The Halal Chocolate Tasting Club

Birthday gift 1 | Birthday gift 2 | Birthday gift 3 | Birthday gift 4

Does such a halal chocolate club exist? Ah, crap, no. Should it? Ah, well, yes please!

Chocolate is one those mysterious creations of Allah that makes women quiver and roll their eyes back. Unfortunately men don't understand why most women love chocolate with a passion and Willy Wonka is our hero. Add to that the equation of a Muslim woman who has three children, an ape of a husband and two full time jobs, including the teaching at the masjid where the committee doesn't listen to her ideas, and you have = a female chocolate addict.

I'm above falling for cravings, I'm not a chocoholic, no, not an addict, I don't need to be. I'm already 90% chocolate, 10% caffeine. The people I know, know this.

And so it begins.

Bithday gift 4. Halal, ethical chocolate please. Not any of those controversial haram-o-rama candies or discounted tins from surpermarkets. I will accept any of the following, may Allah reward you with good!

"The" halal chocolate brand by Ummah Foods. From left to right -

Dark chocolate - chocolate & raisins & nuts - Milk chocolate. 15 of each please.

From Hotel Chocolat. Pack of TEN chocolate SLABS, from Rocky Road to Eton Mess to Chilli & Orange. £35 quid, alcohol free and vegetarian. Quick happy fix. Result!

Almond & Pistachio slab from The Chocolate Society. Originally a 1kg block, broken down to chunks, packed into 150g bags, for £3.75. Oh, baby...

Thorntons' Dessert Gallery OR the Continental Collection. Are you taking note?

Behold bite size pillows of shokollat - note that not all in the dessert collection are halal (aw, man, rum?! I already ate it... What the hell) So what you do is buy single-serving bars of individual dessert flavours, e.g. the Lemon Meringue, 3/pk for 99p!

Green & Black's Cherry & Dark chocolate. Found at most grocery stores. G&B make cookies and ice-cream too, so y'know, giving you ideas. (:

This isn't just normal chocolate, this is art. The bars are earthy, and worth the hassle of downloading the catalogue to order stuff with each product reference number. (Apparently the cat. and the food saves the environment and people so, hamdulillah). They make bars, tubes of sweets, foil wrapped chocolates, giant pralines and Allah knows what else. Blanxart. Because it's worth it.

Another large chocolate bar (notice the theme here?), but this time fruit-flavoured. New Tree sell chocolate infused with apricots, cinnamon, lavender and even thyme. I, however, want the  orange one. Please.

 Finally, for pudding, Ben & Jerry's - Chocolate Ice Cream with Fudge Brownies. If you could get me a case I'd appreciate it since I have to take out a loan just to buy a few tubs.

Further chocolate gift possibilities are Mint chocolate from Biome and The Chocolate tower (it's not a tower, it's a box).  Although this is $50, I like that 10% of net profits go to support habitat conservation efforts. I mean, it's not saving human lives, but it's still eco-jihad.

I look forward to hearing your ideas, complaints and receiving the above.

Your favourite daughter, niece, granddaughter, sister and teacher,

Zaufishan.

p.s. Shukria Nanno for the advanced tin of wrapped chocolates for Allah's sake (:

p.p.s. I ate half and misplaced the box - did you nick it when you left?

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info@zaufishan.co.uk