Reality

Much to my disappointment, Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory does not exist. However, we have been provided with a substitute in the form of Cadbury World. Located in Birmingham, it is an exciting experience for all the family.

A few years ago, a weekend away resulted in a surprise visit to Cadbury World with the rest of my family. Unfortunately, there had been confusion over our booking for the tour, and so after an awkward five minutes trying to figure out what we were going to do, we were approached by a member of staff with five carrier bags packed full of free chocolate. She informed us that instead of having to wait a few hours for a slot, that we were going to be put to the front of the queue for the self-guided exhibition tour, to make up for their mistake. Well you can imagine the reaction that this news brought.

So off we went to begin our Cadbury journey, which proved itself to be a wonderful experience. I remember that as we travelled along, all you could smell was chocolate. By the time we had finished, there wasn't much left of the chocolate that we had been given. The tour presented us with interesting facts about the development of the company in Bourneville, as well as displays of handcrafted chocolate objects. I'm not sure if it is still there, but when we visited, one display held a miniature version of a well-known street that you would recognise from the following advert.



If you ever get the chance to go to Cadbury World I would seriously recommend it. There are many different zones which are packed with information about the origins of chocolate and the history of the company. Visitors can explore areas such as the Aztec Jungle, The Cadbury Story and The Bourneville Experience. It was interesting to learn about how Cadbury’s developed as a business, where employees were treated like members of a community. They were provided with housing and other benefits such as health care and paid holidays. At the time, Cadbury was the only company to offer these sorts of benefits to their workers, which made the Bourneville factory a very popular place to work. Here is a short film about Richard and George Cadbury's small idea, which turned into a huge success. Although it is quite long, it is definitely worth watching. I found that it highlights the benefits that the company offered, as well as discussing the manufacturing process of the chocolate.



Watching the television last night, a particular advert caught my attention. In honour of the 2012 Olympics, Cadbury has launched their own Golden Tickets with a chance for lucky finders to win tickets to watch the events. Not quite a trip to the most amazing chocolate factory ever imagined, but I guess it can be considered a close second.

Fantasy

There are many works of literature which revolve around the subject of chocolate. In this post I am going to look at how chocolate contributes to our imagination, through the words of Roald Dahl, in the mesmerising Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1964).

I have often wondered what it would be like to enter ‘the nerve centre’ (87) of Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory. To visit a place where a chocolate waterfall and river contain ‘enough chocolate to fill every bath tub in the entire country!’ (89). I desired a palace like Prince Pondicherry, with ‘one hundred rooms, and everything was made of either dark or light chocolate!’ (25). Dahl’s descriptions encourage all readers to dive deep into their imaginations, creating their own palace, where the ‘bricks were chocolate, and the cement holding them together was chocolate, and the windows were chocolate, and all the walls and ceilings were made of chocolate, so were the carpets and the pictures and the furniture and the beds; and when you turned on the taps in the bathroom, hot chocolate came pouring out.’ (25).



I was first introduced to this book by my mum after watching ‘Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory’ (1971) starring Gene Wilder as a wonderful Mr Willy Wonka. I’m not ashamed to admit that I still love to watch it, and every time I sit in awe of the children walking around the factory, especially when they are led into the Chocolate Room with the magnificent chocolate river. I wanted to live in the factory, where ‘in every room, something delicious and wonderful [was] being made.’ (150). My admiration for literature developed at a later stage, and so my Mum’s attempts to get me to use my imagination by reading sections from the book failed miserably. However, studying the text on my Literature of Food course brought back fond memories of sitting with Mum or Dad trying my hardest to pronounce the names of Dahl’s various inventions such as the ‘Whipple-Scrumptious Fudgemallow Delight’ (42). My favourite characters were the Oompa-Loompa’s. Dahl writes that ‘You had only mention the word “cacao” to an Oompa-Loompa and he would start dribbling at the mouth.’ (94). I think this is a reaction that occurs in many people today, even if they won’t admit it!

My love for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and everything in it continues today. I am still waiting for a genius to invent ‘lickable wallpaper’ (132) or ‘hot ice creams for cold days’ (133). One of my favourite moments in the film is the scene in the sweet shop. I think it captures the magic of a child’s imagination beautifully and so I have included it for you just in case you haven’t seen it before.

Beauty and Spa

Chocoholics rejoice! It was only a matter of time before someone decided that chocolate could be beneficial for us. The obvious fact that it is delicious combined with scientists believing that it is a powerful antioxidant... well I don't need any extra encouragement! In the media today there are many discussions about the qualities of chocolate that are beneficial to our skin.

