I bought the chocolate as a gift for a family member who lives abroad, and they liked it! It was…read morebeautifully packed, and the chocolates are delicious. Thank you very much.

When people tell me they don't like chocolate, I feel suspicious about them. When people tell me…read morethey don't like Minerva Chocolate, I trust them even less. This may seem a little unfair, but trust me - anyone who doesn't enjoy a hot chocolate in their cafe, or one of their Belgium treats is NOT my sort of person. This cafe-cum-chocolatiers on Cheap Street is a chocolaholic's paradise. The friendly staff are at hand to tell you everything you want about these sweet treats, and will lure you into buying more than you wanted with free samples of the wickedly tempting stuff. They also host confectionery making parties for an alternative hen party; but brides beware. You may not fit into your dress after an evening at Minerva!

Great coffee served in stylish old fashioned mugs. Superb hand made chocolates. Small and cozy -…read moredon't look for music or quiet corners - but great or a quick stop.

I have lived in Oxford for about 6 months now, and have loved the great range of pubs, coffee…read morehouses, and restaurants. However, I have a longstanding preference for not repeating myself, either in terms of venues or or meals. Coco Noir has forced me to violate that personal rule. I've been there more times than I've been anywhere else in Oxford, many times over, and I don't feel guilty at all. Worse still, I almost always get the langostinos, which are near-divine Sicilian pastry, filled with a range of creamy goodness. The proprietor is so warm and friendly, and recognises us every time. The coffee is great, and priced affordably. The Belgian chocolates are just beautiful, and the atmosphere is warm and inviting--bringing in a range of people. Today, there was a pensioner couple, a single lady, a couple of boisterously polite tweens with their mums, and four young attractive Italian ladies. Bottom line: go whenever you can, tip well, and savour EACH flavour of the glorious langostinos!

Can we just take a moment to applaud the WONDERFUL pun in the shop name? Isn't it brilliant? I…read morewanted to really love this shop. I get very excited about little sweet shops, but this one fell short for me. Despite the amazing name. There's nothing wrong with the shop itself, it's just not... amazing. The fudge she asked us to try was nice, and actually reasonably priced. But there was nothing in the cute little shop that wowed me. The truffles looked great, but £3.95 for 100g seemed very pricey - rivalling London prices. And there were some animal crafted chocolates that really weren't very good. I wouldn't have sold them if I'd made them (not that I know how to do that, but still). It's a cute shop, it's got a great name and the people here were lovely. It just wasn't going to make me want to spend any money. Usually truffles are the first thing I'll spend me pennies on, but I wasn't tempted this time. I almost gave them four stars for the name alone, but the shop just didn't do it for me. Which is probably good for my waistline.

this shop is soooooo good!!!!! amazing chocolates, ice-cream, sweets and even cappuccino. It has…read moresuch a nice old fanshioned feel and the staff are really friendly, part of the appeal of this place, definately a repeat trip, ps the soft nougat is awesome!!

Now, I certainly won't say that this shop alone is worth the trip to Cowbridge, but I will…read morecertainly imply it heavily. This is a charming little shop tucked away off the main road passing through the town, so you might not immediately see it. It's easy to find though, and is very near the main parking zone. The staff in Cocoa & Co are very lovely, and clearly take a pride in their products. They have a good range of handmade chocolates and gifts, but the thing that really makes this shop something special, are the sugar-covered almonds. In all different colours, jars of them fill a wall. These are my favourite of sweets, so I was very, very excited when I first found them. But they're great for wedding favours, and Cocoa & Co specialise in making these up, if you're so inclined.

You will find Cocoa & Co down a quaint little mews off the High Street at the top end of Cowbridge…read more You can get there by turning right after Arthur John Hardware. (I had lived in Cowbridge for six months before I discovered this beautiful little mews!) Being a chocoholic this is my kind of shop, and although expensive, the treats that they have on offer are our of this world... so, essentially well worth the extra dollar! Although i have never indulged in anything but the handmade chocs, they also sell a pretty broad assortment of other sweets, that are bought in from other cottage industries and small manufacturers. The interior of the shop is like something you would expect to find in a period film about the Victorian era... it has that other-worldly charm going on about it! A real delight!

Exquisite!!! I'm hooked…read more What can I say, this place is addictive! Located at 40 Great Western Arcade, they offer the most pleasurable and desirable chocolates, that I have tried. You get a very personal service in here, and they are a nice independent retailer. Although a little pricey, the occasional treat is worth it, and you get what you pay for. The have a good variety on display and even have gift presents for your loved ones for you to buy. The shelves aren't too over stocked, but they do have a large variety of sweets, chocolates and candy for you to choose from. Try the fruit centre's - they wont disappoint. I will visit again and this place has my seal of approval.

