Melt Someone's Heart with a Gift of Chocolate this Valentine's Day
Giving chocolates on Valentine’s Day is up there with a bunch of flowers and a romantic dinner for two as the preferred gift to celebrate the day. It’s easy to understand why chocolate is one of the favourite ways to express love on Valentine’s Day!
Think of it as an edible declaration of Love that makes the recipients of Chocolate feel special.
When did the Tradition of Giving Chocolate on Valentine's Day begin?
The history of Valentine’s Day goes back to the Roman era but it wasn’t really until the 19th Century that chocolate became a staple fixture on this day dedicated to the celebration of love!
In the past, chocolate was an expensive luxury and only really enjoyed by the elite classes and available from fairly limited resources. Hence, in the 1800’s Richard Cadbury started to manufacture chocolate bars that were good in taste and also economical to produce. This led to the creation of a range of different flavoured chocolates that were presented in beautiful boxes, including a heart-shaped box that became very popular in the Victorian era and considered as the symbol of romance.
‘Say it with chocolate’ is a current day advertising campaign but even the Victorians were said to know all about chocolate’s potential as a tool of seduction. One 19th Century commentator suggested that young men seemed to ‘know by instinct’ that the surest weapon in a suitor’s arsenal was a box of chocolates and advertisers of the day suggested that an exchange of chocolates between a man and a woman was tantamount to a declaration of love!
Is Chocolate an Aphrodisiac?
The scientific jury is still out on this one!
Casanova supposedly called chocolate the ‘elixir of love’ and drank it instead of Champagne and it was during this period that nuns were believed to have been forbidden to eat or drink chocolate for fear of the consequences!
The power of suggestion is still very real and it has long been claimed that the two chemicals that chocolate contains (Tryptophan and Phenylethylamine) are released in the brain when people fall in love!
Nevertheless, at the very least, we know that the health benefits of dark chocolate are real for the most part!
Did you know that dark chocolate is loaded with antioxidants (flavonoids and polyphenols)? Cocoa in particular, has actually been shown to have a high content that is even greater than wine and tea. Antioxidants are the compounds that are believed to neutralize free radicals and protect the body from damage and disease. So, the higher the cocoa percentage of your next chocolate, the more antioxidants you’ll consume!
Who was St. Valentine?
The St. Valentine who inspired current romantic celebrations may have been two different men.
Officially recognized by the Roman Catholic Church, St. Valentine is known to be a real person who died around A.D. 270. However, his identity has been questioned over the centuries.
One account from the 1400s describes Valentine as a temple priest who was beheaded near Rome by the emperor Claudius II for helping Christian couples wed. Another account claims Valentine was the Bishop of Terni, also martyred by Claudius II on the outskirts of Rome. Whether he was one and the same, ‘The Feast of Saint Valentine (also known as Saint Valentine’s Day), was established in AD 496 and celebrated on 14 February in honour of the said Christian martyr and is still celebrated today!
What’s in store for you this Valentine’s Day at The Chocolate Emporium?
We may have only just wrapped up Christmas, but Valentine's Day will be here before we know it!
The celebration of love, which falls in February every year, sees people rushing to buy heart-adorned gifts to give to their loved ones.
Here at The Chocolate Emporium we have the perfect chocolate gift for you to charm your loved one this Valentine’s Day.
Straight from the Heart!
Love is in the air. . .
Our ever popular traditional heart-shaped chocolates from Lindt are available again for 2020 including the sweetest Valentine’s Day gift – delectable smooth Lindor Milk Chocolate Heart specially packaged in a beautiful heart-shaped, keepsake tin. Plus, a beautiful Lindt Heart Gift Box filled with delicious Lindor milk truffles – perfect for your Valentine!
NEW! Tempting Chocolate Flavours to celebrate Valentine’s Day
For all you caramel chocolate lovers the new Dulce de Leche Lindor from USA – a deliciously smooth milk chocolate with the creamy flavours of caramel and sweet milk. And, for those of you who prefer white chocolate, again from the USA, a sophisticated new selection – Matcha Lindor, with the subtle flavours of Matcha tea.
These flavours are both imported from the USA and not available in UK shops.
But it’s not just Lindt. . . we have some fabulous new flavours from Ghirardelli including a decadent, Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel and Milk chocolate – both heart-shaped and released especially for Valentine’s Day.
A decadent, intense chocolate experience, the Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate hearts are an unforgettable sweet treat for chocolate connoisseurs with a taste for the darker things in life. Released for Valentines Day but suitable for anytime of the year.
Also, a fruity twist on the ever popular Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Squares – Raspberry Radiance; beautiful dark chocolate surrounds tasty pieces of Raspberry!
Personalise Your Chocolate Gift from our Pick & Mix Collection
If you want to make up a truly personal gift, don’t forget our luxury chocolate Pick & Mix Collection where you can create your own selection from our huge range of Lindt, Ghirardelli, Godiva, Monty Bojangles and Bizarre Bars, all wrapped in ribboned cellophane bags as standard, with an option to add a personalised message, once you have selected your gift-wrapping.
Stylish Chocolate Gift Boxes
We also have a range of stylish gift boxes to impress someone for Valentine’s Day; available in a variety of sizes depending on the item or quantity you pick. (If you don't get the option to choose a gift box at checkout, because it isn't available for that particular item or quantity of chocolates, your order will be wrapped as standard in ribboned cellophane bags.*)
*We can only gift box up to 50 chocolates currently, so these gift box options are not available on Pick & Mix selections above that number.
Celebration Chocolates – Unique UK Flavours
The Chocolate Emporium bring you quality chocolate from around the world delivering you the world’s largest range of Lindt Lindor flavours; many of which are not available in UK shops or UK based online retailers.
We also have a great range of Ghirardelli Squares and bars and a huge selection of quality chocolate bars from Lindt, Godiva and Bizarre Bars - a handmade collection of extraordinary flavour creations from The Chocolate Smiths.
Stay connected. . .
. . . for news of even more ranges of luxury chocolates; check out our Facebook page, sign up to our newsletter or just click onto our online shop and get picking and mixing your favourites for anytime of the year. . .
- Tags: 24 different Lindor Flavours, Bizarre Bars, chocolate, Chocolate Pick & Mix, Chocolate Truffles, Ghirardelli, Godiva Chocolates, Lindt Lindor, Luxury Chocolate, Online Chocolate Shop, Pick & Mix, The Chocolate Emporium, UK & USA Chocolate Flavours, Valentine's Chocolate Traditions, Valentine's Day 2020, Valentine's Day Chocolate Gifts