Choccywoccydoodah

To know Choccywoccydoodah is to love them.    Best known for their amazing wedding cake creations or statement “centre of attention” cakes, Choccywoccydoodah have been around for a while.    What many people don’t realise is that there is more to them than that.  In fact, they have as many layers as some of their extraordinary cakes.

People don’t often realise that they actually make chocolates too.   Gorgeous chocolates that they sell in their shop.   And as their only shop, until recently, was in Brighton you might not have tasted it.   I did once, years ago, and have been dying to return.

Following @choccywoccyshop on Twitter I saw that there was going to be a shop in London.   Off Carnaby Street, in Fouberts Place no less.   Oh so much closer for me to get to.   This could be dangerous.     And that not only would it be a chocolate shop but it would have a cafe too (the Brighton shop also has a cafe but it is round the corner from the shop).   The Doodahs (for I feel I can call them that) now have a whole building right in the heart of London.    It opened triumphantly three weeks ago.

You can imagine how loudly I screamed when I got an email saying “Please come to a bloggers tea party” from THE Christine.   Yes, the Christine, star of their very own documentary that has been shown on various Sky channels (Series three is set to air in the summer and series four is “in discussions”).     An invite to go and see the new shop, eat cake, mingle and chat to other bloggers and cake eaters.  I was beside myself with excitement.

And actually what can I tell you?  You don’t want to read what I have written.   You want pictures.   So here you go:

 

The above pictures show you the downstairs of this fantastic shop.  Beautiful displays of chocolates and cakes.    All of which, quite frankly, I wanted to buy.   And did in fact buy.  Boxes of jazzies, slabs of milk and white chocolate, a bigger slab of chocolate with slices of banana in, a chocolate duck (yes, ducks, as they are my Twitter avatar it only seemed right) etc etc.

And I need to point out that whilst I loved all the chocolate and cakes on display, I also love love loved the display of lampshades on the ceiling.   That, to me, symbolises Choccywoccydoodah.  Why not have a series of ornate lampshades hanging in a chocolate shop?

After having a mooch around and a chat with staff (who were all lovely and I wanted to take them home with me) we were  led upstairs to the cafe where we were greeted with the most extraordinary milkshakes.

A huge plate of cookies with warm chocolate dip was carried around and we were invited to try (it was at this point that I pointed out smug I felt to have bought wet wipes with me.  Oh yes.   I went prepared).

In the centre of each table was a ten layered cake.  Yes you read that right.  Ten layered cake.   For each table to eat!!!  Christine welcomed everybody, introduced her team (some of whom we knew from the TV shows) and then invited us to just mingle and enjoy.

I have to say, the cake was superb.   Obviously the recipe is a secret but it goes without saying that you can just tell that only the best ingredients have been used.   It tastes like the sort of cake your granny used to make.   Proper dense sponge with a depth to it that you don’t get with a supermarket cake, for instance.

Getting into it was no easy task!

I stood next to a table straining under an amazing array of chocolates, which we were told to “help ourselves to”.    Oh Christine, you have no idea what self restraint it took to not just sweep this lot into my bag:

We left with a goodie bag and a full tummy.   I shall return.  Soon.  And I urge you to go.  Soon.

And shhhh nobody tell anybody but as my nickname is T this just happened to fall off the cake into my handbag: