Kel's Tantalising Tour of Tasmania

Apologies for my absence - I've been gallavanting around the countryside in that tiny state down the very bottom of Australia.

You know how in my last post I said I was trying to curb my sweet tooth? Yeah, well pretend I never said that. It never happened.

I won't bore you with happy snaps of my trip; instead I'll show you what sweet stuff I devoured while in beautiful Tassie. I pretty much turned our romantic holiday into a chocolate tour of Tasmania. No lie.

Here's where I found chocolate in Tassie:

Gourlay's Sweet Factory, Launceston

Handmade boiled sweets and chocolates can be found here. I wasn't blown away by the factory - it was extremely small and there wasn't the huge selection I'd been hoping for. I did purchase some chocolates and they were pretty yummy but nothing to rave about. Unfortunately I didn't take a picture of the haul I got from the factory, nor a picture of the factory itself...wow, great story Kel. These guys don't have a website I can point you in the direction of either (seriously, in this day and age?!) so you can have a picture of their shopfront in Launceston. Tada!

House of Anvers Chocolate Factory, Latrobe (near Devonport)

This place was lovely! Set in beautiful old house, Anvers has a museum displaying different moulds that have been used over the years, and they have a lot of chocolate memorabilia to look at. You can also watch the truffles and chocolates being made through a viewing window. You can grab a bite to eat in their cafe or have a wander through the gorgeous gardens.

We enjoyed a hot chocolate in their cafe - naturally it is made with real chocolate. None of that powdered stuff here. I wish they had a white hot chocolate option though.

I grabbed some chocolates and truffles, along with some couverture milk chocolate buds. I must say, I wasn't really enthused by most of the chocolates, particularly those containing a jelly filling. The truffles were quite soft and very sweet. Dare I say it - I like my homemade truffles more than these? Yes, I think I just did say it. However...their couverture chocolate is out of this world. Absolutely delicious. Luckily I bought a huge bag of the stuff to scoff later on. Yummo.

Apologies for the terrible picture of the chocolates - they were in a bag along with the truffles so the chocolates came off a little worse for wear. I chose strawberry, hazelnut, praline and vanilla flavoured chocolates and truffles. My other half chose the 'White Out' box, which included a selection of white chocolates and truffles.

You can check out their website here. Their online shopping facility is not yet operational, but check back later if you want to order.

Hotel Grand Chancellor, Hobart

I know, it's not a chocolate factory. In fact, they don't even sell chocolate there. It's a hotel. But I did have to draw your attention to the chocolates that were left on our pillows. I got a good giggle out of them.

For those of you who don't know - I am a die hard Twilight fan. At this point of the trip I was missing Edward a great deal and I was convinced the hotel just wanted to rub it in. My other half thought I'd lost my mind. He's probably right.

Cadbury Chocolate Factory, Hobart

I'm sure you've all seen Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, right? Well, when we rolled up to the Cadbury factory I think I was expecting something similar. Alas, there was no chocolate waterfall and there were no oompa loompas but it was almost as good.

Unfortunately Cadbury are no longer allowing the general public to go through their factory; instead, they charge you $7.50 for an adult to enter and make you watch a video about how their chocolates are made. Ho hum. The woman doing the presentation was funny as hell though so I'll cut her some slack. After the presentation you are allowed to enter...the store.

The store is wall to wall, jam packed with all kinds of Cadbury goodies. The products are all ridiculously cheap. I actually stood there open mouthed for a little while.

A note to those discerning Cadbury lovers unimpressed by Cadbury's decision to include more vegetable oil in their chocolate - here's the place to get the 'old version'! They have stacks of blocks of chocolate in the old recipe/packaging, so if you're in Hobart get there quick smart!

How our wallets fared (all recommended retail prices are estimates):

2 x entry = $15

2 x 150g boxes Favourites = free (RRP about $5 each)

Handful of pick n mix = free (RRP about $2.50)

600g box Favourites = $12 (RRP $22)

600g bag strawberry Freddos = $6 (unavailable in stores, but 250g bags are usually about $5 so I estimate them to be about $12 worth)

2 x Bubbly bars = $1.50 (RRP $3)

3 x 220g Marble blocks = $5 (RRP $12)

3 x 220g Snack blocks = $5 (RRP $12)

2 x Choc Chips = $5 (RRP $9)

I estimate we came out about $30 in front. I would have bought stacks more if I wasn't concerned about my luggage limits for the plane ride home. They do actually have boxes there to package them up to send home via Australia Post but I thought that might be a little too piggish of me.

So there you have it - Tassie has tons of chocolate!