Chocolate wasted! Literally. These boozy chocolates are like having a shot... Wow! Go home drunk,…read moreyou're chocolate. I mean... Go home chocolate, you're drunk. I mean... I'm moving to Wales just for this alcoholic's dream: boozy chocolates! Hiccup. Oh. And, they have a ton of non-alcoholic, delicious chocolates too, for those who don't understand what kind of magical-bliss-heaven-paradise is found in a piece of delectable chocolate that serves as a shot too. Also, I suggest a chaser. This is one STRONG, POTENT bite. Trust me. I wouldn't (hiccup) steer you (hiccup) wrong (hiccup). Goodnight. Oops, I forgot to say we tried the whiskey one and the pink champagne truffles. Beautiful. Ok. Goodnight. Hiccup.

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!

Wally's deli version 2 is the Arcades Wally's sweeter cousin. Bustling with Easter goodies at the…read moremoment it's hard to tell what is normally carried, but I for one do not give a damn when their is so much scrumptious chocolate on display. Being an upmarket deli, you'll get lots of beautifully decorated food. You pay for it, but your paying for quality that feels deserved. I love the shop as well, floor to ceiling glass and brightly lit, Wally's oozes with metropolitan class. You great great service, with lovely staff. Put all those ingredients in a blender and you've got your self tasty metaphorical pie.

I've been going to the Wallys Delicatessens in the Morgan arcade for years, so was very interested…read moreto see what I would make of their first ever new store in the St David's 2 center. On the whole I was quite satisfied and impressed. The store is not as big as the original, nor does it have as much stock. This is for the better though, as it is ascetically pleasing, and I have often felt that the other store packs far too much in. A further difference is that this new store focuses far more on the sweeter things in life. There is a mouthwatering selection of handmade chocolates, a wide variety of old fashioned sweets, and some simply breathtaking gingerbread houses, which are already on my Christmas list for next year. They do sell some of the more savory products (though if that's what your after I'd head for their other store), including a rather nice selection of oils, which are far superior to anything you get in a supermarket. Finally the great thing about this store, is that it really makes a nice change from all the big brand names that dominate St David's 2. It's so nice to see an independent retailer doing so well, and I would truly encourage anyone to check out Wallys.

Mark is a cheerful man. He set up his world wide food stall at Cardiff Central Market just over a…read moreyear ago. Yesterday I tried to resist buying handfuls of tasty things when he catches my eye with big grin, and, as he is notorious for, beckons potential customers and myself over to his market stall to try some FREE samples. He's nice like that. This week the offerings laid out on top of the counters include delicious chocolate coated sunflower seeds. I try a few, and then a handful, they are sweet, small, and have a delectable crunch. He knows I'm veggie and picks a few olives out on cocktail sticks for me to try. Olives stuffed with feta, olives stuffed with garlic, olives stuffed with pimento. I love olives. I am currently in favourite food heaven. As well as a delicious selection of olives - always tasty, never disappointing - Mark also sells an amazing range of nuts (Almond, Chilli Cashew, Salted Pistachio, Wasabi, Smoked Almond, Honey Macadamia etc.), dried fruit, liquorice (seriously, ALL my favourite foods), Turkish Delight, Baklava, chocolate raisins, chocolate brazil nuts, chocolate honeycomb (Mmmmmmmm), lots of yogurt sweets, vine leaves and Feta. I drool and eat and drool and eat and end up leaving with brown paper bags of goodies - sumptuous sundried tomatoes, pickled garlic, and more of those chocolate-coated seeds. Just you try not to do the same, you'll fail. Mark won't.

When I think of the chocolate that you buy from the Thornton's chocolate shop I think of silky…read moresmooth chocolate that is creamy and soft and that melts in your mouth. All of which makes it continuously addictive and it is lusciously comforting. The chocolate is so neatly created and uniquely made for gorgeous Easter egg gifts and Christmas presents and birthday treats. I particularly love the small chocolate pigs with a soft; creamy, strawberry, bubbly centre that makes it even more addictive and delicious. All for a cheap price that is under a one pound. Then there is another linked item that I simply adore; a lovely, flat chocolate bar, which is beautifully decorated with pink, strawberry icing and which tastes of associated taste like the small, pink bubbly pig does. It tastes of strawberry flavour and of the Thornton's chocolate. This is less than two pounds. There are few other flavours of animals and bars of similar kinds of Thornton's chocolate products with similar themes. They have flat Thornton's chocolate that can have writing of sugar, flavoured, icing of your own choice as to what the message may say for your chosen loved one to give it too. I have often bought this and I think its price is under or around five pounds in price. The staff are friendly and helpful and the shop is creatively presented and attractive. This loveable chocolate shop is very addictive and has many more chocolate products from its own company. So I do recommend it to all...

