Gift-aways! We all like us a little gift-away, don’t we? And it will come, I promise. But first I have a bone to pick about Christmas. I mean, there’s something to be said about Christmas, isn’t there? Well, that is aside from the fact that… is it weird that shops are pushing out their Christmas stuff before September? Yeah, it’s crazy isn’t it that two seconds after promoting sun-drenched summer vacations, they’re blowing out faux snow and dangling baubles.

But I digress. The thing to be said about Christmas is that it’s only fun if you get to eat good food and receive awesome presents. Period.

As a child growing up in tropical Queensland, our Christmases were often marked by a stupidly humid Christmas eve, followed by a raging thunderstorm on Christmas Day, followed by a gloriously sunny Boxing Day. No joke, this happened year after year, for decades. Come Boxing Day, the kids would be all irritated from being cooped up all of the day before and so my dad would put on a BBQ, “throw some shrimp on the barbie” as they would say. Except my dad threw crabs and chilli-rays on the barbie, because he’s cool like that.

I pretty much had the food side of Christmas sorted, but the presents were a bit lacking. Now here’s when I hope my aunties don’t actually read this blog but seriously? Giving a 7 year old a new towel just ain’t gonna cut it. Looking back, I don’t think I ever got any really cool Christmas presents. My parents are uber practical and Christmas presents would be like… new bedsheets, although having said that, I do still love my Smurf bedsheets 😀

I guess I’ve grown to not expect anything cool for Christmas so imagine my delight when Hotel Chocolat contacted me and asked if I’d like an early Christmas present that was neither practical nor boring. They wanted to give me chocolate, and HELLZ YES was just about all I could bring myself to say.

At some point last week, I arrived home to a box of Hotel Chocolat’s signature dark collection, a stunning array of beautiful chocolates as much a pleasure to my eyes as they would be to my taste buds.

This particular collection comes dabbled with alcohol (some without, some with a little, some which made me woozy with one bite) and flavoured with delights like pistachio, chilli, orange and ooh aah salted caramel.

After sampling just about one of every piece of chocolate in that gargantuan box, I decided that the dark chocolate with pistachio is by far my favourite…

The signature collection is part of Hotel Chocolat’s Christmas line-up, one of a seriously huge range of new products and packages they’ve unleashed on the unsuspecting public, including fun Christmas giftsadvent calendars and stocking fillers.

You can also check out their online catalogue here. Be warned though, drooling may ensue, and honestly? I want to order the whole catalogue.

Anyway, enough plug plug plug. Where is this gift-away, you ask? Well here it is!

Hotel Chocolat, in conjuction with moi, have decided that Christmas is going to come early for one of you, my lovely readers. And what better way to start celebrating than to win a surprise Christmas treat from Hotel Chocolat? AND! In addition, I’ve decided that I’m going to throw in a little something for you, from me. I don’t know what yet, I haven’t gone shopping. But I will!

And how does one win this very cool early Christmas present? I’m giving you five different ways to enter, so there’s no excuse!

  1. Visit Hotel Chocolat’s website (http://www.hotelchocolat.co.uk/), browse any of their pages and be careful not to drool on your keyboard.
  2. Leave a comment on this post telling me which selection or chocolate or anything is your favourite thing on their website, OR
  3. Tweet us your favourite item from the Hotel Chocolat website (be sure to use #hotelchocolat and @catty in your tweet so I can find you!) OR
  4. Stumble this post (see the little stumble button below?) and leave a comment telling me you’ve done it and you get TWO entries! OR
  5. “Like” Hotel Chocolat’s facebook page and leave a comment telling me you’ve done it and you get TWO entries! OR
  6. You can also do all of the above and I’ll put SIX entries for you into the competition 😉

Good luck! 😀

* Entries close GMT midnight 30 September 2010. A winner will be selected using random.org. Anyone from anywhere can enter this competition.

43 Thoughts on “christmas gift-away from Hotel Chocolat (and me)!

  1. How cool! I love Hotel Chocolat and wouldn’t mind a giant choc chip cookie slab! Happy early Christmas, Catty!

  2. JennieSue on September 24, 2010 at 9:31 am said:

    Hi Catty,
    Mouthwatering post as always! My favourite suprised me by being the dark chocolate pralines with chilli (properly called 5 second chilli I think) – delicious enough to want to really savour and let the flavours develop – I can make one last about 15 minutes of really enjoying it… Mmm mmm
    Jen

  3. Charmaine on September 24, 2010 at 9:37 am said:

    Haha! Don’t knock practical presents (heart Yuki for the gorgeous Orla Kiley duvet cover last year) ;D

    I now have a craving for Hotel Chocolat tiddlypot chocolate buttons, thanks!

  4. Oh come on, this is easy! The Chocolatier’s Table Luxe assortment which will let me taste and savor all of it! Fruity, caramel, ganache, nutty, all the amazing flavors! Gorgeous chocs!

    I’ll be tweeting this!

