The peoples’ bon bon
We’re always on the hunt for the perfect “I’m at work and I just need something to munch on” treat that fits the bill but won’t change the fit of our clothes. After searching far and wide, extensive real-world testing (thank you International Department) and lots of chewing we have found our answer: the English Bon Bon! No, not Peggy Bundy’s bon bons – these little beauties come from England and are, at first, slightly hard but they warm up quickly and become a chewy and flavourful delight.
The flavours can’t be beat and we try to keep them all in stock, but demand can often clean us out! Strawberry, lemon, green apple and blue raspberry are the fruit-based bon bons while English Toffee (chewy caramel rolled in icing sugar!) rounds out the collection. So why are they the perfect desktop snack? Well with their chewy consistency you can’t handle more than one at a time and they take a few moments to eat, so you’re never eating them by the handful (not that we ever eat by the handful…*blush*). Essentially they have moderation built right in and that’s good for when you’re sitting at work willing the clock forward! Just don’t tell your coworkers about them…they might not make it through the day.
Labels: british
You butter believe it!
The French do a lot of things very, very well, especially in the kitchen. One of the things we admire about the way they cook is their unwavering commitment to whole cream and butter. The flavours and the mouth feel of something made with whole ingredients is unsurpassed and when you’re eating something as simple as a caramel, even one little compromise can be tasted immediately.
Thankfully no one has skipped a step or compromised on taste when it comes to the Isigny Ste. Mere Caramel au Beurre carried at The Candy Store. These little treats are deceptive in their white and blue wrapper – they almost feel hard to the touch, but once in your mouth they are melty and buttery and ever-so-flavourful. You can really appreciate the quality of the core ingredients in a treat such as this and savouring one of these caramels is not unlike a mini vacation from reality and back to a simpler, more butter-filled time!
Labels: caramels, france
Finishing Strong
The summer is all about fun, but if there’s a road trip in the works and you’ve experienced anything akin to driving with my family, “fun” isn’t always the first word to come to mind after three hours without a pit stop, an epic battle over music selections and more eye-spy than I care to recount. But never fear, we’ve figured it out! A good road trip kit should always include jawbreakers (more on why after this...)!
Jawbreakers (gobstoppers in the UK!) are actually a fantastic example of the panning process, commonly used in the confectionery industry. Over the course of days, sometimes even weeks, the candy is tumbled to add layer upon layer of sugary goodness. In smaller operations this is done in copper kettles but larger companies use great big drums. The mental image of a cement mixer may not seem very appetizing, but the principles are quite similar and very exciting for the candy enthusiast!
Now, we promised to tell you why jawbreakers should be in your road trip kit. There is a game that you can play when the driver (or perhaps the passengers) has hit their limit and need just a small break from the chatter: everyone pops a jawbreaker into their mouth at the exact same time and the first person to make it through their candy without chewing, is the winner! It refocuses the car and forces everyone into enjoyable silence for upwards of ten minutes at a time. Couldn’t we all use a jawbreaker every now and then?
Labels: bulk, jawbreakers
A long way from home…
The common jujube has come a long way from its flavour roots. Gone are the days of rose, lilac and spearmint. Cherry, orange, lemon, lime and licorice rule the jube now and we couldn’t be happier about one of the more recent additions to our gourmet candy selection: chocolate covered jujubes! No, you don’t need to adjust your screen – that’s right! Luscious milk chocolate has given soft, fresh jujubes a hug and landed in one of our glass jars.
We already knew we enjoyed the chocolate covered gummi bears and it was expected we’d likely enjoy the chocolate covered jujube, but it wasn’t until we opened the package and took that first exploratory bite that we really feel hard for these little bundles of yum. Half a dozen morsels later and we knew we were hooked – so hooked that it became a challenge: are all the jujube flavours represented? (see what we put ourselves through for you, our lovely blog readers and guests?) Conclusion: yes! Even licorice, which, honestly, tastes fantastic, is included in the mix. We’ve come to really enjoy the moment right after popping a chocolate covered jujube in our mouth where we pause and work out exactly which flavour was hiding inside the chocolate jacket.
Even though we’re no where near National Chocolate Covered Anything Day, we highly recommend having a Chocolate Covered Jujube Day – you won’t be sorry!
Labels: bulk
Not for who?!
If you spend any amount of time paying attention to our friends in Britain, you’ll know that they’re a cheeky lot. And you probably also know that their milk chocolate is smooth, creamy and, in short, incredible. Rowntree, now a Nestle company, combined a cheeky sensibility with a chunky, thick chocolate bar to make Yorkie. A response to slim bars, the Yorkie became a vehicle for hooking Britain’s men on chocolate bars. Their packaging touts the slogan “It's not for girls!” and as you can imagine, this has raised some eyebrows! Yorkie has embraced this controversy and even played on their slogan producing a Yorkie in 2006 in pink packaging. Controversy aside, the Yorkie delivers a creamy chocolate that puts many of its North American counterparts to shame and, trust us, this IS for girls!