A son in need goes to Thortons indeed. For Mother's day at least. I got mama M. a lovely chocolate…read morebox that the very helpful staff personalised for me. Mama loved it, I had a nibble and it tasted great. So you pay for the packaging and brand name when you walk in, but as far as pleasant experiences go, you can't beat this Thortons. The St. Davids branch employees are probably one of the most genuine and friendly staff I've encountered in any shop.

I'll never forget when my aunt jokingly told me: "Jennifer, in our family, our chocolate obsession…read moreis like alcoholism. You think it's a normal way of life and then you speak to people outside the family and realise...it's not." For me, chocolate is a major food group that sits alongside Innocent Smoothies and Diet Coke. So naturally, I had to try out X Marks Delicious on St Mary Street. First impression - X had all the charm of an airport chocolatier, but that didn't sway me. I pressed on. The shop is just a bit too contemporary for my taste - almost bordering on clinical - but their chocolates, sourced from high-quality ingredients, are actually very good, although I think Hotel Chocolat (found at nearby John Lewis) is a finer variety of chocolate. But these babies would make a fine gift for any loved one with a sweet-tooth. X Marks Delicious is definitely worth a visit, even if you're not a massive chocolate fan - it's always refreshing to sample a brand of chocolate other than your usual Cadbury or Galaxy.

This is a new little chocolate shop at the end of Royal Arcade in Cardiff Centre. It's well…read morepresented with a modern clean feeling. The chocolates on sale are good quality handmade, including all the old favourites, alongside more adventurous creations, such as chili and pepper. Although this shop does everything right, there is unfortunately a sparse feeling to their setup. The staff are friendly, but the shop is often empty; a rethink in the design might make a more welcoming shop that's tempting to go into. If a chocolate shop isn't all about the experience then it can peel back the curtain to reveal just a small brown, unhealthy snack. That being said, the chocolates are tasty, and great for gifts; but Wally's Delicatessen is just a short walk away, and has a more satisfying feel to it.

Amazing choice of unusual ice cream flavors - I went for a double cone of Sherry Trifle and Wild…read moreStrawberry flavors. There were also nice looking cakes. Friendly staff.

A reason in and of itself to drive out to West Wales. This place is a Must Stop any time my wife…read moreand I venture west of Swansea. Chocolates bought here rarely last all the way home to Cardiff...

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!

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.

Before we get started the Danish Bacon Shop sells more than just Danish bacon. Though it does like…read moreto wallow in porky goodness it does everything you'd expect a local butcher shop to offer. Plonked down on the increasingly rough looking Clifton Street, despite the council's "best" efforts with its new crazy yellow brick road paving scheme, the Danish Bacon Shop is a beacon of friendliness. The guy behind the counter is more than happy to chat away and offer tips and I've seen him pop a bike that's someone has left outside his shop inside, in case some rapscallion pinches it. The Danish Bacon Shop opens later than the other butcher on Clifton Street, so wins points for convenience and is a simple, clean and well run neighbourhood butchers. They vacuum packs of smoked back bacon for £1.99 are very tasty and good value for money and worth a visit in themselves.

The Danish Bacon Shop is one of two quality butchers on Clifton Street. I use both of them…read moredepending on what I need, but the funny thing about them is that they both specialise in pork... which makes them a bit like buses doesn't it!? The Danish Bacon Shop also stays open later than J W Todd and Son Butchers, so inevitably I use it when the competition is closed as well. The Danish Bacon Shop is probably the more modern of the two; it was established in 1968, whereas J W Todd was first founded in the late 1800's, although tjis has very little to do with the present day approach to retailing meat, particularly in the case of the Danish Bacon Shop. It's true that J W Todd have maintained a 'family butchers' feel to their shop, but the Danish Bacon Shop looks and feels a bit more like a deli in some respects. Nevertheless it sells all of the traditional cuts of meat as well as selling condiments and associated products. As with all of the businesses on Clifton Street, they have seen a dramatic decrease in revenue since the new one way system was implemented about a year ago. It's estimated that the cut equates to a 30% reduction in income, which is a significant blow to a small business. John Evans, who owns the building that houses the Danish Bacon Shop, is extremely active in opposing the new road system, but some consider any efforts channelled in this direction to be a lost cause. Some business owners seem to think that the council will capitulate, and return the two way traffic system in time, whilst others seem sure that they will do no such thing. It's a wonder where everyone is getting their information from, as there seems to be no consistency in opinion!