The Wonder of Old-School Hot Chocolate

Those of you who live in the United States will know that recently certain parts of the country were hit by an almighty blizzard, that I for one, have never seen before - and definitely not to this magnitude! In my little corner of New England, it took the best part of two months for the snow to vanish completely - and for much of that time, we were knee-deep (in some places for us shorties, hip-deep) in the icy, cold stuff!

Simple Pleasures Winter Wonderland Style!

As impractical as this type of weather is, there is a lot to be said about the beauty of a snow-drenched landscape where everything is covered in thick, white, sparkly softness. You're not sure if you're covered under the pillowyness (if that's even a word) of the world's biggest and thickest duvet - albeit a very cold one - or the world's biggest and fluffiest marshmallow! And the other good thing about snow days, sorry, snow weeks (actually I could very well say snow months) is... hot chocolate. And lots of it!

I've always said that there's nothing quite like being snug or cozy indoors with your nearest and dearest when it's lashing down outside with rain or snow. During times like this, I love nothing better than either getting my bake on, or snuggling down under a blanket with a good book or a movie with the woodburner going. And you always, always, have to have something warm and comforting to eat and drink. And what could be more ideal than hot chocolate on a cold day?

Why Hot Chocolate Feels So Nostalgic

There’s something about the combination of snowy weather and hot chocolate that has a way of transporting you back in time. It was something that my mum used to make for us all the time, especially as a bedtime drink - regardless of the weather. Back then my taste in hot chocolate was a lot more simpler and unfussy than it is now. When I was growing up in eighties Britain, I don't think anyone I knew topped their hot chocolate with whipped cream, marshmallows and a dusting of cocoa powder. And that's before we even get to the candy cane! It's pretty common place now - and I feel a lot of that has to do with our cousins across the pond - but the first time I heard about such extras, it sounded as though Christmas, Easters and birthdays had all come early!

Sweet and Simple to Luxurious and Indulgent

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Now, if you know me, you’ll know I take my hot chocolate very seriously. Over the years, my tastes have got as far removed from the simple just-add-water/milk variety of my childhood days as you can get. I make no apologies for that because I think life is too short for mediocre hot chocolate (Come on - you know it's true!) Plus it's one of my very few extravagances in life. The more indulgent and decadent it is, the better. For me, hot chocolate isn't hot chocolate unless it's rich, dark and unapologetically chocolatey - made with superior cocoa powder and shards of great quality chocolate. The more indulgent, the better. It's got to have the consistency of chocolate sauce - maybe even pot au chocolate! There's no problem if I have to consume it with a spoon. And there's bonus points for unusual flavours, a dash of liqueur, or an extravagant topping. See - I don't ask for much!

I remember this fabulous little Brazilian/Portuguese cafe that used to be based round the corner from where I used to work in north-west London. Every morning - well, when we weren't in urgent need of a cappuccino, that is - and every teatime, my sister and I used to frequent this establishment for one of the best hot chocolates we'd ever tasted. It was thicker and richer than the usual hot chocolates served in local cafes, and they were available in a fantastic array of flavours: mint, orange, hazelnut, and coconut among others. You could even get a white hot chocolate that I'd never seen anywhere else. However once they were taken over by new management, the same old run-of-the-mill hot chocolate was being served. And when we asked for the magical hot chocolate, that was to us what Turkish delight was to Edmund in The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, they had no idea what we were talking about! So that, sadly, was the end of that.

The Nostalgic Beauty of Old-School Hot Chocolate

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So when making The Mister yet another mug of hot chocolate during the recent cold season, I decided to make one for myself as well, dipping into his stash of Swiss Miss (his fave brand) hot chocolate sachets. And when it comes to hot chocolate, The Mister is the complete opposite to me - very old-school with a preference for the kind of hot chocolate of my childhood years. No frills, no fuss. Just down-to-earth chocolatey goodness. Well OK, he'll never say no to a bit of whipped cream - but that's it! As I waited for the kettle to boil, I was skeptical but felt compelled to try it. Would it taste the same as hot chocolates of yesteryear???

After taking my first sip of no-frills hot chocolate since I was a teenager, I found that it was...surprisingly good! Don't get me wrong - I'm not ready to give up my more luxurious concoctions just yet! But as I took a sip, I realised that it was comforting in a way I hadn’t expected. Familiar... Simple... Nostalgic. It instantly took me back to tears before bedtime and childhood winters, when hot chocolate wasn’t about craftsmanship or complexity. It was just warm, sweet, and exactly what you needed after coming in from the cold or getting ready for sleepy time.

The Hot Chocolate Brands We Loved

I thought about all the brands we used to indulge in as kids. Back then, it wasn’t about artisan blends, luxury brands or single-origin chocolate. Whatever was in the kitchen cupboard depended on what was most economical on the supermarket shelves that week! I remember my mum making mugs of Ovaltine and Cadbury's hot chocolate - simple, sweet, and just perfect. And then there was Horlicks, which technically isn’t hot chocolate at all, but still deserves a shout-out: Malty, soothing, and oddly grown-up (or at least it felt that way at the time). Oh and there was chocolate Horlicks, so yeah - definitely deserves a shout out! I’m fairly certain we had Milo too.

And then there was Options. I remember the very first time I tried Options, it was a freebie sachet that was being given away with that week's issue of Woman (or was it Woman's Own???) that had been purchased by one of my aunts. I was super excited because it was mint flavoured.'With a hint of mint,'the elegantly-printed sachet declared! A flavour I adored and still do. I'd never seen, let alone tried, flavoured hot chocolate before (this was years before the Brazilian cafe came along!) and it definitely felt fancy, sophisticated and very grown up to my seven year old self. Later on I tried orange-flavoured Options (with a tang of orange!) And oh my goodness - Turkish delight flavoured Options. There were a whole host of other flavours. I'm not sure if the Options brand were the first to bring out flavoured hot chocolates but they were definitely veering on the side of adventurous.

Why Simple Hot Chocolate Still Hits the Spot

I won't lie - I still have a taste for the more high-quality, decadent versions of chocolate. But this little journey back in time reminded me that sometimes, simplicity has its own special kind of magic. And on a snowy day, or any day for that matter, it still manages to hit the spot. I enjoyed my trip down memory lane via a steaming cup of Swiss Miss, so there will definitely be times in the future when I won't need to be asked twice to revisit those simpler cups of old school chocolatey goodness...

Photos, GIFs and Stickers: Wix and Unsplash

Blog graphics: Angel Noire