Hot Chocolate Festival off to a warm start

THE GREAT OCEAN ROAD Chocalaterie and Ice Creamery on the Surf Coast have whisked up plenty of ways to keep chocolate lovers everywhere warm this August with their annual Hot Chocolate Festival.

The Chocolaterie’s month-long celebration of the classic winter beverage has been a major hit across the region this August, with crowds flocking in to come and taste the best flavours from the Bellbrae establishment.

A total of 31 hot chocolates over 31 days in August are being served at the Bellbrae based Chocolaterie via a revolving weekly menu of flavours featuring dark, milk, white, ruby or caramelised white couverture chocolate.

Always indulgent, whimsical, boozy and over the top, the Hot Chocolate Festival menu for the 2022 edition is taking the winter beverage to hot new heights.

“Our annual Hot Chocolate Festival has become a real feature on the calendar for our destination,” said Chocolaterie owner, Leanne Neeland.

“This year, our extra indulgent line up of hot chocolate creations will reward visitors to our Chocolaterie plus we’re ensuring chocolate lovers everywhere get to enjoy our creations at home too.

“We didn’t want anyone to miss out on a little winter indulgence.”

Visitors are being encouraged to look out for concoctions such as top gun themed donuts with a red, white and blue marshmallows, jam filled donuts with dark choc moustaches, salted caramel pretzels and even tequila sunrise and espresso martini slurps for the adults.

There is also plenty for the kids with chocolate unicorns, hungry koalas and kung fu panda creations being delightfully handcrafted for the festival.

Hot Chocolate Festival flavours will also be available in ‘do it yourself’ kits which can be ordered online throughout August for Australia-wide delivery.

Each carefully packed kit comes complete with couverture flavour infused melts, giant marshmallow and interactive element to add to your choice of hot milk – perfect for those who prefer to whisk up festival fun at home or hot-choc lovers in self-isolation.

Devotees of the winter warmer can also enrol in a 45-minute masterclass session during the month, with visitors given an opportunity to sample eight different flavours – then get hands on creating three ‘hot chocolate spoons’ from 50 different ingredients to whisk up their own personalised hot-choc anytime.

Just to sprinkle a bit more of a sweetness on top, there’ll also be an online poll to vote for your favourite 2022 Hot Chocolate Festival flavour, where voters can go into the draw to win your body weight in 1kg couverture chocolate blocks.

To try all the flavours in the 2022 Hot Chocolate Festival, head down to the Great Ocean Road Chocolaterie and Ice Creamery before time runs out this August.