Marks and Spencer Fairtrade 36% Milk Chocolate & with Sicilian Sea Salt

Marks and Spencer's Fairtrade 36% cocoa milk chocolate comprises of cane sugar, dried milk, cocoa butter, cocoa mass, milk fat, emulsifier and vanilla. These bars were manufactured in Italy (I believe by Agostoni) and retail at £2 for 100g

Milk Chocolate

The aroma was almost identical to the Nero & Bianco milk chocolate (that too made by Agostoni) though it seemed more cocoa defined, sweeter, richer and more vanilla-ry. It was buttery, vanilla and caramel. The taste was like the aroma: vanilla, caramel and slightly nutty. It wasn't anything mind blowing, but it was good. The texture was phenomenal, feeling incredibly smooth in the mouth

The Sicilian Sea Salt had the same traits but with a slight differentiation. The salt would lightly touch the tongue and enhance that sweet, sweet flavour. There was the occasional crunch of sea salt and I was so thankful that it didn't result in an overly salty taste (a common mistake made by many manufacturers). I chose this bar in lieu of the Salted Butterscotch bar and I certainly do not regret doing so

Marks and Spencer's milk chocolate tastes high quality, and being Agostoni it guarantees the cocoa is high quality. Mark and Spencer's packaging design is as wonderful as ever. A really enjoyable milk chocolate!

Marks & Spencer Fairtrade White Chocolate with Madagascan Vanilla

The Mast Brothers-esq design, intricate patterning and attention to colour scheme makes this Marks and Spencer's white chocolate packaging look a work of art

A deep and beautiful aroma. It was rich and creamy with a delicate vanilla touch; a very natural scent. What I loved was that I could have kept on smelling this chocolate for hours. Unlike most white chocolate, it was more creamy than sugary which reflects upon the respectable "25% milk solids" stated proudly on the front  

The taste certainly did not let me down. It was of a distinct high quality, each ingredient working together in harmony... to create such an indulgent bar of chocolate

I did rejoice after taking my first bite of this chocolate but this was probably due to me trying the M&S 72% Dark Espresso Chocolate prior and being disappointed with it. After trying this chocolate again the following evening, my initial reaction seemed sufficient. It really was a powerful chocolate. Again, I loved the thickness of it as it made for the bite to seem indulgent

Purchasing this chocolate bar will only set you back £1.99 and it is completely worth it

Marks & Spencer Fairtrade 72% Dark Chocolate Espresso Coffee

The aroma fairly smoky, lacking a cocoa intensity but it definitely smelt dark. The coffee was coming through quite substantially and it wasn't too pleasant, sensing more of a 'coffee oil' opposed to freshly ground

The chunks were fairly small but had a lovely dark colouring and of good thickness. A firm snap, but difficult break. The melt was long, releasing little sweet tones. The sweetness balanced with the earthy and oaky tones. The coffee element brought a bitterness, though the chocolate remained fairly sweet - from that I presume that the 72% alone is rather sweet

I enjoyed the texture when chewing. The melt had an oily presence, but this wasn't too bad. It seemed as if I did come across some ground coffee, yet the ingredients simply stated 'coffee flavouring'

The aftertaste was not pleasant; a smoky bitterness along with a drying finish. This chocolate had a notable acidic taste to it which made it have a cooler feel on the tongue

To be honest, I was reluctant to buy this chocolate as I wasn't in the mood for a dark chocolate, and especially not an espresso flavoured dark chocolate.  But I did so anyway, and doing so was a mistake. When I first tried this chocolate I really did not enjoy it, but with my second tasting, which took place at night, I found myself enjoying it that little bit more!

I would not go out of my way to try this chocolate again, the smokiness over did it. I can not commend the coffee flavouring, but I have a feeling I would have enjoyed the 72% chocolate alone