From Christmas to New Year, you can gift bouquets to friends — bouquets that will not wither, will stay fresh in the refrigerator and can even be eaten at leisure.
For the first time, bakeries in Lucknow have prepared chocolate bouquets that are made of pure chocolate and raisins. The bouquets, dark brown in colour, are made up
of “flowers” shaped like roses, geranium and carnations. The flowers, including the stems, are wholly made of chocolates and are tied together with marshmallow bows. “Each bouquet is priced on request. We have bouquets ranging from `2,500 to `4,000. It takes a great deal of time and skill to prepare the bouquets and each one has to be stored separately, says Ashok Moses, who has developed the expertise needed to make such bouquets.
This, according to Mr Moses, is the first time that chocolate bouquets have been introduced in the market.
“More and more people are opting for chocolates over the traditional sweets during festivals since chocolates have a longer shelf life. We tried experimenting with different shapes and finally hit upon the idea of making an entire bouquet with chocolate. While making a bouquet, each flower has to be moulded separately by hand and then stuck together with chocolate stems. By next year, we plan to create molds that will help in mass production of chocolate flowers,” he says.
The bouquets can be displayed as well as eaten.
Some bakeries in the state capital have also come up with chocolate baskets, the base of which is made with self-raising flour. “The chocolate basket, which can also be eaten, is filled up with cookies, fudge, fruit toffees, mini champagne bottles and other Christmas goodies. It priced between `1,500 to `2500, depending on the size and the goodies it contains,” says Ikram Ali, another baker.
Apart from this, chocolates in various flavours have also been introduced in the market, the most unique one being the “paan” flavoured chocolate. “This one gives out the flavour of betel leaves and is, perhaps, the most unique of chocolate flavours. The other flavours include fresh apple, banana, cranberry, cheese and pineapple flavours mixed with chocolate,” says Mr Ali.
The bakeries, this year, have also stocked up on alcoholic cakes which are a huge hit with the young generations.
“We have cakes with whiskey, rum and vodka flavours. Though the quantity of alcohol used is small, the cakes do give a taste of the drink and even a small ‘kick’. The traditional plum cakes are preferred by the older generation while the young ones are seeking out the alcoholic cakes,” says Leela Thompson, a homemaker, who supplies alcoholic cakes to select bakeries in the state capital.