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Leoni’s Children’s Chocolate Parties give you the chance to run your own business

If you are talented, motivated and fun loving and have always wanted to be your own boss, this could be the ideal opportunity for you to take that step. If your motivation to run your own business is matched by your love of chocolate, then this unique opportunity could be just what you are looking for.

The leading chocolate events company in the UK, Chocolate Delight, is searching for licencees across the country to take part in its latest business venture Leoni’s Children’s Chocolate Parties. It is a totally unique business opportunity for ambitious individuals to share in the sweet taste of success this chocolate firm enjoys.

Leoni’s Children’s Chocolate Parties are brainchild of Leoni Wilton who is the daughter of the founder of Chocolate Delight, Gerry Wilton. This Bournemouth based choco-preneur built up his thriving business by providing chocolate fountains to events such as film premiers, weddings and parties before opening the Chocolate Boutique Hotel. This was named recently as one of the world’s top six novelty hotels by the Sunday Times travel magazine.

Growing up in the family’s chocolate empire, Leoni soon developed a taste for the business and proved she was a chip off the old block by launching her own children’s chocolate party venture.

Now Chocolate Delight is looking for people passionate about chocolate to join in their success.

“We initially trialled the Leoni’s Children’s Chocolate Parties concept in Dorset,” said Gerry Wilton, who also runs chocolate themed team building events nationwide for firms such as Walt Disney, Tesco and Marks & Spencer.

“It went down a storm and we soon found ourselves inundated with requests from people all across the country who wanted us to organise children’s chocolate parties for them.

“As a result, we have licensed the Leoni’s Children’s Chocolate Parties concept to enable like-minded people to share in our success.

“It’s a unique opportunity for talented and motivated people to run a low-cost, home-based business that is not only great fun but also has great returns and many personal rewards.”

A Leoni’s Children’s Chocolate Parties licence costs from £2,995 plus VAT and includes a comprehensive three day residential training course plus all the equipment licensees need to get started. To find out more, go to www.childrenschocolateparties.co.uk/licensing.html

Flagship soho chocolaterie from Paul A Young

The new Paul A. Young Chocolates flagship chocolaterie opens today June 14^th. This is Paul’s third shop and brings his range of truffles, filled chocolates, brownies and flavoured bars to Soho. His superb attention to detail and eye for design has created one of London’s most stunning chocolate shops.

He will have on offer his award winning famous classics that include his sea salted caramels, marmite chocolates and dark chocolate truffles along with a new collection for summer. The new range will include orange & tarragon, tomato, basil & olive oil, St. Germain liqueur with elderflower, carrot cake, balsamic & black pepper, tea & ylang-ylang and black sesame tahini.

A summer pudding chocolate dessert truffle with a gorgeous berry and basil compote, a layer of crunchy caramelized hazelnut and a raspberry liqueur ganache all incased in a dome of white chocolate will also be in the summer collection.

The chocolaterie is decorated in a rich purple with splashes of vibrant gold and a Cole & Son cocoa pod wallpaper adorned wall. The centerpiece is eye catching and is a round wooden table of reclaimed elm with a chandelier suspended above. Some of Paul’s heavenly creations are featured on a beautiful wooden church altar for all his worshipping customers, with everything being reclaimed, recycled or upcycled with the exception of the chandelier.
Since opening his first chocolaterie in Islington in 2006, Paul has experienced unparalleled success. He quickly opened a second London shop, appeared on a wide variety of television programmes, published his first book ‘Adventures with Chocolate’, and has won dozens of national and international awards, both for his chocolates and his book – including a Gourmand Award for the Best Chocolate Book in the World.

Paul’s passion and ethos for delivering the best hand-made chocolates hasn’t waivered since opening his first shop. He’s still committed to producing fresh chocolates, by hand, using traditional techniques on-site at each of his chocolateries. Natural ingredients infused into liquids, herbs and spices, organic pure distilled essential oils and fresh fruits are all used with strictly no preservatives and additives.

Paul is the first of the new wave of artisan independent chocolatiers to open a third shop. His sumptuous chocolaterie and award winning chocolates will be a perfect addition to this vibrant corner of the capital.

The confectionery market has been found to be worth £4 billion and in all of Europe; the UK comes in second for the most chocolate eaten by each person, according to Valued Opinions.

An online poll conducted recently by Valued Opinions discovered the kinds of chocolate preferred by Brits. Milk chocolate was their favourite, at 66%, dark chocolate 22%, and white chocolate only12%. Amazingly, only 1% of people admitted to not liking any kind of chocolate. It reveals that Brits will not do without their chocolate.

Despite the old-fashioned view that chocolate is considered an indulgence, perhaps sinful, scientists have uncovered its health benefits. Cacao in its raw form contains higher quantities of antioxidant than any other natural food. The heart performs better on chocolate, high blood pressure is managed when on chocolate, and cholesterol is lowered. In addition, chocolate breaks stress, making you feeling better through its anti-depressant composition of chemicals.

Dark chocolate appears to yield the greatest health benefits, even in small amounts. Not only does it lower cholesterol and blood pressure, but it also increase your sensitivity to insulin, which relates to blood sugar levels and the body’s energy performance.

