How lucky am I, that this wonderful box of chocolately goodness dropped through my letterbox before the bank holiday weekend? You’ll know from the (in)frequency of my posts that keeping this blog going is a very side-of-desk gig for me. One that’s been increasingly challenging to fit in around the chaos of a full-time job, raising teenagers, and, added into the mix over this last year, training a puppy. But no matter how busy life gets, the gluten thing never goes away, does it? It’s always lurking, always in the background, ready to provide you with an extra layer of hassle at any moment.

So I was very excited when a treat popped through my letterbox from Chocolates by Design, and with it, an opportunity to promote a small, Sheffield-based, gluten free creator without having to leave my sofa. I don’t often get sent freebies, so when I do, it’s a bit of an occasion.

What arrived was a carefully packaged, simple but robust box:

But inside the box, oh my goodness, a riot of colour and design. Just look at these – twelve chocolates, all individually crafted and meticulously decorated; some of them looked like miniature planets. It was almost a shame to eat them, really.

Jo and Tony, the chocolatiers, have put together a fairly extensive menu of flavours and designs, split into three collections: cocktails, desserts and experimental, all made in their completely gluten free chocolate workshop. My box contained six from the dessert collection and six from the experimental collection.

From the dessert collection, I had a tiramisu, Black Forest gateaux, sherry trifle, creme brulee, lemon meringue and cherry Bakewell. They were almost like a tasting plate of desserts, all with distinctive but gently balanced flavours, no one flavour shouting too loudly. They were as enjoyable to eat as they were to look at.

My experimental selection included pistachio, rose and cardamom; raspberry, lilac and lychee; acorn, coffee and macadamia nut; tonka bean; sweet miso and hazelnut; and lemon thyme. These were all fairly novel combinations for me and it was a bit like doing the ingredients test on Masterchef testing my palate with what flavours I could identify! Again, all were very delicious, but I think a few of the flavours could be bolder – the miso, the cardamom and the thyme, to really push the boundaries.

I’m very tempted to place an order for some of the cocktail collection, which includes some of my all time favourites: espresso martini, amaretto sour and pina colada, amongst classics like mojito, negroni and old fashioned. One for the birthday or Christmas list..?

So where can you buy these tempting treats? Chocolates by Design have an online shop and they also attend events including markets such as Sharrow Vale, Fox Valley and Graves Park. Take a look on their page for more opportunities to find them. In 2025, they deservedly won a gold medal from the Free From Awards, which is testament not only to the quality of the product, but also the confidence in their allergen control.

Buy local, support your local makers, and treat yourself.