Product Description

Do you love chocolate? Most of us do! In Britain we eat an estimated 660,900 tonnes of chocolate a year - an average of 11kg each. But much of what we eat isn't good chocolate. The 'chocolate angel' Chloe Doutre-Roussel is a woman with a mission - to teach the world about chocolate. Even if you've spent a lifetime eating the worst milk chocolate, there is still time to harness your tastebuds and become a connoisseur. More than just a book about chocolate, this is the story of one woman's personal journey through chocolate. Chloe loved chocolate as a child growing up in Mexico, and now devotes her working life to researching, tasting and sourcing the finest chocolate from all over the world. In The Chocolate Connoisseur, she reveals the secrets of what chocolate to eat, when to eat it, how to eat it, and most importantly, how to overcome the idea that chocolate is an indulgence. She debunks the myths and explores the fascinating psychology of chocolate. For Chloe, chocolate is a passion, a focus that enables you to structure your life positively. 'You need to know what brings you happiness - and how to invite the ingredients for happiness into your life.'

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #236248 in Books
• Published on: 2005-10-27
• Format: Illustrated
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 216 pages

Review
'sensuous and entertaining' - The Independent on Sunday

About the Author
Chloe Doutre-Roussell is the chocolate buyer at Fortnum & Mason in London. An agronomist by trade, she worked around the world for the UN before devoting herself to chocolate. She has worked in chocolate factories, and as a taster for chocolatiers, and currently spends her time travelling the world in search of the world's finest chocolates. She also runs chocolate-tasting courses and acts as an adviser to many top chocolatiers. She lives in London.

Customer Reviews

Enjoyable and totally calorie free!
I ordered this on the strength of reviews and when it appeared in person I was struck firstly by it's weight, it's neat little size and the elegant and charming dust jacket. Yes, I was won over before I had even opened it! Miss Doutre-Roussel covers her life-long passion with enthusiasm and knowledge. Chapters include the history of chocolate, cocoa trees, the manufacuring process, health implications, chocolatiers of the future and more. I did tire, though, of her constant urging to aspire to becoming a chocolate connoisseur and I did'nt really need to know that she wakes up at 5am every morning to the sound of classical music.....

A chocolate dip if ever there was one
This is the 'Reader's Digest' of chocolate.
It's the Wikipedia of chocolate.
It's the Pick 'n' Mix of chocolate.
It's the chocolate dip of chocolate.

Get the idea? This isn't a book that follows a single thread or theme (like 'The true history of chocolate'), this book dips into all sorts of topics from history to myth to recipes to just about everything.

It's also a very touchy-feely book because it's small in size; beautifully produced in the hardback version, on high quality paper and feels almost good enough to eat. (I wonder what it would taste of? Any bets?)

If ever there was book to curl up with to read as your fingers idly sort and riffle through a nearby box of luscious chocs, this must be a top contender.

Chocolate - What we should all know about it.
Beautiful hard-backed book printed on shiny quality paper in a very handy size. Very easy to read style of writing.

Written by Chloe Dutre-Roussel, it tells of Ms Dutre-Roussels life from a girl in Mexico, eating nutella, to working with a top French Chocolatier for free, then onwards and upwards to her position with Fortnum and Masons.

With lots of interesting chocolate facts and figures, what 'proper' chocolate should look, feel, sound, smell and taste like. How to keep your own Chocolate Notebook and ideas on what to try depending on your own taste. Insider information on plantations and plants. But without being a lecture.

Very interesting to a wide range of chocophiles. Great gift idea.