In contrast, the health benefits from the milk and white chocolates is not nearly as significant as for dark chocolate. The reason is in the treatment of the beans. They are treated with alkalis, roasted, and other chemicals are used in the treatment process as well that burn off what health benefits were naturally there to begin with. On top of that, the enhancers that are added fill out the content of the chocolate bar, so that the amount of actual cacao is much smaller than in dark chocolate. Consider how unhealthy are animal fats, dairy products, hydrogenated oil, refined sugar, and various chemical preservatives.

The Food Standards Authority also were enthusiastic about EU regulations opening the way for the classification of chocolate to be based on 20%, instead of 25% cocoa solids. Now Brits can continue to enjoy even sweeter and less healthy chocolate than before.

Her super-slim figure is the envy of many, but Natalie Imbruglia has more than hinted at one of her favourite foods, and it’s not low calorie.

In fact, she has a penchant for cupcakes – if the image she has designed for a new £4 cotton eco-shopping bag is anything to go by.

The X Factor judge has designed a limited edition ‘cupcake’ themed cotton bag for the Notting Hill Shopping Bag Company. Her bag is inspired by her love of Portobello Road’s famous Hummingbird Bakery, and will be on sale for the next month in shops and stalls around Notting Hill.

The bag is one of a series of bags produced by The Notting Hill Shopping Bag project, a new community project, which aims to reduce plastic bag use, and donates 10% of profits to good causes. The first bag in the series featured an image designed by an 11-year-old pupil at Colville Primary School, and future bags are already in the pipeline from pupils of other schools and other celebrities who live in Notting Hill.

Natalie Imbruglia’s spokesman said: “Natalie loves all the unique bars and cafes along Portobello Road and often stops at the Hummingbird for a cupcake.”

Her limited edition bag is priced at £4, and will be available from stalls on Portobello Road Market and shops across Notting Hill. Stockists include Yates Buchanan and The Travel Bookshop.

For more information, visit http://www.nottinghillshoppingbag.wordpress.com

Combine a love of ice cream with a love of fashion.  From the 5th-31st of July, Magnum Temptation will be hosting an online heist.   Those who can be tempted to join in will control a partner-in-crime to raid the Temptation 100 collection – a set of the latest asos indulgences. Once pilfered, fans have to wait until the stroke of midnight to win their stash. If they are unsuccessful, they can rerun the heist again the next day.

To tempt your taste buds and satisfy your insatiable appetite for the latest trends, Magnum and ASOS.com have created ‘The Temptation Top 100’, the definitive guide to the season’s most desirable fashion items and accessories. What’s more, they are giving you a chance to bag the lot from 5th July – 1st August!

To win the carefully selected items, chosen by ASOS’ chief stylist, you have 60 seconds to work with a virtual (elegantly dressed) thief who will help you ‘dash and grab’ as many items as you can from a revolving gallery and place them in box. This selection becomes your prize entry in the daily draw. At the end of each and every day, a winner is selected so there’s plenty of chance to win.

And if you don’t win your box of fashionable treats from ‘The Temptation 100’, you can indulge in another summer ‘must have’ with a money off voucher for Magnum Temptation, an ice cream so luxurious and indulgent that it comes in its very own jewellery style box. There are two mouth-watering flavours to choose from – Chocolate – smooth chocolate ice cream enriched with sumptuous chocolate sauce, white Belgian chocolate chunks and brownie pieces covered in dark Belgian chocolate – and Caramel & Almonds – Madagascan vanilla ice cream with Californian almond pieces smothered in dark Belgian chocolate and luscious swirls of smooth, soft caramel sauce surrounded by a shell of thick milk chocolate.

So whether it’s a delicious treat for your taste buds or your wardrobe, Magnum and ASOS.com have got your favourite pastimes licked!

The Southbank’s Chocolate Festival returns this Easter with even more attractions and special activities, running from Friday 26 until Sunday 28 March. Included in the event will be an afternoon (Friday 26 March from 2-7pm) of demonstrations by top pastry chefs from some of the best five star hotels and renowned restaurants in the capital using Valrhona products in their chocolate infused recipes.

The chefs will include Valrhona’s own pastry chef Andrew Gravett, Abel Vieilleville from Skylon restaurant, Tal Hausen head pastry chef at The Lanesborough, Johannes Bonin executive pastry chef Connaught Hotel and Mourad Khiat The Berkeley’s head pastry chef. BBC Master Chef winner Steven Wallis will also be using Valrhona chocolate for his demonstration of courgette flower tempura & duck salad with dark chocolate vinegrate on Saturday 27 March at 1pm. All demonstrations will take place in the main marquee.

Pastry chefs will also join master chocolatiers to create a beautiful display of sculptures made entirley from chocolate. Visitors can see this at Festival Riverside Level 1 entrance in the Royal Festival Hall. It will be open for the public on the days of the festival, from 10am – 11pm.

The Festival will also feature dozens of stalls, all individually focused on one area of the delicious world of chocolate as well as a range of workshops, tasting talks, demonstrations and book signings. Exhibitors include Best British Chocolatier William Curley, Damian Allsop and Paul Wayne Gregory, as well as chocolate companies like Rococo and Hotel Chocolat.

Cadbury Dairy Milk’s Fairtrade certification in the UK and Ireland is something worth singing about – watch out for the awesome dance moves in this video. If you like it you can download the single from iTunes with net profits going to charity Care International.