Description
We were first introduced to The Careless Collection by Annalisa Barbieri, celebrated columnist and Chocolate Correspondent for The Observer. We know that Annalisa really knows her beans! So when she shared a tip about this wonderful chocolatier, we instantly took note.
You can read more about this particular collection in Annalisa’s article in the Observer (see here). The short summary is, in Annalisa’s words “In gloriously self-indulgent fashion, I asked David Crichton to collaborate on bars based on my childhood memories … He said yes and I sent him a list of things that evoked strong reactions in me and left him to do all the hard work. Not surprisingly, nearly all of them were based around my Italian childhood, since I spent a great part of my childhood there, both my parents are Italian and all my cooking references were from there. After much mixing and tasting, we have settled on four bars which encompass these memories. All the bars are coated in Pump Street chocolate so you know it’s ethical and, for me, local.”
David Crichton is a naval aviator by trade, but you might know him better for his stint on Masterchef in 2018, which saw him go all the way to the final. He hails from Stockport, Cheshire, and crafts his chocolate in the heart of Cheshire. Whilst on MasterChef, he was tasked with creating a dish for an idol. David shared a little about his take on this challenge, and how it inspired him to create The Careless Collection. “I chose George Michael. I decided to do a take on the title of his song ‘Careless Whisper’ with a famous UK chocolate bar, the Cadbury’s Wispa. I presented 2 different bars on the show. One was filled with a rich chocolate mousse and balsamic vinegar, and the other with salted butter caramel. All served up with a delicious Greek yogurt ice-cream. The one I was ‘careless’ with, I broke on purpose. Sadly, fresh chocolate mousse has only a three day refrigerated shelf life which doesn’t make it very commercially viable. Hence, I’ve gone back to school to learn about shelf life and bring the product to you, so that you can enjoy it too. This is the first ever MasterChef dish that was created for the show and brought to life for retail“.
THE BARS
- Buttered Toast: A toasted cream ganache and butter infused with toast create the centre wrapped in Pump Street Dark Milk 60%.
- Tangerine and Rosemary: Combination of floral and acidity encased in the stunning Jamaican Estates 75% Dark Chocolate.
- Coffee and Cardamom: Think of a chai latte but based on coffee. Again perfectly matched with Pump Street Dark Milk.
- Hazelnut Cremino: Three first class ingredients encased in a blend of Pump Street’s chocolates by David. A dark white 55%.