Retailers such as Boots and The Body Shop stock vast amounts of products which offer alternatives for those who don't have the time to visit luxury spas which offer chocolate treatments such as body wraps and facials.
Products such as Palmer's Cocoa Butter are ideal for soothing skin whilst leaving the user with a delicious smell of chocolate. It is ideal for people who suffer with dry or sensitive skin, as it locks in moisture, but also allows your skin to breathe. What more could you ask for?! Palmer's offer a wide range of products from moisturisers to body scrubs, hand creams to lip balms, all of which are beneficial. I would highly recommend trying some if you haven't already. Just make sure you don't try to eat it!

For many years, it has been suggested that consuming chocolate leads to acne. Scientists have dismissed these rumours as myth, which is explained briefly in the following clip. I for one am glad that this has been addressed, as I believe that people should be allowed to eat as much chocolate as they like, without worrying that it is going to result in acne.




This video shows Michelle, another blogger, visiting a spa for some chocolate pampering. There are many locations around the country which offer treatments which use chocolate, as it is considered to be relaxing and very beneficial to your skin.



Something that I have noticed is that chocolate brown is becoming a regular in the cosmetic industry, with celebrities being photographed with beautiful smokey eyes which have been framed with various shades of brown.

I have included this short tutorial on how to create your own chocolate inspired smokey eye look with the help of my sister Ellie. I love how easy it is to achieve and it can instantly brighten eyes no matter what colour they are.

I began by prepping Ellie’s skin with a primer and foundation. The eyeshadow palette that I used was by Front Cover. The colours are beautiful and with the use of the right brushes you can achieve some amazing results.

Then I used a fibre eye blending brush to glide the ‘Biscuit’ shade over her eye lids to add a subtle shimmer. It is important not to overload your brush otherwise you will end up with powder all down your cheeks.

Next, use a pointed liner brush to gently define along the lash line with ‘Clove’ to add some definition. In my demonstration I used a dark eye liner pencil due to bad lighting.

Use a flat definer brush to add some colour to the bottom lash line in ‘Hazel’.

The key to the smokey eye look is to blend a light and dark colour, so use a tapered blending brush to add a mixture of ‘Mother of Pearl’ and ‘Hazel’ to the eye lid. Just make sure that you do not go above the crease. After you have finished blending the colours in, the next step is to use a mascara to define your lashes. Lastly, sweep a nude lip gloss or lipstick to add the finishing touches, and there you have it.

This research has highlighted how widely chocolate is used in todays society. It has proven to be influential to many, who use its qualities to achieve beautiful results, whether it is through skin care or makeup. Something that is very important with makeup is to find styles and colours which match your skin tone. I discovered the TAAZ website (the link below), which allows you to experiment and create many different looks depending on the occasion and had to share it with you. I’ll admit I spent a while on here trying various shades on the models, but it is also possible for you to upload your own photograph so that you can see which sorts of looks work best for you. It was interesting how well brown shades looked on different skin colours, which leads me to the conclusion that a chocolate inspired look can work well for anyone. I also noticed how different products are recommended which have been designed to help you achieve the best results. Definitely have a go at this, you never know what you might discover.

http://www.taaz.com/makeover/virtual-makeover.html

Fashion

I would like to introduce you to the Salon du Chocolat, the biggest chocolate fashion show in the world. It is an annual event which attracts thousands to different locations around the world. They come to admire the beautiful works of art created by the world's finest chocolatiers. Designs in all shapes and sizes oozing with class and a unique quality of art.

Visitors can enjoy a day packed with activities such as the Cocoa Show. Located at the heart of the Salon du Chocolat is an area for meetings. It is here that the Cocoa Show combines music, dance and unique rituals and traditions, celebrating countries that produce cocoa. There is a bookshop selling literature dedicated to chocolate, where guests can meet authors and have purchases signed. World famous chefs provide numerous demonstrations to tingle taste buds and entice the senses. For young visitors, there is a children's workshop. Here the children can become artists, and have the opportunity to create a masterpiece, before being allowed to devour it.

Finally, there is the famous fashion show. From the pictures that I have seen, it is something that everyone should see, and so I have included a few pictures to give you a taste. It's an incredible art! The beautiful creations made of chocolate are unique and the theme changes each year.

The following video is a little tour around the 2011 Salon du Chocolat.



There is one philiosophy that remains at the Salon du Chocolat. ''To understand chocolate is to love it'' I couldn't agree more!!

