Special Edition biscuit tins are the height of good taste this spring - McVitie’s Victoria Assortments, the delectable chocolate biscuit selection, has been teamed with Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen the flamboyant interior designer, to create a range of special edition biscuit tins.

Available from mid-February until April, the collectable tins come in three colours - blue, green and pink - each featuring an intricate pattern designed by the flamboyant designer.

Laurence – who is famed for fusing contemporary design with dramatic old school glamour – explains; “The tins’ design, known as Jaisamand, mingles traditional organic forms with a bold and modern sense of scale; I thought this perfect to evoke a sense of occasion for the Victoria assortment tins and the ritual of tea time treats.”

Each fully recyclable tin contains five varieties of irresistible foil wrapped chocolate biscuits: Milk Chocolate Oat Crunch, Milk Chocolate Shortcake, Milk Chocolate Cream Crumble, Dark Chocolate Orange Crumble and Dark Chocolate Shortcake.

Once the biscuits have been enjoyed, the label can be easily removed from the tin, making it an ideal decorative storage solution, for use in the kitchen or throughout the home – whether your look is modern or traditional.

The biscuit tins would make great gifts for Easter, or just to say thank-you.

The McVitie’s Victoria Assortments Special Edition tins will be available in Tesco until April, priced at £4.99.

Easter at Rococo Chocolates this year comes in various tempting guises:

You can enjoy your praline filled Real Hen’s Egg, in its Jersey Pottery Rococo eggcup on Easter Morning and still have the eggcup for use the rest of the year.

Or admire your beautiful, limited edition, hand-decorated Easter egg, before temptation gets the better of you; there are three gorgeous designs, butterflies, Easter Chick and Easter Hare, all skilfully painted at the Rococo studios.

You can decorate the table with the hand-painted Easter Gentlemen Bunnies dressed in their finest attire (pictured here), their colourful coats will liven up any table.

For Easter parties and egg hunts Rococo’s foiled “Hunting Bunny” mini eggs are ideal, since the foil paper will protect the chocolate as they glitter in the garden waiting to be found.

Retail prices are as follows:

• Hand Painted Eggs - Chick: 110g including 3 truffles and 2 Neapolitan squares £13.50 (£7.50 the shell only).
• Leaping Hare - 180g including 6 truffles £21.95 (£15 shell only).
  Butterflies - 260g including 8 truffles £27.50 (£21 just the shell).
• Foiled Eggs - (‘Hunting Bunny’) from £5.25 for 225g.
  Real Hen’s Eggs in Jersey Pottery Rococo Egg cup £11.50.
  Hand-decorated Easter Gentlemen Bunnies £24.95 small or £29.95 large

Please note, Easter is very early this year, March 23rd.

Web: http://www.rococochocolates.com

Tel: (020) 7352 5857

Cupid is here again! And wonderfully depicted on the splendid handmade chocolate hearts, decorated by the artists at the Rococo Chocolates factory - who could resist such a gesture?

Or if you want to leave your loved one in no doubt, how about one of Rococo’s ‘I Love You Hearts’.

Of course if you are truly lost for words the ‘all hearts selection’ will spell out the message.

However if words are essential, you can arrange to have your own personal message written on the hearts; just order in plenty of time.

Alternatively, if you fear that chocolates by themselves will not do the trick, there is Rococo’s real winner – the glamorous set of chocolate coloured silk lingerie, secreted in a heart shaped box of pink champagne truffles.

Prices are as follows:

• Eight hand-painted baby hearts £10.50.
  Size 1 solid hand-painted heart £6.50.
  Size 2 hand-painted heart with 3 truffles £12.75.
  Size 3 hand-painted heart with 5 truffles £18.50.
  Size 4 hand-painted” Cherubs” heart with 5 truffles 330g £ 25.00.
  Rococo silk lingerie with pink champagne truffles in heart box £125.

Web: http://www.rococochocolates.com

Tel: (020) 7352 5857

Rococo Chocolates are continuing with their tradition of having artists lovingly paint the skilfully made chocolate moulds by hand.

This year they have a Santa in his Bugatti, in splendid colours, and an equally colourful Santa on his Lambretta.

Together with the Christmas tree decorated with candles and presents, they make wonderful gifts and table decorations.

All models retail at £25.00 - also available in Sepia at £16.50.

Christmas is not festive without the flavours of Christmas Pudding and Nutmeg; therefore the special Christmas Selection Box of three bars, Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh, Christmas Pudding and Cranberry and Nutmeg is a real treat when cosying up in front of the fire.

The bars are £3.95 each or £13.50 for the gift box.

It is also an Italian Christmas at Rococo Chocolates this year, with The Ravioli Box which contains a mix of flavours - Prune and Armagnac, Port and Nutmeg and Christmas Orange.

Retail Price: £ 20.50 per box or buy loose at £ 7.50 per 100g with your choice of the 7 flavours.

Buon Natale! as they say in Italy.

Web: http://www.rococochocolates.com

Tel: (020) 7352 5857

Rococo Chocolates have enjoyed making their delicious, scary and fun chocolates for Halloween this year.

No doubt it was tricky for the Rococo chocolatiers to make the Halloween wafers, but eating them is a real treat!

As well as the wafers there are superb large chocolate pumpkins, available empty or filled with truffles.
 
The pumpkins retail at £ 7.95 (approx 110g) and filled with truffles £12.95.
 
