Chocolate festivities

This was pretty much all I saw of the Chocolate Festival last week as I scooped and sliced and shook and stirred. Betsy and Molly came to help - as did my brother. It was mental - if you put chocolate stalls together, tell everyone about it and insist the sun comes out then the traders really get it in the neck...in a good way.

I was delighted to see so much good chocolate around - namely William Curley, Paul Wayne Gregory, the wonderful Deirdre of Co Couture in Belfast and my all time favourite and true master of his art, Damian Allsop. We looked after each other - I released chocolate ice creams: Nutella, triple choc, mint choc chip and organic choc in their general direction whilst they returned the gesture. An eye-popping care package of D.A's best arrived on my counter and saw me through...about an hour or 2 of bliss. How can you get anything more perfect than posh Reese's Pieces? The dark choc and the creamy, textured, salty peanut centre. It feels good for you, nourishing, deserved.

Regulars dropped by - my cycling wild man from the bridge, the architecture student with a penchant for brownie fudge sundaes, the adorable Kumi with a present of freshly picked walnuts, the hot choc fanatic from the apartment block next door and little Leon and his family - whose birthday party we attended way back.

Also came some new visitors - food worshipper and blogger Eat Like A Girl in her gorgeous red shoes, sausage roll enthusiasts (and most other kinds of food I understand) Helen and Lizzie and the elusive Bellaphon accompanied by rampant desire for all things inside the choc-mobile - love his write-up of his Choc Star experience!

Ice cream was the big hit over the weekend but so too were the classic brownie fudge sundaes and the new kids on the scene - the blondie fudge sundaes! Picture this: a brownie made with white chocolate and scented with vanilla. The cocoa butter makes it sunshine yellow and fudgey beyond control. Atop sits a scoop of cool, creamy chocolate ice cream and over all of this is poured our molten chocolate fudge sauce. I ate one each morning before the crowds arrived. I couldn't help myself - it seemed like life or death a little bit.