A few weeks ago I took a trip to London on my own to attend a very exciting event with Lily O’Brien’s chocolate and popular wine critic Jilly Goolden.
The event was a wine matching masterclass in which Jilly talked us through pairings she had made with luxury, premium Lily O’Brien chocolates and a selection of wines and cocktails.
The event was held at the Bluefin Building in London with beautiful views over the London skyline including the Shard. It was a beautiful place for the event and the whole room was decorated beautifully. I think it was pretty much me in a room full of food writers and critics, and I sat next to a lovely lady called Jane who works with Jilly.
The art of pairing alcohol with chocolate has been a long debated issue, and it is notoriously tricky to match up sweet treats with interesting wines. So Lily O’Brien’s tasked Jilly with matching up their most famous chocolates and truffles with wines that are available in UK supermarkets where Lily O’Brien’s chocolates are stocked. The chocolates are taken from two of Lily O’Brien’s lines – its recently launched range of premium bars, and its Ultimate Chocolate Collection.
Jilly, alongside Mary O’Brien the founder of Lily O’Briens chocolates talked through the different flavours and the pairings. You could tell how passionate they both are about what they do, and it was lovely to see. Jilly was really interesting to listen to and I learnt quite a bit! I tried alcohol that I had never tried before and I really loved some of them with the different chocolates. I also found a few favourites from Lily O’Brien’s – I really love the Malted Chocolate Crunch bar, and the Death by Chocolate from the Ultimate Collection. I felt rather sick by the time it was time to go home, but it was worth it!
I thought I would share some of the lovely pairings that Jilly chose, in case you’d like to try them or serve them to your guests over Christmas! As suggested by Jilly and Mary – some of the pairings taste like an really lovely dessert when paired together – so would be a really nice little treat if you are already full!
I had a lovely time at the event and have been eating far too much Lily O’Briens chocolate ever since!
Lily O’Brien’s chocolates are available in major supermarkets and retail outlets, and online at LilyO’Briens.co.uk.
I was invited to the event by Lily O’Briens, but all words and opinions are my own.