Each of the beautifully crafted wafers designs comes in white, milk, or dark chocolate - priced at £4.50 per bag (containing two).

The Halloween range will be available from 15th October.

Web: http://www.rococochocolates.com

Tel:  (020) 7352 5857

All of the above inspired Chantal Coady when she first had the idea of combining sea salt with delicious milk chocolate.

She remembered the wonderful sensation when eating Cornish ice cream on the beach and licking her salty lips – a perfect match; this unique combination is now available in delicate milk chocolate wafers from the Rococo Chocolate factory.
 
The delicious organic milk chocolate wafers contain 35% cocoa and come packed in special boxes handy for posting.

All the packaging is recyclable or biodegradable and the tray is made from corn-starch.

The new sea salt milk chocolate wafers are now available; each box contains 150g and retails at £9.95.
 
Of course you can still get the organic artisan bar in milk chocolate with sea salt, available for £3.75 for a 70g bar.
 
Web:  http://www.rococochocolates.com
Tel:   (020) 7352 5857
 

If your Dad loves chocolate and wine, give him a special day to remember this year, by booking a tasting session at the Rococo chocolate factory with Chantal Coady and wine guru Neil Courtier.
 
Neil Courtier will introduce the concept of tasting wines with food, more specifically Chocolate; Dad will then have the opportunity to taste five specially selected wines along with ten delicious chocolates from the Rococo range.

Chantal will present information on the chocolates as to why they go well with a particular wine, while Neil will teach the session and provide fascinating background details on the wines.

The workshop is designed to offer some innovative ideas to dispel the myth that wine cannot be enjoyed with chocolate.
 
The tasting will take place at the Rococo chocolate factory on 16th June and there are two sessions at 2.30 pm and 5.30pm; each session is priced at £50.00 per person.
 
Book now to avoid disappointment by contacting Raffaella Baruzz on:

Tel:  (020) 7352 5857
Web: http://www.rococochocolates.com

Everyone loves to receive a gift and Easter time is no exception.This year John Lewis has Easter gifts for every age and price point.

Bring the spirit of Easter right into the home with the brightly painted Easter egg garland (£15) and wreath (£20): or choose from two special Easter egg trees; one is an elegant stainless steel branched tree (£20), from which can be hung special porcelain Easter baubles (£8.50 for set of 2), the other is made from brightly coloured painted eggs (£20).

John Lewis has chocolate gifts for all, including a giant family egg (£70); a Banana and Raspberry White Chocolate Egg (£15); cute animal gifts including cuddly bunnies, chicks and sheep are also guaranteed to raise a smile (prices from £1.75).

The children will love the special Easter craft kit (£9.95), finger puppets (£2) and the Easter Egg Hunt gift set (£12), plus boys and girls buckets (£4) for collecting the Easter spoils.

The perfect finishing touch is the Easter Egg Hunt gift set. Priced at £12 it includes everything you need for the perfect Easter Day: Happy Easter garland, tablecloth, 6 napkins, 6 crackers, table confetti, 6 egg hunt signs and 6 bags.

Visit the web site to choose from this tempting collection of Easter decorative, amusing and gift ideas.

Web: http://www.johnlewis.com
Tel:  (08456) 049 049

Easter is the next big occasion after Christmas and marks the beginning of Spring. Whether cooking a traditional Easter Sunday roast, egg hunts around the garden, toasting hot cross buns for tea or brightening up the home with fresh Spring flowers.

Marks & Spencer has all you need to help make this major calendar event special:

For kids there is an entirely organic range consisting of milk and white chocolate pigs, novelty eggs in fun farmyard egg cups and character chocolate lollies.

Send partners, family and friends to chocolate heaven with one of Marks & Spencer’s luxurious chocolate eggs such as the Swiss Truffle Egg, a Swiss milk chocolate egg filled with 12 Swiss chocolate truffles, or the Large Flare Egg containing 10 milk chocolate truffles.

M&S also has a full range of chicken-themed homeware, beautiful spring flowers, a themed piñata to keep kids entertained and Easter Bunny dressing-up accessories.

The Easter range also includes traditional simnel cakes and a luxurious two-tier Belgian chocolate cake - perfect for sharing - if you can!

Web: http://www.marksandspencer.com
Tel:    (0845) 603 1603

The exquisite painted eggs from Rococo for Easter 2007 depict a singing bird on a Japanese Flower, a Leaping Hare and a Delicate Fan.
 
The eggs are as beautiful to look at, as they are good to eat, all hand painted by artists in residence at Rococo Chocolate’s south London Atelier.

The popular Gentleman Hares are available in small and large, sepia  (i.e. plain dark, milk, and white chocolate); or full coloured.

Prices start at £16.60.

The Hare on a Lambretta also retails at £16.50 for a sepia version and £25.00 for a full colour one.

The Rococo Art Eggs, including the Japanese Flower Egg and the Leaping Hare Egg, start at £ 6.50 for a 50g solid egg, up to £100.00 for other versions.

Rococo will happily accept commissions for your special message and motifs on the eggs, if you give them a minimum of 2 weeks notice.
 
More conventional Easter eggs, praline quails eggs, filled real hens eggs and multi-coloured eggs for Easter hunts, are among the beautiful packaged goodies for this Easter.

Visit the website and choose from their entire range:

Web: http://www.rococochocolates.com
Tel: (020) 7352 5857