airtight container and stored in a cool dry place (not fridge).

3. Chocolate goes well with strong flavours like venison and other Game. Try adding a tablespoon of cocoa to a chilli.

4. Melt chocolate in a bain marie over simmering water, the smaller the pieces are, the faster it will melt. If you must you can use a microwave, but you must check and stir it every minute as its easily burnt.

5. You can add a small amount of vegetable oil to thin down melted chocolate, but do not add water as this will make it clumpy and hard.

Enjoy your scrummy chocolate from Chocoholly x