Polly eats Lily O'Brien

Well today is Holy Thursday; with only a few more days to go until Easter Sunday things are getting a bit hectic around here. Chocolate is definitely on the minds of the children and the fact that I appear to have a surplus Easter egg lying on the top of the dresser is obviously not helping.

Last week, on my way down to to see Erica McKinney; Life Coach & Healer in Aughrim, Co Wicklow I discovered the whereabouts of another of my favourite Irish shops, or rather their second factory outlet shop. On my way back I popped in for a snoop around and was pleasantly surprised by what I found.

Lily O'Brien's Chocolates are famous for their quality chocolate and brand association. They also supply own brand chocolate selections to some of the big supermarkets, such as Sainsbury's in the UK - that's a nice little tip for those on a shoestring budget! Last year BJK indulged in a subscription to their Chocolate Lover's Club; resulting in the pounds mounting up and a slightly larger dress size...

All I will say about the Chocolate Lover's Club is that it is an exclusive subscription service to Lily O'Brien's newest brands of chocolates. As the promotional material suggests, there is nothing quite like the taste of fresh chocolate or indeed the smell; and this is what I encountered when I stepped into their factory shop last week. My favourite french perfume would come a close second to the intense aroma of all that fresh chocolate...

To my surprise I discovered that not only did they stock an extensive range of Easter eggs, bunnies, chocolates, etc; they also had a large quantity of their cooking chocolate. Until last Wednesday I had only read about their cooking chocolate and wished; needless to say I purchased two kilogrammes of the stuff, both dark and milk and have been grazing ever since. I am in danger of regaining the surplus weight which led to the slightly larger dress size, which I have worked hard to shed!

Some of you may remember my referring to chocolate covered cherries in the run up to Christmas. It had been my very good intention to finally get around to dipping the glace cherries; soaked in brandy for over a year, into molten chocolate and serving them up as a gift in petits fours cases. As usual my good intentions went flying out of the window, largely because of my tendency to procrastinate, and the offending cherries have been residing in the refrigerator for another three months. Perhaps now is my chance to make good on all those promises to myself...

Watch this space and I'll let you know the outcome of my renewed enthusiasm! Oh, and by the way, there's at least a kilo left of the cooking chocolate; as it says on the label "For baking, nibbling or cooking..."

Now; where did I hide that chocolate...?

Polly Peircex