On Tuesday 10th September, I was very lucky to be invited to visit Thorntons in Birmingham for a tour around their newly refurbished store. As I was taken around the store, I was talked through and shown each section of their beautiful new layout. I just couldn’t wait to ’Pass the love on’ by talking you through it too!
At the new Craftery, I discovered a wide selection of chocolates that were there to be made into my perfect box. While I was trying to decide, the lovely lady was happy to talk me through some of the flavours. I enjoyed learning about how all of the different layers and textures in the chocolates work together to give the best (and tastiest!) experience. I was very surprised to discover that she had in fact created some of the flavours herself – one of which was Seville Caramel which I shared with my husband to Pass the love on when I returned home! I knew it was one of his favourites too, as we’d tried it around Christmas time!
After I chose a selection of nine chocolates, they were lovingly wrapped up in a box with a beautiful bow. The care that goes into making you feel special while you’re choosing your chocolates is wonderful.
The next thing that caught my eye was the display of the new Thorntons Pearls range.
I felt honoured to be one of the first people to try the exclusive Salted Caramel Ice Cream shake. They are delicately made in store and topped with a delicious Salted Caramel Pearl which is sure to have you bursting with joy!
The new Salted Caramel Pearls have a milk chocolate outer shell and are filled with a gooey salted caramel filling – just one bite transports your taste buds into a whole new salted-caramel world! It feels like a salted caramel bubble popping in your mouth!
For those who prefer a smooth but crunchier texture, I’d highly suggest trying the Nutty Crunch Thorntons Pearls! The Nutty Crunch pearl had a smooth but crunchy, hazelnut centre.
Further to the back of the store, I was shown the amazing Chocolate Models that can be personalised right before your very eyes. The models included teddy bears, princesses, dinosaurs, chocolate plaques and more!
The attention to detail that the very talented chocolate icers give your gift makes you feel proud that you have got something extra special to Pass the love on to your nearest and dearest, it is incredible. With a very steady hand and all sorts of colours of icing, it was mesmerising to watch the Thorntons team at work!
As well as names, or just kind words – you can also Pass the love on by simply asking them to decorate your selected chocolate model or plaque with shapes too! Flowers, stars, hearts – whatever you can think of!
Moving on, I browsed the Chocolate Blocks library and created my very own chocolate library. There were so many unique flavour combinations that it was another tough pick! I was instantly drawn to the Salted Pistachio and the Coffee and Walnut.
I decided to pick out Honeycomb and Fudge Brownie for some of my family too. The lady who talked me through the flavours recommended trying an unusual flavour – so I chose the Chilli, as she said it only has a small kick of chilli afterwards – I’m excited to try it! Other flavours included Ginger, Mint Crunch, Orange Crisp, Caramel Cheesecake and more.
Finally, I was talked through the gift wrapping service that’s on offer in all Thorntons stores. One of the most well-known Thorntons ranges is their Continental range. It features delicious flavours that have been inspired by the chocolate makers travels through Europe – think travelling through Europe, but through your taste buds! My personal favourites are the Alpini Praline, Chocolate Milano and the Hazelnut Slice.
I hope you enjoyed reading about my journey through the newly refurbished Thorntons store in Birmingham. I am excited to go back soon with my family and treating them to a milkshake too! The staff in Thorntons are so thoughtful throughout your whole visit – you truly feel special – If you can’t get to a Thorntons store, you can visit them online too.
This post was part of a press trip I was invited on by Thorntons, and all products displayed were gifted as part of the experience, however, all views are my own.
