Coco...may I?

I felt this box of chocolates from Cocomaya just really couldn't go without a mention...I think they are the most beautiful chocolates I've ever seen! The chocolatier and adjoining artisan bakery are located on up-and-coming Connaught Street, a London street known for its luxurious collection of independent shops and restaurants.

The chocolate shop specialises in anything chocolatey; drinks, ice creams and handmade cakes as well as exquisite chocolates like the ones below. They are all handmade, use the finest cocoa beans that meet fair trade standards, and avoid at all cost any artificial colourings or flavourings.

I was lucky enough to get this little box for my birthday...the chocolates are molto costoso so I think it will be a while before I get to sample them again. They were delicious though almost too pretty to eat. There is also a cafe where they do great coffee and delicious (but expensive!) salads and sandwiches, but it's well worth the treat, and you get to have a wonder round the lovely shops afterwards. Super.

Garden of Eden

A very belated post about the wonderful 2010 Chelsea Flower Show. There were some amazing gardens at this year's show. My absolute favourite was the Eden Project 'Places of Change' garden. The biggest ever show garden seen at Chelsea was created by 500 people supported by 43 homelessness agencies and 50 from eight different prisons, who teamed up with gardeners from the Eden Project in Cornwall.

The colourful garden was designed by Paul Stone and I enjoyed it because it was a very 'real' garden that felt like it could be achieved by all, and on a budget. It incorporated flowers and vegetables, and I was especially intrigued by the greenhouse made from recycling plastic drinks bottles. Such a sustainable and cheap alternative to a glass house - I'm saving up my Evian bottles already!

You can read more about it on the Eden Project's blog here.

I also loved L'Occitane's garden designed by James Towillis, who has managed to successfully bottle a piece of Provence. The best bit were the ancient olive trees, which I was told were saved from Northern Italy from certain death and were thought to be dated between 100 and 400 years old. Amazing!