  5. Ok, girly and fellow chocolate lover, you been stumbled!

  6. oh amazing! this looks like THE box of chocolates my dreams are made off! i think i want it all. thanks for playing ms. santa claus catty!!

  7. Wow those are some seriously good looking chocolates! Only three months to go now!!! 🙂 I’m loving the chocolate wreaths by Hotel Chocolat!

  8. I just Liked their FB page! Yay! I want chocolate! Thanks Catty for a fab gift-away!

  9. OH delicious!!! We don’t have them here in Australia… would you send chocolates here? I want what you have, the HUGE chocolate selection!

  10. I have always been partial to Hotel Chocolat (as it was the only half decent chocolate place near my old office in Victoria). I bought an indecent amount of their praline range and the salted caramels. Both lovely.

  11. I am actually a Hotel Chocolat fan. I LOVE LOVE LOVE their Purist range! Deep DARK and pure chocolate for moi! I visit the Moorgate one on the way home sometimes. I don’t mean to! The bus stops right outside and I cant resist getting off to get some choccies when I could just go straight home!

  12. OMG I LOVE Hotel Chocolat! The sushi collection looks ace!

  13. Yum! I want to try the caramel canapes!!

    Libby

  14. Yum. The Cookie & Caramel 40% Milk Chocolate Mini Wreath looks awesome.

  15. Jennifer on September 24, 2010 at 11:19 am said:

    mm what an amazing treat in the run up to Christmas! My favourites have definately got to be Hotel Chocolate’s slabs!

  16. The Signature Dark Collection – I’m a sucker for dark chocolate!

  17. Woohooo! You guys rock! Keep them comments coming! 😀

  18. Looks fab honey – Christmas has come early to your blog =) I love Hotel Chocolat! x

  19. I would have to say the Chocolatier’s Table Luxe is my favourite thing as it’s the BIGGEST thing I could see. I love Hotel Chocolat.

  20. I think I could have a serious run-in with Hotel Cholat and come away alot fatter, but I really adore their slabs of chocolate – and as I always get them at Christmas they also seem dead christmassy to me too. Yum.

  21. Yummy I’m liking the liquid chocolate , I’ve tweeter, stumbles and liked LOL

  22. The chocolates are so pretty! And yes a much better gift than a towel! 😛

  23. Brownie flavoured chocolate: inspired. Also, tided me over possible hangrrr until I got to the Malaysian festival, a bonus.

  24. Oh my goodness, these chocolates are incredible! How to make just one choice? The giant slabs look amazing,the mango strips and succulent ginger also look incredible. I’ve been looking through the whol Hotel Chocolat site, and will continue…Thanks so much for the chance to win these beautiful chocolates! P.S. I subscibe to your blog by email, and really enjoy it.

  25. I love the dark chocolate collections on the website! Yum! I did also ‘like’ Hotel Chocolat on FB. 🙂

  26. The whole website is amazing, but the Dark Christmas Discovery Box is basically stuff that dreams are made of. Yum!

    (I’ve “stumbled” this entry as well. )

    And I’m subscribing to your blog because it’s fantastic! How did I not find your Matcha Madness earlier?

  27. Christine on September 26, 2010 at 4:35 pm said:

    Heya!
    How awesome is that Cookie Choc Chip Giant Slab?!? It’s bigger than my freakin’ head! Yummo 🙂
    xox

  28. I need the “Cookie Choc Chip Giant Slab” in my life!!!

  29. The Sleekster Serious Dark Fix™ Selection – this would make me VERY happy (although afterward I might have to join you for bootcamp) 🙂

  30. Caramel canapes!

  31. I loved the dark choclate collections, delicious!!

  32. Subrahmanya on September 29, 2010 at 12:23 pm said:

    these chocolates look too sexy!!

  33. I just adore the caramel sweethearts. They are delicious, beautiful, and romantic: http://www.hotelchocolat.co.uk/cid/5QPIKO22N1Y8EOZU2VNXAK77IFTI0HOZ/Chocolate-Caramel-Hearts-P110562/

  34. And I tweeted, and liked the facebook page. The things I do for chocolate ;O)

  35. Jo Bryan on September 30, 2010 at 9:20 pm said:

    Being a greedy soul when it comes to chocolate I would have to go for the Just Bliss Chocolate Hamper all that chocolate, its definitely well named…Just Bliss.

    Thanks for the oppurtunity to win a fab prize.

  36. Jo Bryan on September 30, 2010 at 9:21 pm said:

    I stumbled it I am joby14 on there.

  37. Jo Bryan on September 30, 2010 at 9:24 pm said:

    I like their page Jo Bryan

  38. Jo Bryan on September 30, 2010 at 9:25 pm said:

    I visited the page and sorry I did drool a little!!

  39. Thanks for all the SUPERB comments you guys! I feel the love! I did the draw yesterday and our lucky winner is.. Hannah!

  40. And I tweeted, and liked the facebook page. The things I do for chocolate ;O)

  41. While I’m far too late to enter any of this It definitely gives me some fresh ideas for the coming Christmas. For the coming weekend. For the end of the day. I love Chocolate!

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