This week those who are not thinking about Jesus’ suffering are preparing for the Easter weekend and the resurrection of Christ. The resurrection is typically symbolised by the giving of hollow chocolate eggs, the empty egg is said to represent the empty tomb.
Five years ago Diana David, chocolatier, started her own vegan chocolate business using the finest 55% bitter-sweet Belgian chocolate. David makes all her Easter eggs by hand in her kitchen in Wood Green- North London. David blends the ingredients into the chocolate and molds the chocolate into the oval shell by hand, then she sticks the two sides together and dips the whole egg into more chocolate. The result is dusted with rose petals or roasted almonds.
David, whose father was from Mumbai, progressed from her advertising and sponsorship background into testing recipes for magazines, then to satisfy her new-found love for cooking David took herself to Westminster Catering College. For the past five years David has been living her dream, working with chocolate and creating her own brand, LDN.
David likes to experiment with taste,today there are eight flavours in her repertoire; the most popular are her own caramel blended with sea salt (this is the most fashionable flavour in UK at the moment), roasted almond and Cranberry & Orange; but this reporter’s favourite was the rose, exquisitely scented and flavoured with rose oil from India; there is also ginger, chili and lime both inspired by India and a peanut butter bar; all 100% vegetarian thanks to her young son who was eating quantities of not so healthy mass produced chocolates stars.
The stars prompted Davis to experiment with seasonal novelty shapes, mini Easter treats include a chocolate bunny and for the other festivals David makes mini Christmas trees and Halloween pumpkins.
Quality independents and delicatessens all over London recognise the integrity of David’s chocolate, stores from Mayfair to Muswell Hill stock her delicacies. Daylesford Farm Shop in Chelsea sold out of Diana’s Chocolates following David’s live decorating demo and tasting. David has added personal commissions for corporate events, wedding favours and dinner parties to her offering and has recently supplied chocolates for goodie bags at two events at St James’s Palace.