Booja Booja Flambéd Banana Truffles

Booja Booja is a Norfolk based company specialising in organic, dairy free, vegan and vegetarian friendly chocolates, They’ve won numerous awards from organic and vegetarian societies, and definitely fall into the ‘slightly bonkers chocolate makers’ category (I mean – Booja-Booja?)

I chose these purely because I wanted to see how Mister Booja Booja tackled the sometimes difficult banana-and-chocolate combination.

Given that the bananas were also flambéed in cognac, we also have the potentially overpowering alcohol in the mix, making these chocolates a real test. I was fairly confident that if these truffles were as good as they could be, then Booja-Booja would be a company I’d keep an eye out for.

I liked the Camembert-like poplar box (made from a sustainable source, naturally), and opening the lid soon released a fairly complex aroma of cocoa, wood, and a definite fruity element. More eccentricity inside the box – a little fortune cookie type card.

What I was more interested in was this:

Seven square truffles, sat in petits fours cases, looking rather tasty and giving off a fairly strong aroma of banana, cocoa and a hint of booze. A twenty pence piece would sit perfectly inside the edges of these truffles.

These truffles are in fact quite dense. Beneath a thin, bittersweet cocoa shell there lies a heart of dark, thick, gooey loveliness. I can’t even say ‘naughtiness’ because these truffles are dairy, GM, cholesterol and gluten free. Anyone can eat them!

Once inside, the centre starts to melt quickly, releasing the boozy banana flavours in the centre, and I’m very pleased to report that the banana doesn’t take charge of the overall taste. It can be quite difficult to balance banana and chocolate, but ‘Mister Booja Booja’ has done a fine job, and to do so while keeping his product so virtuous is indeed a remarkable feat. Hats off to you, Sir (because I’m sure someone with a name like that has a penchant for a good hat).

I can think of several friend who are either dairy or wheat free, and others who have foresworn chocolate due to high cholesterol, and I think I know what they might be getting for Christmas now. Well worth tracking down.

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