Published this month, Lonely Planet’s Global Chocolate Tour explores the world’s best experiences for chocolate lovers. This delicious new book spans six continents and includes favourites from Lonely Planet writers across the globe.
The world of chocolate has never been more diverse … or more delectable. Innovative chocolatiers are thinking up novel ingredient combinations and finding new means of sourcing from and supporting small cacao farmers in the race to elevate each bite into chocolate heaven. Tastes for chocolate vary from region to region, but inventiveness can be found everywhere.
Over the last decade, Australia has seen an explosion in innovative chocolate-making; the country has even has placed third in a World Chocolate Masters Competition. Consumption rates for chocolate are going up too. Queensland even has its own cacao farms now. Cities have kept up with the pace: Sydney abounds in bean-to-bar makers and handcrafted truffles. In Melbourne, alongside a growing crop of boutique chocolatiers and factories, there are innovative and unexpected chocolate treats to seek out too. Meanwhile, Adelaide is home to the original, iconic Haigh’s Chocolates. Outside big cities, Australia’s wine regions of the Margaret River, Hunter Valley and Yarra Valley also boast their own chocolate producers. One thing’s for sure: Australian chocolate is on the move.
Australia is represented in the book by 11 chocolate businesses, many of which currently remain open for online trading during this time of social distancing. Here are some of them for you to check out!
©Justin Foulkes/Lonely Planet
Ms Peacock
Bowral, NSW
Lisa Morley, the creative mind behind Bowral’s Ms Peacock, creates exciting products and unique flavours. Opened in 2017, everything is handmade on-site by their tiny team of two, with their creations championing local produce wherever possible. Nuts come directly from nearby growers, their butter is churned by Pepe Saya and the honey that forms their award-winning honeycomb is sourced just an hour away from their opulent shop; the chocolate, however, is sourced straight from France, rich and indulgent. Along with their famous honeycomb, there is a range of filled minibars, caramels, marshmallows and frogs, with a bonbon range coming soon. Try the Joie bar: layers of sea salt butter caramel, peanut butter ganache and chocolate nougat.
Check out their website here
Haigh’s Chocolates
South Australia
Adelaideans speak of Haigh’s with a reverence verging on worship – we’ve heard said they’ll do almost anything for a Haigh’s chocolate frog. The family-owned and operated business was founded in 1915 by Alfred E Haigh. Alfred purchased the current Parkside site in 1917 and the company flourished even after his untimely death, first under the stewardship of his son Claude, and later his grandson John. John Haigh remains chairman of the board today, while day-to-day operations are handled by fourth-generation Haighs Alister and Simon.
You can stock up on the whole Haigh’s range; locals swear by the ‘aprichocs’, soft apricot centres coated in milk chocolate.
Check out their website here
The Menz Fruchocs Shop
South Australia
The FruChoc is a South Australian institution. This humble chocolate-coated apricot ball is even listed on the Heritage Icons List of the National Trust of South Australia. And if that’s not enough to convince you of its popularity, there’s even a FruChocs Appreciation Day.
Check out their website here
©Tonglin Lin/EyeEm/Getty Images
Hunted+Gathered
Melbourne, Victoria
Melbourne chocolate maker Hunted+Gathered believes the simplest products are best and usually taste the best too. With a singular mission to explore the depths and flavours of the cacao bean, Hunted+Gathered produces a range of single-origin and inclusion chocolate bars, as well as three varieties of drinking chocolate, all from recipes created by co-founder Harry Nissen, with no more than five ingredients. Sample delicious chocolate collaborations with Pidapipó Gelateria and Four Pillars Gin. Grab a house-made brownie: you won’t regret it.
Check out their website here
Koko Black
Melbourne
Open since 2003, Koko Black prides itself on using native ingredients, such as Tasmanian leatherwood honey and local macadamia nuts. They’ve also been collaborating with some of the most fabulous food names in Melbourne. Since 2018, Dan Hunter, one of Australia’s top chefs whose restaurant Brae has frequently featured in the World’s 50 Best listing, has produced an exciting new range for Koko Black. Koko Black X Dan Hunter features the likes of green ant and burnt butter cream or strawberry gum ganache and passion fruit jelly; flavours that are reminiscent of some of his restaurant’s desserts.
If you’re more into spirits than fine dining or you’re looking for a unique Australian gift, try the 16-piece Australian Spirits Collection, with pralines infused with Four Pillars Lemon Myrtle gin, Starward Single Origin Dark Whisky, the Rum Diary Bar’s Vanilla Spiced Rum and Melbourne Moonshine’s Apple Pie Moonshine.
Check out their website here
©Lindsay Lauckner Gundlock/Lonely Planet
Yarra Valley Cholaterie & Ice Creamery
Yarra Glen, Victoria
Browse and buy all kinds of chocolate products, from simple bars to elaborate sugar creations. Beyond traditional varieties, interesting products include the Kitchen Garden range, showcasing local produce, and the Bush Tucker range, featuring native Australian ingredients (like chocolate-dipped strawberries).
Check out their website here
Mörk Chocolate Brew House
North Melbourne, Victoria
Uber-hip Mörk is trying to convert Melbourne’s caffeine addicts to the wonders of hot chocolate, using only traceable, ethically sourced cacao. The chocolate is made from cacao beans sourced from small-batch farmers all over the world, from Indonesia to Venezuela to Madagascar.
Check out their website here
Temper Temper
Margaret River, Western Australia
Travellers will appreciate the playful Rocky Roads line. The Road Less Travelled is dark chocolate with macadamias and ginger, while the Long & Winding Road has pistachio, orange and blueberries in dark chocolate. The Yellow Brick Road is made from white chocolate with pecans and apricots, Silk Road is milk chocolate with almonds, pistachio and Turkish delight; Route 66 with liquorice and ginger.
Check out their website here
Reproduced with permission from Lonely Planet © 2020.
Lonely Planet's Global Chocolate Tour
The World's Best Experiences for Chocolate Lovers
Inside this delicious guide to chocolate tasting across six continents, you'll discover everything from where to get Germany's best black forest cake to unmissable hot chocolate hotspots, revealing where to go and what to try, as well as finding out about the history, production and science of chocolate making.
Packed with 150 of the world's best chocolate experiences across six continents, this globetrotting guide features...
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