Be it the Pink Marc De Champagne Truffle or the Rose and Violet Creams, Charbonnel et Walker’s chocolates are divine delights
A creamy milk chocolate Marc de Champagne-centred luscious white chocolate truffle with a hint of strawberry rolled in a little powdered sugar melts in your mouth. This is the delicious Pink Marc De Champagne Truffle! Where does one find such a taste of heaven? Walk down the elegant Royal Arcade, on London’s Old Bond Street and step into Charbonnel et Walker, endorsed by the Royal Warrant as one of the few chocolatiers to Her Majesty The Queen.
Courting with Chocolate
Charbonnel et Walker has always had Royal connections; Prince of Wales, Edward VII, in his time, encouraged a partnership between Mrs Walker and Mme Charbonnel—from the esteemed Maison Boissier chocolate house in Paris—to set up Charbonnel et Walker in London. Established in 1875, the chocolate house boasts an enviable client list: Princess Diana, Princess Margaret, Wallis Simpson, Oscar Wilde, Sir John Gielgud, Sir Alec Guinness, Lauren Bacall, Noel Coward (who requested a box of their finest selections to be delivered to his home every fortnight) and Prince Francis of Teck (who bequeathed the Teck Emeralds to his mistress after courting her, with Charbonnel et Walker chocolates). The brand tells us about instances when Lauren Bacall would arrive in a chauffeur-driven limousine, in a full-length fur coat, exuding Hollywood glamour. Their popularity continues to attract contemporary celebrities such as Taylor Swift, Stella McCartney, Sir Paul McCartney and Hugh Bonneville.
Dark and Delicious
Charbonnel et Walker is known for their signature English Rose and Violet Creams (£80 a kilo), which continue to be made according to the traditional recipe of Madame Charbonnel; Pink Marc De Champagne Truffles (£80 a kilo); and more recently, for their Sea Salt Caramel Truffles (£80 a kilo) and seasonal classics such as Port and Cranberry Truffles (£80 a kilo) at Christmas. But if you’re planning on wooing someone special, you might want to shell out £1,300 for ‘The Drawing Room Selection’—a Swarovski-embellished gold chocolate box containing a selection of their finest dark and milk chocolate.
The crystallised rose and violet petals used in Charbonnel et Walkers’ Rose and Violet Creams, amongst Taylor Swift’s favourites, are imported from France, while the chocolate used by the traditional English chocolatiers is brought in from Ivory Coast. Before any of their chocolates, for the Royal Family, go into production, they are rigorously tested by their head chocolatiers for flavour, texture and quality.
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