AD/Gifted Product. Masterchef 2018 finalist and pilot, David Crichton, has launched an exciting new range of handmade luxury chocolates – including a vegan selection and a bright pink ruby chocolate bar. The Careless Collection is a contemporary new range of handmade luxury chocolate bars in distinct flavours and vibrant colours. Each recipe has been created in David’s development kitchen in Cheadle Hulme, offering unique flavour combinations for sophisticated palates. He sent me a box from The Careless Collection to try out.
His inspiration for the range came from the TV show when the contestants were tasked with creating a dish for an idol and he chose George Michael. Based on the song ‘Careless Whisper’ and the chocolate bar Wispa, he created two variations – one with a rich chocolate mousse and balsamic vinegar, and the other with salted butter caramel. He has since developed these two bars and added to the range.
The flavour combinations are something you might not have tried before, I know I certainly haven’t. Each box costs £12.50 and contains four bars. The box I received had a bar of each of the four flavours, which was a great way to introduce yourself to the range.
The Dark – Heirloom Ecuadorian Nacional 71% dark chocolate shell, filled with a salted butter caramel, olive oil and balsamic vinegar ganache. This is by far the richest bar in the collection, seriously good chocolate filled with an incredibly rich salted caramel butter. There are hints of balsamic vinegar and olive oil, but they are gentle and don’t overwhelm the chocolate. It is very rich and I love (really love) the slated caramel butter, I’d like a big jar of that and a spoon please.
The Milk – Single Origin Venezuelan 43.5% cocoa shell, filled with toasted coconut and lime. This smelled like a posh bounty bar, and tasted like a very posh bounty bar. The coconut inside was delicious and beautifully offset with the lime. It wasn’t too sweet either, which I sometimes find with coconut. This was one of my favourites.
The Ruby – Using a very unique, naturally occurring, ruby cocoa bean, the chocolate (which I’ve never tried before) really tastes of berries. The bar is filled with muscovado caramel, and a rich dark chocolate ganache flavoured with floral notes of rose and lychee. The rose was reminiscent of Turkish delight, but not at all overpowering. It was, I think my favourite, just because it was so unusual.
The White – 29% Cocoa butter white chocolate shell, with a unique blueberry, tonka bean and basil filling. The sweet white chocolate really brings out the cherry notes from the Tonka bean. The blueberry is subtle but it’s a delicious combination.
The Careless Collection is a truly artisan product, handmade and unique. They’re the kind of thing you’d bring out after dinner to share with friends; a real conversation starter and a great way to finish a meal. It’s worth noting that you don’t need to scoff the whole bar to yourself. I think they’re best cut up and shared with friends. Sharing is caring, after all.
For more information about The Careless Collection or to buy online, you can visit the website.
We were sent a box of chocolates for the purposes of this review. All images and opinions are our own.