the sweet scrapbook

At the beginning of last month I bought quite a few Halloren products. When I visited their website to learn a little more about them, I found that they also make Bohme and Laroshell. I discovered Laroshell's alcohol-filled chocolates at the beginning of 2003 and I thought they were quite nice. It didn't take me long before I went through all Laroshell products that were available here. And then I moved on, there were other things to try. But recently I saw something that wasn't available here before - though it was listed (unfortunately, without a picture, so I didn't make the connection at first) on halloren.de among the Laroshell products. It was the Laroshell Obstbrande assortment box.

The box contains fruit brandy filled chocolates with sugar crust and hazelnuts. There are 32 chocolates in the 400g box. They are made with four types of fruit brandy fillings and there are three types of chocolate used: dark chocolate, milk chocolate and higher cocoa content milk chocolate. They don't say what type of chocolate they use for each filling... so the associations I've made come strictly from the way I've felt them... and I couldn't feel much (I'll explain that a little later). It was obvious that the Williams Pear Brandy was in regular milk chocolate and I'm pretty sure that the Black Forest Cherry Brandy was in dark chocolate. I think that the Black Forest Plum Brandy was in higher cocoa content milk chocolate, but I'm highly unsure about the Raspberry Brandy. Was this higher cocoa content milk chocolate as well?

At the beginning of last month I bought quite a few Halloren products. When I visited their website to learn a little more about them, I found that they also make Bohme and Laroshell. I discovered Laroshell's alcohol-filled chocolates at the beginning of 2003 and I thought they were quite nice. It didn't take me long before I went through all Laroshell products that were available here. And then I moved on, there were other things to try. But recently I saw something that wasn't available here before - though it was listed (unfortunately, without a picture, so I didn't make the connection at first) on halloren.de among the Laroshell products. It was the Laroshell Obstbrande assortment box.

The box contains fruit brandy filled chocolates with sugar crust and hazelnuts. There are 32 chocolates in the 400g box. They are made with four types of fruit brandy fillings and there are three types of chocolate used: dark chocolate, milk chocolate and higher cocoa content milk chocolate. They don't say what type of chocolate they use for each filling... so the associations I've made come strictly from the way I've felt them... and I couldn't feel much (I'll explain that a little later). It was obvious that the Williams Pear Brandy was in regular milk chocolate and I'm pretty sure that the Black Forest Cherry Brandy was in dark chocolate. I think that the Black Forest Plum Brandy was in higher cocoa content milk chocolate, but I'm highly unsure about the Raspberry Brandy. Was this higher cocoa content milk chocolate as well?

I had never heard of Solidarnosc (the name means "solidarity") until two weeks ago when I first spotted some of their Liqueurs & Vodka chocolate boxes in Auchan. As usual, I bought an assortment box because I wanted to give each flavour a try. The assortment boxes come in three colours (white, yellow and blue), but I couldn't notice any difference between them beside the main colour of the box. I chose a blue box.

Being the curious creature that I am, I had to look for more information about them. This is what I have found on their website:

Firma Cukiernicza Solidarnosc was founded on 4 June 1952. The beginning of the sixties saw the birth of the product which is the firm's pride, which remains in its product range to this day and continues to attract undiminished consumer interest, Naleczowska Plum in chocolate. 1994 was the date the product which has won most awards was introduced to the market. Chocolates with hazelnuts in cream "Golden Nut"

Combining tradition with modern management methods, Solidarnosc has created a brand thanks to which, today it has a very significant position on the market. The company's most important capital is the quality of its products, which is achieved thanks to modern technology and our own recipes. The products are distinguished by an unlimited range of flavours, and a colourful, esthetically pleasing and attractive graphic layout.

I had never heard of Solidarnosc (the name means "solidarity") until two weeks ago when I first spotted some of their Liqueurs & Vodka chocolate boxes in Auchan. As usual, I bought an assortment box because I wanted to give each flavour a try. The assortment boxes come in three colours (white, yellow and blue), but I couldn't notice any difference between them beside the main colour of the box. I chose a blue box.

Being the curious creature that I am, I had to look for more information about them. This is what I have found on their website:

Firma Cukiernicza Solidarnosc was founded on 4 June 1952. The beginning of the sixties saw the birth of the product which is the firm's pride, which remains in its product range to this day and continues to attract undiminished consumer interest, Naleczowska Plum in chocolate. 1994 was the date the product which has won most awards was introduced to the market. Chocolates with hazelnuts in cream "Golden Nut"

Combining tradition with modern management methods, Solidarnosc has created a brand thanks to which, today it has a very significant position on the market. The company's most important capital is the quality of its products, which is achieved thanks to modern technology and our own recipes. The products are distinguished by an unlimited range of flavours, and a colourful, esthetically pleasing and attractive graphic layout.

I don't know much about Majestic. I couldn't find anything about them on the internet. I remember first seeing their chocolates about a year and a half ago. It was a box of chocolates with rum cream, so it wasn't long before I gave it a try. Considering the price, I thought the chocolates were nice enough. What I liked best about them was the texture of the rum cream.