Christmas

This is the last of the celebrations that I will be discussing but I have to admit, Christmas is my favourite time of year. In the Peacock household, Christmas begins around mid-September, with Mum raiding the supermarkets to stock our upstairs landing with piles and piles of food. From mince pies to crisps, brandy butter to marzipan fruits, you name it; we are very likely to have it. One of the reasons that I love Christmas is because of the smells that fill our house. Mum really gets into the Christmas spirit by making homemade breads, cakes and biscuits that usually last us long into the New Year. Every year we all sit down and discuss what foods we would like to have for Christmas day. My list doesn't usually change. Twiglets, Ben and Jerry’s Cookie Dough ice cream, Marks and Spencer's Dutch Shortcake biscuits, Butterscotch Angel Delight (obviously the best flavour!), and chocolate in any form. For me, Christmas just isn’t the same without a chocolate advent calender and a selection box similar to the one shown below.

Similarly to Valentine’s Day and Easter, Christmas has become a time where manufacturers create a variety of festive figures for people of all ages to enjoy. It is a time where everyone comes together, many to celebrate the birth of Christ, and what better way to celebrate than with an abundance of delicious foods?

When I think back to memories of Christmases that have past, I often reflect on how chocolate has become an influential part of our celebrations. There have been times where Mum has dedicated the tree decorations to various shades of browns to blend with other objects that she has collected over the years. I remember one year walking around our local garden centre looking at Christmas displays. Suddenly my Mum joined us with a basket full of what can only be described as fluffy baubles (similar to the one shown below) to hang on the tree. That year our tree was dedicated to shades of dark, milk and white chocolate.

The most recent Christmas was blessed with the discovery of chocolate baubles which she had found in Boots. We were all given strict instructions not to eat them when they were put on display. She had counted them all, and would continue to do so until further notice. Obviously she knew us well enough to understand our temptation to sneak upstairs with one for a treat.

As you can see from this brief account, chocolate is a product which has many uses in my household, especially at Christmas. I am a firm believer in food being used as a way of bringing people together to enjoy each other's company whilst indulging.

Easter and Lent

The recent celebration of Easter is one that is recognised around the world, as it a time for Christians to come together and remember the resurrection of Christ. Many manufacturers use Easter, and the symbolism that it holds to tempt the public with chocolate eggs of all sizes and flavours. The eggs represent rebirth and recognise new life, which is something that is celebrated at this time of the year. Chocolate is considered a luxury, which is why so many people choose to present their loved ones with gifts. This is believed to have originated from areas in Europe such as Germany and France in the form of small chocolate eggs. As the distribution of cocoa grew, technology enabled more and more countries to create their own interpretations of the Easter egg. John Cadbury was the genius who introduced the chocolate egg to England in 1873. Now it is possible to buy eggs which include our favourite chocolate bars from supermarkets. Or if you are looking for a unique product, places such as Hotel Chocolat or Thorntons are ideal for beautifully crafted gifts.

Lent is a time when many people give up something that they love. Every year I try really hard to give up chocolate, and every time I fail miserably. I can't understand why something which should be so simple proves so difficult for me. For the first few days I’m fine, but when it gets to about a week in I find myself craving a Twix, my favourite chocolate bar of all. Then it is a downward spiral from there. Realistically, I know every time Lent comes around that I’m going to go through the same routine of promising my Mum that I’ll give chocolate up. But in my opinion, you shouldn’t have to give up something that you love, even if it is for six weeks.

Valentine's Day

February 14th. A day dedicated to the ones that we love. For twenty four hours we are surrounded by grand gestures, presents, meals and of course... Chocolate! Many believe that chocolate is love, and what better way to treat the people you love than by giving them chocolate? It's appearance in brightly coloured packaging contributes to the warm fuzzy feeling people get when they are in love. However, what I would like to know is, what is it about chocolate that makes it ideal for celebrations such as Valentine's Day?

Since it's discovery in the Sixth century, chocolate has been recognised as a valuable product. Over time its uses have evolved and expanded and even today we are still infatuated with it. It's sweet taste and smooth texture have proven it to become an irresistable treat. Which is why so many men make sure they have a little present ready for their partners when Valentine's Day comes around. When John Cadbury introduced chocolates in a heart shaped box in the 1861, I wonder if he knew how successful that product was going to be?

For those who are anti Valentines, chocolate can become your best friend. It can comfort you, listen to your hatred at soppy couples gazing into eachothers eyes whilst you are alone devouring an entire box of chocolate or other delicious treats such as Ben and Jerrys Cookie Dough Ice Cream. Mmmm. For those of you who have seen the film Legally Blonde, you will remember the scene after Elle has been dumped by Warner. For those who haven't seen it, I have included a short clip. Notice that it is chocolate that she has turned to in order to ease the upset. I can't speak for boys, but past experience has taught me that chocolate is my friend. It is something that I can rely on to cheer either myself or friends up when times get tough. For a short period of time it actually can make everything better.