Could I say no to chocolate? Obviously not, especially if it is not the palm oil laden mass produced kind (which I never eat). I was invited to a chocolate masterclass by Swiss chocolatier Cailler and I sadly had to decline due to work committments; as a consolation however, I was sent some samples to taste and review. I did not anything about the brand, and while owned by major corporation Nestlé (who of course also own a lot of above mentioned chocolates’ brands), they are an institution in Switzerland, with 200 years of history behind them.

Cailler chocolate was first created in 1819 by M. Francois-Louis Cailler. His son-in-law then invented the world’s first milk chocolate. In the years since, the Cailler recipes and rich tradition have been passed from generation to generation. The home of Cailler, “Maison Cailler”, in Broc, was built in 1898, and it has been there that Cailler chocolate has been crafted ever since.

The chocolates are now available in the UK, and are made from ‘some of the finest ingredients available including selected cocoa beans from the Nestlé Cocoa Plan, an initiative to help farmers run profitable farms, improve social conditions in the cocoa-growing communities and source good quality, sustainable cocoa’. I was sent two bars and a box of praline selection. Unfortunately they were all milk chocolate which I admit, is not my favourite (I am very partial to dark chocolate), so I enlisted the help of @bmcboy to get his opinion as well! What is evident immediately, is the unique creaminess of the chocolate: really smooth and mellow and this is given by the milk used by Cailler which is collected within 20 miles from their factory in Broc. The use of roasted hazelnuts and almonds makes the bars very moorish and lushious. As milk bars go, these are surely incredibly good.

The box of pralines (available in 16 and 25 piece) offered me a taste of dark chocolate too, my favourite being the almond nougat. The box of 16 retails at £11.50 on Amazon at the moment, which we both thought is a fair price and good value for money. Worthy of mention is the packaging of the Cailler chocolates, both bars and boxes; each features hand-designed artwork by paper-cut artist, Marianne Dubuis and ‘tells a part of the Cailler story, revealing something new in every detail’.
^{Thank you Cailler for sending me the samples; I was not required to write this post, opinions are my own. Before accepting the samples, I checked out the ingredients to ensure no palm oil would be contained in them.}