Harrods has long been a favourite destination for food aficionados, with its luxurious Food Halls covering everything from the finest seasonal produce; to exquisite freshly-baked pastries; to wines and spirits from across the globe; plus a number of on-site dining options. Having been undergoing an extensive makeover for the last four years, the final pièce de résistance of the project will be revealed this Friday; its newly renovated Chocolate Hall.
The illustrious department store has a long history with chocolate. The Harrods archives reveal that it first sold chocolate bars way back in 1870, before beginning to make its own in-house chocolate in 1897. 13 years ago, Executive Pastry Chef Markus Bohr joined the Harrods team, upon which, according to its website, ‘he was tasked with elevating the store’s status as a world-leading chocolate maker and purveyor’.
Bohr brought Harrods together with the company Cacao Barry to create an exclusive couverture, crafting ‘a flavour profile that would become the backbone of Harrods’ bonbons, bars and patisserie’. Bohr went on to create four chocolate lines, the Harrods Grand Cru Nos.1, 2, 3 and 4. He notes: ‘Our couverture is one of our pillars; part of our uniqueness… It’s a fantastic chocolate, and the only place you can get it is at Harrods.’
Expect to see all your Harrods favourites at the freshly-reopened Chocolate Hall, like the store’s eponymous Gold Bar (made with the same recipe for over 20 years), a sprawling range of chocolate-covered fruit and nuts, and luxurious hand-finished truffles. The stuff of sweet-toothed childhood dreams come true, the Hall is also complete with its own Chocolaterie. There, a team of expert in-house pâtissiers and chocolatiers (including previous UK World Chocolate Master winner, Head Pastry Chef Alistair Birt) will craft the likes of bonbons, chocolate-dipped confit fruit and filled bars, live under the eyes of lucky shoppers.
The Hall will also play host to acclaimed confectionery partners from around the world, like Pierre Marcolini, William Curley and To’ak. Made from rare Ecuadorian Nacional cacao beans with an unusual barrel aging process, To’ak is exclusive to Harrods in the UK. Certainly at the higher end of the chocolate price spectrum, just one 50g bar of its Guayasamin Art Series chocolate at Harrods costs the princely sum of £350. Made from just two ingredients, however, (organic cacao and organic cane sugar), and housed in an impressive presentation box by Ecuadorian artist Oswaldo Guayasamin, it really is the best money can buy.
A temple to indulgence, the new Chocolate Hall will offer a welcome dose of post-lockdown opulence to shoppers when it opens this week. Whether you’re a long-time chocolate connoisseur or are looking to expand your knowledge of the enticing field, there’s surely no better place to explore its delights.
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