I don't know much about Majestic. I couldn't find anything about them on the internet. I remember first seeing their chocolates about a year and a half ago. It was a box of chocolates with rum cream, so it wasn't long before I gave it a try. Considering the price, I thought the chocolates were nice enough. What I liked best about them was the texture of the rum cream.

More than a month ago, I went a little Halloren-crazy and I bought five of their chocolate boxes: two Halloren Pralines de Maitre Paul ones and three Halloren Kugeln ones. Being the curious creature that I am, I started looking around their website (halloren.de). That way, I learned that Halloren also make Bohme. We don't get many sweets with the Halloren label here. But we get a lot of Bohme! The only things we don't get out of the range presented on halloren.de are the chocolate-coated jellies, the Silver Block and the Couverture chocolate. We get the rest - the plain jellies (tried them, lovely!), the mint chocolates (I don't like mint, so I don't touch stuff like that), the fruit-filled Bohme chocolate bars (tried them, not my thing), the Rum Balls (tried them, they'd be a lot better without the chocolate chips) and... the alcoholic chocolates! Brandy Beans, Cherry & Brandy, Cream & Irish Whishy... these three were actually the first Bohme products I have ever tried. But that was a long, long time ago (hmmm, seven years ago?) and I didn't remember anything about how they tasted... I only remembered trying them. That usually indicates they weren't anything extreme - not brilliant, but not unpleasant either. My first encounter with Lindt also happened seven years ago and I still cannot forget those moments of cinnamon-flavoured milk chocolate heaven that came out of a red wrapper with golden decorations. Yes, I still have the wrapper (outside, inside). And some of the other lovely Lindt wrappers.

Well, since they weren't bad and they were alcoholic chocolates, I thought they would deserve an entry in the scrapbook. So I grabbed the Cherry & Brandy and the Cream & Irish Whisky on the first occasion. I left the Brandy Beans for another occasion as I didn't even know how I woud manage to get the first two inside the really small bag (the black one in this picture) I had that day. It was one of those cold October days when my fingers wanted to hide inside my warm pockets, not to freeze carrying boxes or shopping bags.

More than a month ago, I went a little Halloren-crazy and I bought five of their chocolate boxes: two Halloren Pralines de Maitre Paul ones and three Halloren Kugeln ones. Being the curious creature that I am, I started looking around their website (halloren.de). That way, I learned that Halloren also make Bohme. We don't get many sweets with the Halloren label here. But we get a lot of Bohme! The only things we don't get out of the range presented on halloren.de are the chocolate-coated jellies, the Silver Block and the Couverture chocolate. We get the rest - the plain jellies (tried them, lovely!), the mint chocolates (I don't like mint, so I don't touch stuff like that), the fruit-filled Bohme chocolate bars (tried them, not my thing), the Rum Balls (tried them, they'd be a lot better without the chocolate chips) and... the alcoholic chocolates! Brandy Beans, Cherry & Brandy, Cream & Irish Whishy... these three were actually the first Bohme products I have ever tried. But that was a long, long time ago (hmmm, seven years ago?) and I didn't remember anything about how they tasted... I only remembered trying them. That usually indicates they weren't anything extreme - not brilliant, but not unpleasant either. My first encounter with Lindt also happened seven years ago and I still cannot forget those moments of cinnamon-flavoured milk chocolate heaven that came out of a red wrapper with golden decorations. Yes, I still have the wrapper (outside, inside). And some of the other lovely Lindt wrappers.

Well, since they weren't bad and they were alcoholic chocolates, I thought they would deserve an entry in the scrapbook. So I grabbed the Cherry & Brandy and the Cream & Irish Whisky on the first occasion. I left the Brandy Beans for another occasion as I didn't even know how I woud manage to get the first two inside the really small bag (the black one in this picture) I had that day. It was one of those cold October days when my fingers wanted to hide inside my warm pockets, not to freeze carrying boxes or shopping bags.

At the beginning of July this year, I found a box of Lir's Baileys Original Irish Cream Truffles (pictures: 1, 2, 3, 4). I haven't been able to gather much about Lir Chocolates, just that they are an Irish chocolate company which was founded in Dublin in 1987 by Mary White and Connie Doody (sources: about page on senatormarywhite.ie; irishtimes.com article - link, screenshot) and which is now a subsidiary of Kinnerton. Of course, I had to try them - I always find chocolate and alcohol combinations almost impossible to resist. Unfortunately, I was very disappointed. The initial taste of the cream of the cream was fine, but then it just started to taste bad, and that bad taste had got into the outer chocolate as well so I really didn't enjoy anything about them. Then, about a month ago, I found the same thing in a chocolate bar shape - Lir Baileys Original Irish Cream Truffle Bar.

At first, I was a bit usure whether I wanted to try the bar as well. On the one hand, even in spite of any unpleasant experiences I might have had with various alcoholic chocolates, I still find myself attracted towards anything that promises liqueur/ liqueur cream in chocolate. And I was willing to accept that maybe I've just been unlucky with that box. On the other hand, there was the price factor - more expensive than Lindt? Plus the wrapper looked a bit dubious, yellowish, especially the chocolate pictured on it - this is how I would have expected it to look, but it looked... well, just see the pictures that follow.

At the beginning of July this year, I found a box of Lir's Baileys Original Irish Cream Truffles (pictures: 1, 2, 3, 4). I haven't been able to gather much about Lir Chocolates, just that they are an Irish chocolate company which was founded in Dublin in 1987 by Mary White and Connie Doody (sources: about page on senatormarywhite.ie; irishtimes.com article - link, screenshot) and which is now a subsidiary of Kinnerton. Of course, I had to try them - I always find chocolate and alcohol combinations almost impossible to resist. Unfortunately, I was very disappointed. The initial taste of the cream of the cream was fine, but then it just started to taste bad, and that bad taste had got into the outer chocolate as well so I really didn't enjoy anything about them. Then, about a month ago, I found the same thing in a chocolate bar shape - Lir Baileys Original Irish Cream Truffle Bar.

At first, I was a bit usure whether I wanted to try the bar as well. On the one hand, even in spite of any unpleasant experiences I might have had with various alcoholic chocolates, I still find myself attracted towards anything that promises liqueur/ liqueur cream in chocolate. And I was willing to accept that maybe I've just been unlucky with that box. On the other hand, there was the price factor - more expensive than Lindt? Plus the wrapper looked a bit dubious, yellowish, especially the chocolate pictured on it - this is how I would have expected it to look, but it looked... well, just see the pictures that follow.

I've been seeing the Halloren Balls (German original: Halloren Kugeln) in a couple of supermarkets for years, but I had only bought one box before the beginning of this month, when, not only did I buy three such boxes, but also two boxes from another Halloren range, Pralines de Maitre Paul: Creme Brulee and Kir Royal. I was not able to find this range (which also includes another variety, called English Toffee, I'm thinking about trying that one as well) on their website. However, looking through their products, I found out that they also make Laroshell (a liqueur filled chocolate range that I've discovered seven years ago) and Bohme (I didn't even know they had dark chocolate coated jellies, I'd wish they sold them here as well). And that they also own Movenpick Chocolates (link, image 1, image 2). I want Movenpick back! I first discovered them seven and a half years ago. But about two years later they were gone. And I haven't seen them since. Also, from their website I've learned that their history goes back to more than 200 years ago (thus being the oldest chocolate factory in Germany), that the Original Halloren Kugeln (the Whipped Cream & Cocoa) is 60 years old and that in 2005, they have produced the largest chocolate cat tongue in the world.

I've been seeing the Halloren Balls (German original: Halloren Kugeln) in a couple of supermarkets for years, but I had only bought one box before the beginning of this month, when, not only did I buy three such boxes, but also two boxes from another Halloren range, Pralines de Maitre Paul: Creme Brulee and Kir Royal. I was not able to find this range (which also includes another variety, called English Toffee, I'm thinking about trying that one as well) on their website. However, looking through their products, I found out that they also make Laroshell (a liqueur filled chocolate range that I've discovered seven years ago) and Bohme (I didn't even know they had dark chocolate coated jellies, I'd wish they sold them here as well). And that they also own Movenpick Chocolates (link, image 1, image 2). I want Movenpick back! I first discovered them seven and a half years ago. But about two years later they were gone. And I haven't seen them since. Also, from their website I've learned that their history goes back to more than 200 years ago (thus being the oldest chocolate factory in Germany), that the Original Halloren Kugeln (the Whipped Cream & Cocoa) is 60 years old and that in 2005, they have produced the largest chocolate cat tongue in the world.

Ice-cream must be my favourite sweet thing. Anything new and having a flavour that I find acceptable is a must try. As soon as possible, of course! So, less than two weeks ago, when I first saw in Auchan two new flavours in their ice-cream range, I knew it wouldn't be long before I tried them. I was right.

What I find interesting about the Auchan ice-cream range that we get here is that part of it is produced in Italy, for the Italian hypermarkets. Those have the text in Italian (some of them also in French) and have a hexagonal shape. The others have the text in Romanian and have a rounded rectangle shape (like this one).

Ice-cream must be my favourite sweet thing. Anything new and having a flavour that I find acceptable is a must try. As soon as possible, of course! So, less than two weeks ago, when I first saw in Auchan two new flavours in their ice-cream range, I knew it wouldn't be long before I tried them. I was right.

What I find interesting about the Auchan ice-cream range that we get here is that part of it is produced in Italy, for the Italian hypermarkets. Those have the text in Italian (some of them also in French) and have a hexagonal shape. The others have the text in Romanian and have a rounded rectangle shape (like this one).