What I learnt at school today.....

Lots of fuss is made these days about the amount of cocoa ‘solids’ in your chocolate. Chefs bang on about 40% this and 85% that until frankly you’re wondering why some macho idiot hasn’t just brought out a 100% cocoa bar just for the sake of it. Interestingly enough, that significant little percentage is hiding a lot more than it’s revealing. You see, cocoa ‘solids’ aren’t just one thing – they are in fact made up of cocoa butter (the stuff you rub into your skin to make it feel soft), and cocoa ‘mass’ (where the flavour is). Your 70% cocoa bar can have that 70% made up of any ratio of fat to cocoa mass from 50/50 to 90/10. Anyone who has taken a surreptitious lick of their arm when smeared with Bodyshop body butter (you know you have – don’t lie!) knows that cocoa butter may smell delicious but tastes of nowt, so this explains why some posh chocolates proudly boasting their cocoa content can taste as insipid as your budget supermarket choccie.