Enter a World of Pure Imagination

To follow-up on the world’s largest Easter Egg Hunt, for a pre-Easter, secular celebration, London puts on a fabulous Chocolate Festival! Located on the Southbank I strategically placed my run to partake in all the chocolate goodies – with a very special recommendation for the Chili Hot Chocolate. While the weather here has done a complete 180 from Friday to Saturday, that hot cocoa with a kick sounded right up my alley.

The outdoor festival featured all my favorite British chocolatiers and chocolate companies, with dozens of stalls selling chocolate-related products – everything from chocolate covered coffee beans, nuts, berries, and fruits, to chocolate infused wine, to chocolate beer, to millions of egg shaped chocolate filled things (note: British are OBSESSED with chocolate eggs. Every day someone new comes into the office with a chocolate egg. And these aren’t tiny Cadbury eggs, these are huge, head-sized hollow eggs typically filled with something else equally delicious. Very strange.) and much much more! Making my way through the stalls I failed to stumble across the chili hot chocolate that was praised by my friends. But instead, tucked away in the back was my holy grail…

Chocolate ARANCINI!

Okay I will admit I was taken aback a bit when I saw the name residing next to the black turd that was allegedly “an arancini,” but my curiosity got the best of me. I had to have it. Anyone who has ever tried a SueCro rice ball will call this blasphemy, and I went into it thinking they would be proved right. Accustomed to craving the perfectly fried outside and equally gooey inside of risotto, cheeses, hams, and peas, this came as quite a palette shocker. Equally fried on the outside and gooey on the inside, but this time the gooeyness was the melted chocolate hazelnut with hint of orange peel and almond. I know what you’re thinking….how can my love for cheese ever be overcome, let alone by some mushy nutella like spread?! I assure you this lactose tolerant girl will never let that happen. Although I will say, my sweet tooth has grown significantly out here surrounded by all the buttery, chocolatey goodness on every corner. Despite its less than appetizing appearance, my chocorancini (trying something out here – go with it) was amazing. Might even try to make them myself and present them as the main course dessert to a Mrs. Susan Cronin next Sunday dinner I am in town for. (I understand it will still pale in comparison to her perfected Italian craft, but a girl can try!)

What else I ended up with…

Admittedly not as exciting as a chocolate rice ball but dark/white chocolate with PEPPER and chocolate bark with sea salt and nuts. All around win on the day for this guy.

Fairly successful day (minus the chili hot chocolate, but I don't want to talk about it). May even try to present my family with some of the spoils for Easter. That is if I can keep my paws out of the goods. Re: not likely.

English word of the day: VIT-amin, as in you should make sure to tak your VIT-amins so you don’t get sick. Pronounced like BIT-amin or PIT-amin. Same meaning, but this came up on the back of a separate conversation with one of my coworkers asking where in the states Ar-KANSAS was. Pronounced like KANSAS. Silly Brits, they say things all sorts of funny.

Eggstraodinary, eggceptional, EGGTASTIC!

In the middle of Bailey’s Tour of London, after my dad got his much sought after ham and cheese crepe (nothing like the ones Awat and I got in Paris!) on our way to see the changing of the guards – we’re super tourists I know – we smacked chest first (yes chest first, to give you the full visual of just how large we’re talking here) into this larger than life, incredible, non-edible, fully painted, glorious EGG. Upon closer examination it turns out this is just one of 209 Lady Gaga like imperial eggs strategically placed around London as part of the Fabergé London Easter Egg Hunt.

Not ones to turn down a challenge, this became a new pastime of ours as we toured the city.

It was a very pleasant reminder that Easter is just around the corner! Visit the website to find out more about all of the fun details, or to gain inspiration for a city near you. Honestly, I think all major cities should recreate this fun-filled, family event. The 40-day hunt for all 200+ eggs is just another reminder that religion in this highly Christian country is so out in the open on display for all to partake, pun intended.

 

 

We didn’t capture them all but we were on hyper alert as we walked the city. It was always a welcomed surprise to come by a new and exciting one. We really did love them all equally, bizarro ones included – but we typically made my dad examine those first for fear of unsuspecting Gloryholes!

I couldn’t help but be reminded of all the childhood years spent dying Easter Eggs, seemingly never in the same place twice with family all over the country and softball weekends moving us from one Easter location to the next. Where to this year for Easter? Italy of course! I wonder if the House of Fabergé made it all the way to Italy’s Lake district? Perhaps floated an unwanted egg down the river in a basket…

 

Mixing religions there aren’t I? What can I say, I only made it to 1^st grade of my Episcopalian elementary school, what do you expect?

 Let the game begin!

 For my London friends, I’ll race you to the finish! Here’s a hint, check out the 12 zone maps, the more eggs you find, the more chance you stand of winning a fabulous prize: The Diamond Jubilee Egg!

English word of the day: Since we’re talking chickens and eggs here I came across this terms in conversation with a colleague, one that I probably should have known, and I’m sure have heard in the past, but the popular reference to “Hen Night” as a UK traditional metaphor for a Bachelorette Party. I like the tit for tat with Stag night vs. Hen Night used in the UK, well played.