This is by far my favourite chocolate shop EVER! The…read morecustomer service in Chouchoute is second to none. Pierre and his wife run the store and they really are so friendly and offer a completely tailored service. Pierre obviously cares about his customers and will give you a guided tour of all the wonderful and artfully created chocolates on display, even letting you sample a few on the house. This is no Thorntons! Each piece is a work of art, from dark chocolate dipped cherries and orange peel to Champagne truffles; everything is beautifully made and packaged making a gift from Chouchoute a real treat. I always come here to buy presents for family and have a chat with Pierre. Everyone should sample some chocolates from this shop - you'll never settle for Roses again, that's for sure! I couldn't recommend Chouchoute highly enough. One of Birmingham's true gems.

The staff are always welcoming at this delightful upmarket chain. A key part of their mission is to…read morelimit and reduce sugar content. Sugar is to sweeten but not to cheapen. Contrast this maxim with the greedy international conglomerates like Cadbury (no longer British controlled) and Nestlè (a chairman once said that water should never be free). Their deliberate overuse of processed, cheap, white sugar and any other cheap ingredient they can get their grubby claws on including industrial chemicals, processed cheap oils to bastardise chocolate for only one purpose, which is to increase shareholder payouts, their own bonuses and the chairman's share hand outs and fuck customers and remember they sell this stuff to kids. With Hotel Chocolat it's always a bonus for me when they have a cafe in store as their coffee and chocolate libations are tasty. A cafe also includes ice cream and ice cream sundaes with great quality sauces. I have very clear favourites when I shop - anything with booze and anything with macadamia, hazel or cashews nuts (though strictly speaking a cashew isn't a nut it's a Drupe with the nut being a seed). I'm not a fan of very dark chocolate but will use it in cooking. My always go to sweets have champagne, gin or whiskey within. Also their chocolate florentines and their hazelnut pralines are just divine.

Some of the best chocolate around. The blueberry truffles are, in a word, OMG-mazing. It's by no…read moremeans cheap - a package of six truffles runs £2.95 apiece - but this is seriously high quality cocoa. Plus, if you hang around long enough inside you're bound to score a few free samples!

Chocology is the place to go if you are a chocolate fan or want to buy a high-quality edible gift…read morefor that special someone. It is a tiny little room with a few tables for consuming its speciality: amazingly rich and tasty hot chocolate. But its main attraction is the huge variety of speciality chocolates from all around the world. There are alcoholic, fruity, nutty, milk, dark, white chocolates, chocolates you'd never imagine existed, and even special chocolates for diabetics. Think Thorntons but higher quality and with a great variety of brands. There's a gourmet chocolate counter where you can pick and choose your own to go in a box. Ultimate decadence!

This is a chocaholics dream shop, located in the covered market you will satisfy any chocolate…read morepangs here! The hot chocolate is divine, and they serve other hot drinks too. There are lots of fancy chocolates to choose from, so it's great for gifts or little treats. Around Easter they have some great present ideas, some of which are a little more unusual than your average easter egg. Great selection, gorgeous chocolate aroma mmm makes me hungry just thinking about it! I find it a little pricey but, if you're feeling indulgent this is the place to go!!

Right in the heart of historic Monmouth town centre on Monnow Street, this independently owned…read morechocolatier founded in 2006 was a real find. Its small, well ordered premises were brimming with chocolate based goodies. Best of all much of it was made on the premises, using Belgian Callebaut couverture chocolate as the base. Under their own brand Mon Cacao range, more than 46 varieties are available, with a variety of dark, milk and white chocolate on offer. They also sold milkshakes, ice creams etc. Well worth a visit. You can also order online via their website.

This shop has closed now (pretty much like most of the other independent shops in Monmouth!) It's…read morebeen replaced by Topstak, they sell and install stoves & fires http://www.topstak.co.uk/monmouth-showroom.php

Mm, mmm, mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!…read more My step father is a continental confectioner and also a Master Baker... you have to be careful how you say that, or it can cause eruptive bouts of hysteria! Anyway, he makes things that are out of this world, but he has somewhat inconveniently moved to Holland with my mother! They say your first fix is free, and they're not wrong! I'm now utterly addicted to the finer things in life, and this is where I come to get my hit! The stuff that these guys do is equally as good as, if not better than what my stepfather used to make me... sorry Ray! You have got to try this place... it's a total must! And if you like it here, then you have to try Simply Steve's in Splott (Clifton Street).

This authentic French patisserie brings a continental flavour to Whitchurch Road, baking great hand…read moremade produce on site, in view of its customers. Although it's quite new, it already seems to have gained a good following, with plenty of people sat inside the window whenever I wander past. They sell cakes, tarts, savoury pastries, tea and coffee, and also make up fresh sandwiches - but it's their cakes that will be luring me back in through the door. They have a mouth-watering selection, but my favourites are the ones with crème pâtissière sandwiched between flaky pastry.

Brilliant!!! En excellent choice of sweets all jars are ready to weigh out. From aniseed balls to…read moresugar fairy dust and everything in between £1 per 100g good value, they also sell quality chocolate individually which would make a great gift. Small seated areas inside and out for coffee etc. I call in most weekends when shopping in Witney.