Month: February 2020

Fortunately, York is a thriving city for all the foodies out there, with a large variety of quaint coffee shops, delicious bakeries and unique restaurants. The city is an everyday bustling buffet – not forgetting York is the home of chocolate of course!

With Pancake Day on the horizon and a lot of food outlets to choose from, we are here to navigate you to the best places in York to get pancakes on Pancake Day.

1. York’s Chocolate Story – Chocolate and Pancakes go hand in hand (especially melted chocolate.) York’s Chocolate Story is offering limited edition chocolate pancake cones this Pancake Day. A Pancake that comes drizzled in rich melted chocolate, strawberries and meringue – an Instagram dream. Have the option to eat in or take away, they’re perfect for Pancake Day celebrators on their lunch break. Why not enjoy the deliciously tasty chocolate tour too!

2. Brew and Brownie – A favourite among York Residents, this indie haven is located along Museum Street and offers casual dining for breakfast and lunch. Their rustic interiors marry up with their rustic coffee and scrumptious food. They offer a classic American Pancake stack in lots of yummy flavours such as banana & salted caramel or Nutella.

3. Double Dutch Pancake House – A slice of Amsterdam located in the heart of York. The Double Dutch pancake House only sells pancakes (as you could have guessed.) Sweet or Savoury this Dutch inspired café offers a variety of unique flavours such as ham, sliced pineapple and Edam cheese or Greek yoghurt, drizzled with honey served with bananas – these are bound to intrigue the taste buds.

4. The Blue Barbakan – The new-comer underdog of York town has seriously climbed the ranks in the pancake department. This restaurant can be found on the bustling street of Fossgate and is home to an eastern style cuisine. Pancakes with crispy bacon and syrup – classic but fulfilling. A foodies dream and kids eat Breakfast for free!

5. The Botanist – Popular across social media The Botanist are bringing back their iconic pancake kebab stacks. Located on Stonegate, this trendy restaurant offers a botanical theme that includes cocktails being served in flowerpots. Get ready to Instagram as the pancake kebab stacks are served with brownie or Strawberries – only the best toppings of course!

We hope you enjoy some delicious pancakes in York this Pancake Day! If you visit us for a tasty pancake cone, don’t forget to take a picture and tag us on Instagram!

The day we all dread but secretly love comes around once a year, marked in our calendars as the day we must show our slightly more affectionate side – Valentine’s Day isn’t just a corporate holiday it actually goes back decades, fortunately for us chocolate and the day of love go hand in hand. But have you ever wondered how giving chocolate as a sign of love came about?

Chocolate and love dates all the way back to the Mayans

The first recorded link between chocolate and romance dates all the way back to the Aztecs. Emperor Montezuma was rumoured to eat cocoa beans to fuel his romances. It was said that cocoa was the food of the gods.

Chocolate is set to be an aphrodisiac food.

Chocolate releases serotonin and another feel-good hormone called dopamine. This gets released when eating chocolate, which gives the same feeling of when someone is in love.

Royalty gave chocolate as a present to show love

European royalty would give their loved ones chocolate with amber to romance them, which then trickled down to the regular public as they took away the amber and started to gift chocolate on its own.

Women who eat chocolate have desire.

Studies have shown women who eat chocolate are said to show more desire for romance, compared to women who don’t.

Traditionally Rowntree’s would create confectionery chocolate boxes which were seen as a luxury romantic gesture.

Rowntree’s was the first confectionery company to pioneer the early chocolate selection boxes, these were seen as a luxury gift which people would save up months and months for. In our exhibition you can see some of the early chocolate selection boxes that were made.

Unwrap more of the history of chocolate by following us on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. You can also visit us to learn the secrets of chocolate production and York’s iconic brands.