Relax, Popeye, you can keep your spinach. For I prefer to’eats me chocolate’. Although the iron-rich dark stuff is at least as high in antioxidants. And melts rather more appealingly on the tongue. It tastes even better when it’s an extra piece illicitly purloined from Montezuma’s irresistible and occasionally unattended sample trays.

Perhaps that’s why the company have furnished me with a few bars of my own, so that I’ll stay away from the stores and a few more folks might get somewhere near the samples. Fine by me – I’m already relishing the fact that these bars are legitimately mine, all mine.

‘Peeling Amorous‘ could not be a more apt pun for my feelings concerning the first specimen – a deceptively virginal-looking, pink-speckled slab. It may appear innocent, but this baby bites back with a zesty lemon flavour. The bar is evidently a subscriber to the ‘pain = pleasure’ theory; dried sour cherry pieces giving the eater the odd sharp punch in the gob as they chew the creamy white chocolate. I’m happily battered.

And all-too willing to be charmed by the Ali Baba-esque named’Open Sesame‘. I can’t get enough of those lovely sesame snaps all the worthy health food shops stock. Or those bird-food-like packs of seed snacks, for that matter. So, in strewing caramelised sesame and pumpkin seeds through Peruvian milk chocolate, Montezuma’s really had me to ransom.

Handsome stuff, but Monty’s luck doesn’t run out there. The out-there company has gone for the hat-trick, and scored on all counts. Fortuitously,’Charlie’s Luck’ features another of my favourite ingredients – peanuts -; and I’m betting I’m going to champion this particular chocolate chap. Not least when I clock these are no ordinary peanuts… these are Monty’s spiced peanuts.

Ding, ding, ding – jackpot! This bar’s nut, chilli and ginger flavours linger longer than even me at an especially generous Montezuma’s counter. Refreshingly, it’s not all about the’wack’ factor – Monty’s is driven by excellent ethics and encouraging the eating of carefully-sourced, quality chocolate. Which I can appreciate – especially when there’s all the more for me.

By Restaurant News