When the temperature drops it means HOT CHOCOLATE SEASON! Here are five fancy and fun hot chocolates to try while you are out and about in London. These drinks are made using real chocolate and are more indulgent than your usual coffee chain offering, essentially they are dessert-on-the-go!
Chin Chin Ice Cream
This is the ultimate dessert hot chocolate, the cup even comes in a bowl, with a spoon! I really love the torched marshmallow, it's veggie and deliciously sweet. I also love it when the blow torch comes out... so theatrical! The hot chocolate itself is made with 80% Valrhona chocolate and topped off with a chocolate square.
The Apple Blue Patisserie in Balham serves up an Insta-worthy hot chocolate. The (veggie) marshmallow cube floats effortlessly, and the milk chocolate rim gives you something to gnaw upon as you drink. The hot chocolate itself is silky and rich, and has been dubbed 'drinkable chocolate ganache'. Delicious.
212 Balham High Rd, Balham, London SW12 9BS
www.theappleblue.com
Grom
Best known for their gelato, Grom also does thick Italian hot chocolates in three flavours - dark, milk and gianduia. Looks-wise this drink is not as fancy as the others, but the hot chocolate itself is all the fancy you need. Incredibly rich and thick, the dark option is made with just chocolate, cocoa, whole milk and a little sugar. Perfect for a walk around Green Park.
16-18 Piccadilly, London W1J 0DF
Dark Sugars
If you're Eastward, check out Dark Sugars on Brick Lane. These serious chocolate drinks are topped with white, milk and/or dark chocolate shavings. For the most hardcore chocolate lovers, try the Pitch Black. You can also order make-at-home chocolate kits online that include the shavings, which is a great idea in these restricted times!
141 Brick Lane, Bethnal Green, London E1 6SB
Hotel Chocolat
I don't often have whipped cream on drinks but the addition of chocolate to this one gives a decadent flair, and is delicious too. The drink has a lighter texture than those covered above, however rest assured it is made with real chocolate flakes. There are various flavours to choose from so something to suit everyone - I am a dark chocolate kind of girl, who can relate?
Various locations
Of course, a hot chocolate is not just for winter, and I drink chocolate all year around. I'm not one for tea and coffee (though I will drink a herbal tea now and again), and given the choice I will always choose hot chocolate, even during afternoon tea! What a warming, comforting, energising drink, with a versatility to suit every situation in life. I love it.
Lulu x