Sinless chocolate reviewed

Everyone is looking more closely at the things they eat and the provenance of ingredients, and it seems this is extending to new areas. Chocolate sales have risen consistently in recent years, with dark chocolate amongst the fastest growth area. Sales of fairtrade and raw chocolate are also on the up, and this is where I have focussed my research ;-)

Through the painful research process, I've finally stumbled upon the end of the rainbow! Sinless chocolate treats: Chocolate that's actually good for you.... yes really. The fundamental building block of any chocolate is cacao, the bean from the fruit of the cacao tree. For over 3,500 years people have used it to make chocolate along various lines, but since it's introduction to modern Europeans, chocolate has become increasingly saturated with sugars and fats to satisfy modern tastes. It is a greater awareness of the harmful effects of these additives, as well as a change in tastes, which has brought about a resurgence of small, artisan producers going back to basics and using the raw cacao bean as well as unrefined sugars and few added ingredients.

I've gone through many of these producers, and have gathered details of the best of the best, to save you the bother of tasting them all; see my recommendations below for fabulous treats for chocoholics and the health-conscious alike.

Mr Popple's Chocolate

Mr Popple (aka Ben, who used to be a school friend of mine) makes his chocolate by hand using only natural ingredients (primarily raw cacao) that have fantastic health benefits; did you know, for example that raw cacao has more antioxidants than green tea or red wine? There is no added fat or refined sugar, and all ingredients are grown and sourced ethically; even the packaging is made of recycled material. I've munched my way through Mint & Lime, Cherryaid, Euphoric Orange and 69%, all for your benefit. After careful consideration, I pronounce Euphoric Orange as a truly euphoric winner - sensational taste and a great feeling of being virtuous thrown in!


Moonbeam

Cambridge-based Moonbeam produces artisan raw chocolate, which is vegan, organic and ethically sourced. Furthermore, you'll not find any gluten, dairy, soya or refined sugars in owner Trisha's chocolates, as she replaces refined sugar with healthier and nutritious organic coconut palm sugar and lucuma. I sampled the raw hazlenut pralines. I found them delicious in taste and texture and noticeably less sweet than standard milk chocolate which was perfect for me. They'd therefore appeal to those that find milk chocolate too sweet but aren't quite bitter enough to go for plain :-)


Booja Booja

Now stocked in many health food shops and supermarkets such as Waitrose and Sainsbury's, Booja Booja is the most mainstream of the chocolates I've sampled as part of this exercise. Having started out over 15 years ago, they're also the oldest, and now employ nearly 40 people at their Norfolk site. As with the others, their chocolates are dairy, gluten and soya free and are made with minimal, high-quality, raw ingredients, but as a larger operation, Booja Booja offer many more flavours than the others including champage, Kalamon Olive and Banoffee Toffee. I tried the beautifully diddy boxes in the mini collection; two truffles in one small box, absolutely perfect for adding to a gift box, placing as part of a table-setting or just a small pick-me-up. I found the Equadorian Dark and the Raspberry truffles incredibly flavoured and very intense. You genuinely couldn't eat more than two in one sitting.


Raw Halo

Raw Halo bars offer Mylk, Plain and Vegan chocolate bars and is the only non-truffle texture I tasted. The Mylk bar had a real snap to it like standard chocolate bars, and a perfectly smooth and creamy texture. Raw Halo uses a unique recipe of cashew nut butter, lucuma powder and pure vanilla which it believes complements the richness of the Peruvian cacao for a creamier chocolate experience. I'd agree and think they're on to an authentic-tasting winner.