Pretty much everyone knows what my guilty pleasure is. It’s very dark in colour, comes in a lovely orange wrapper and I eat it every single day. Yes, it’s Green & Black’s Maya Gold.
It’s hard to believe now, but I didn’t always love chocolate. Before I had children I was more of a savoury person. But then one day when my eldest was a few weeks old, I suddenly felt desperately hungry (that’s breastfeeding for you) and I knew what I had to have. A Twix.
The Twix obsession became a daily thing and lasted right until I got pregnant with my younger son, when I went off all sweet food. When my sweet tooth came back I no longer wanted Twixes. I wanted Dairy Milk. I started off buying small bars, but then decided it was more economical to buy the bigger bars and just break ‘a few’ squares off. This obsession lasted right through my third pregnancy until my daughter was a year old.
By 2007 my IBS was ruining my life. I felt I couldn’t take it any more. I’d been to the doctor on a number of occasions, but he couldn’t really help. In desperation I went to an alternative practitioner, a kinesiologist (or witch doctor as I liked to call her). She said I was intolerant to: wheat, dairy, sugar, sunflower oil – and CHOCOLATE. Chocolate?! How would I live?!
She said I could eat ‘a small amount of good quality 70% cocoa dark chocolate’ once a week.
But I didn’t even like dark chocolate!
So I bought a bar of Green & Blacks. I took a bite. I didn’t like it. Well, maybe just another bite. Hmm, it wasn’t so bad after all… In the end I had to practically wrench it off myself.
Feeling very sorry for me living on rice and vegetables and losing weight I didn’t have to lose at an astounding rate (although feeling SO much better in myself), my mum bought me a bar of Green & Blacks. But it wasn’t the 70% stuff. It was Maya Gold – only 55% and flavoured with orange and spices. Oh my flipping word. It was the best thing ever.
The ‘once a week’ quickly became twice a week – Sundays and Thursdays – and I looked forward to those days so much. I alternated a bar of 70% with a bar of Maya Gold (I only ever ate a third of a bar at a time).
As my IBS got under control, the chocolate consumption increased. And in 2009 I gave up the 70%. Since then it’s been Maya Gold all the way.
It really is my guilty pleasure and I couldn’t and wouldn’t give it up.
Linking up to The Gallery at Sticky Fingers. Pop over to see how others have interpreted the theme ‘guilty pleasures’.
February 26, 2014
I’ve never had this one but I will definitely try it. I don’t eat chocolate really. I’m more a crisis and sweets fan!
February 26, 2014
I knew you would blog about Green and Blacks – what else?! Can I be honest? I’ve never actually tried it because, like you, I don’t think I like dark chocolate. This one sounds like it might be worth a try!
February 26, 2014
Ha ha I knew it would be Green and Blacks too! Like Suzanne I haven’t tried as I am just not a fan of dark chocolate.
February 26, 2014
This is a massive coincidence! I’ve literally just had to slap my own had as it reached for this self same bar of G & B in the college shop! Like you I have the wheat/dairy intolerances, and of course shouldn’t be having chocolate. On this occasion I settled for a Biscotti instead as they make flippin’ good dunkers in black coffee.
February 26, 2014
That sounds divine. I love the combination of dark chocolate and orange, I’m sure the spices just give it some uniquness. I’ll have to see if I can get it locally. I love Lindt infusion dark chocolate too.
February 26, 2014
That is one seriously guilty pleasure, I’m so tempted to try it now but I’m afraid it might become my guilty pleasure too! 🙂
February 26, 2014
I’ve never tried it, but might be worth trying!!
February 26, 2014
I’ve never tried the Maya Gold but I love the Green & Black’s Butterscotch. It is divine!!
February 26, 2014
Thanks very much for your comments, everyone. Love that Suzanne and Mummy Glitzer knew what I’d be writing about! I’m going to bring some to Britmums Live to see if I can persuade you over to the dark side!
Seriously, everyone, it’s definitely worth trying!
That is a real coincidence, Penguins Waddle! You can’t beat it!
February 26, 2014
I love Green & Blacks, especially when I’m baking. I use their dark chocolate in my brownies and their white chocolate in my chocolate chip cookies (more like chocolate chunk!) Really lovely chocolate.
February 26, 2014
Green & Black’s is an excellent guilty pleasure. They’ve recently released a Dark Chocolate & Lemon variety – I can’t wait to try this!
February 26, 2014
I have to say I hate dark chocolate, but each to their own lovely x
February 26, 2014
Damn you, I now want to eat it myself! 😉
February 28, 2014
Thanks very much, ladies, and sorry, Louise!
We definitely all have different tastes, Susan! I think dark chocolate is a bit like Marmite!
February 28, 2014
Good choice!
I can’t have milk chocolate either but my tummy loves Bourneville Old Jamaica 🙂 Also recently amazed to find I like the Lindt with salt in!
February 28, 2014
That sounds nice too, Lisa! Dark chocolate is brilliant for delicate tummies. Thanks very much for commenting.
February 28, 2014
I am not keen on dark chocolate, it has to milk for me and preferably hot, with shipped cream and marshmallow
Mollyxxx
March 3, 2014
Thanks very much, Molly. All of our guilty pleasures are so different – I can’t bear the idea of hot chocolate with whipped cream!
March 3, 2014
I think I like the sound of that.
March 3, 2014
It’s definitely worth a try, Lesley, it’s delicious!
March 4, 2014
I’ve never been a fan of dark chocolate but I think if it were a question of dark or none I could probably be tempted too 😉
#thegallery
March 5, 2014
Exactly, Franglaise Mummy! And once I’d tasted it, there was no going back! (Although I sometimes make an exception for Snickers!)