London’s brimming with sensual foodie experiences at the moment. The Book Club are taking it one step further at the Edible Art Class on April 9 (7pm), where attendees can splatter paint onto canvases and, yep, lick it all back off. Before you start munching, you must remember that this is an art class, so all chocolate-moulded sculptures and sugar-graffiti creations must be completed before being gnawed at! All this touchy-feely artisan playfulness should increase our awareness in the connections between our senses, so make sure to listen and touch before you taste. Or you’ll get us all in trouble. Adam Bloodworth

For more info, see the Edible Art Class Facebook page.

So, it’s Easter and you’re already fed up of eating chocolate. But what do you do? We’ve got some ideas on how to use up that unwanted chocolate without making yourself royally sick. Carly-Ann Clements

1. Make some treats for work

Chocolate muffins are completely different to chocolate bars (or eggs in this case) so why not make a sweet treat to take into work? You’ll use up your chocolate and get on your boss’s good side.

2. Make a cheesy concoction

We’re not talking cheesecake here, we’re talking chocolatey stilton. Back in 2007, Tesco released the salty, sweet treat and though it’s not available anymore, the introduction of Cadbury’s Philadelphia has proven that the two dairy-based products go together like cheese and chocolate and crackers.

3. Use it as toothpaste

Well, maybe not, but according to Arman Sadeghpour from Tulane University, New Orleans, a natural extract found in chocolate can help harden tooth enamel and prevent tooth decay.

4. Make a face mask

Been given a dark chocolate egg that’s just sitting there staring at you? Then melt it down, add some other magical ingredients and whack it on your face. Chocolate is full of antioxidants which are great for your skin. See? Chocolate can be good for you.

5. Don’t throw it in the bin just yet

Chocolate contains an endorphin that simulates those lovely warm feelings you get when you’re falling in love. So if you need a pick me up or want a tasty aphrodisiac, break off a couple of pieces before heading to bed and enjoy the ride ahead.

Want to escape chocolate altogether? Then head over to our list of things to do during Easter in London.

It may be overcast and the threat of rain may be ever-present but we can now officially announce that it’s spring. Apparently. And should hopefully mean the start of sunshine and short sleeves, though in all likeliness we’re looking at more snow more snow. Though we are really excited about a fresh start and the official lead up to summer, spring brings as much bad as it does good. So here are some of the best and worst things about the change in season. Carly-Ann Clements

We love that:

The days will get longer

Which means more sunshine

Making London look glorius

And sunshine + April showers

= rainbows!

Getting up in the morning means less of this

And more of this

The grass is green

And the trees are in bloom

As are the flowers

You can cycle into work again

Which means it’s warm enough to say ‘goodbye winter coat’

‘And you, scarf’

And ‘hello sunglasses’

Icy drinks are back on the menu

And so is chocolate

Lots

And lots

Of chocolate

But Easter’s not just about chocolate, it’s also about BANK HOLIDAYS

And bunnies

And the return of all wildlife

But most importantly, it means young love

And drinking outside

And the return of ‘Game of Thrones’

So, yeah. Spring seems pretty good… right?

Things we hate:

Daylight savings will steal an hour away from you

And all restaurants will remove the warm, stodgy foods

And replace them with salads

 

Seasonal cyclists are back on the road, which is… yeah

And the weather sends really mixed messages

And you never know when  you’ll need a hat

Or an umbrella

All the shops have bright, colourful clothes

That you can’t wear because, you know…

But you don’t have any money anyway because you’ve just bought all your festival tickets

Which you won’t be able to use for three months!

And while you’re poor, you might as well spring clean, right?

Mainly to get rid of the bugs… all the bugs

But on top of all of that… it’s not summer

And that really sucks.

Happy spring everyone!

To make the most out of the season, head over to our events calendar.

Forget about bodily sustenance. Instead, feed your mind by popping into one of the 25 free events that make up King’s College London’s Festival of Food & Ideas from March 7-22. It’s a springboard for all sorts of imaginative and inventive thinking around the subject of food, from the science of chocolate (tastings included) to eating disorders. Learn about the Slow Food revolution, the history of Fray Bentos, and much more. Sessions are held at lunchtime or after work, last about an hour, and tickets are free, so reserve yours before they’re booked up. The festival runs from March 7 to 22, ending, aptly enough, with a showing of the Oscar-winning Danish movie ‘Babette’s Feast’, one of the best feature films ever made about the pleasures of the meal.

For more info, see kcl.ac.uk/feedyourmind.

Unless you’ve been living in a detox-fuelled hibernation over the past few weeks, you should be well aware that it is Kit Kat Chunky Champion time. Each year, those crazy Kit Katters release four wild new flavours for the public to sample before one is crowned the winner. Last year, Peanut Butter came out on top, leaving Double Chocolate, White Chocolate and Orange in his dust.

This year, the contenders battling it out for the prestigious title are Mint, Hazelnut, Choco Fudge and Coconut. But like any other nail-biting competition, there can be only one winner and they will be chosen in the grande finale this Saturday January 26. The showdown takes place in Leicester Square at 11am-3pm where there’ll be free samples, people running around dressed up as superheroes and a chance to have your say about who should be the next Chunkster. 

However, as this is one of the annual highlights of the Time Out Towers calendar, we have already made up our minds. Yes, we took this competition very seriously. Kit Kats were divided up, comment forms handed out, and each flavour carefully considered. The results were then collated and we can now reveal that the Time Out Kit Kat Chunky of choice is HAZELNUT followed closely by MINT. Our tasters were divided – it seems people either favour mint or nut, but never both. We’ll alert the scientists.

To give you a flavour of the tasting session, here are some comments for each of the contenders…

‘It’s like eating a throat sweet’
‘Doesn’t taste of mint. I might have eaten a coconut one by mistake (it has green on the packet!). Yes, I did eat the coconut one’
‘Bit like Aquafresh’
‘Mint goes better with velvety dark chocolate’
‘Good for when I forget to brush in the morn’
‘Delicious’
‘Good for packed lunches’
‘Disappointing on the mint front’
‘WOW’
‘Eat it straight out of the fridge’
‘The clear winner and only bar to compete with the original’

‘Insipid’
‘Who wants a Kit Kat that tastes of shampoo?’
‘Bounty shits on this’
‘Tastes a bit like sick’
‘Lame’
‘Deep complex flavours, intricate and intense. A thing of beauty’
‘Needs more coconut action’
‘Nice and light’
‘Lush and tropical’
‘Synthetic’
‘Coconut is the a most overrated fruit. Is it even a fruit?!’

‘Continental’
‘Poor man’s Kinder Bueno’
‘Taste lingers too long’
‘Falls apart’
‘Why are you happening?’
‘Like a solid damp, warm ice cream flavour’
‘Weak’
‘Praline-fest – into it’
‘Tastes more expensive than the others’
‘Gross’
‘Normal’
‘A missed oppurtunity’

‘A frankly excellent chocolate bar’
‘Nice and heavy, just like a chocolate bar should be’
‘Melt in the mouth’
‘Ohhh funky. Sugar-fest’
‘Tastes calorific’
‘Meaty. Manly’
‘A bit like xmas tree chocolate’
‘Couldn’t eat more than a bite’
‘Only a linger of fudge’
‘Totally mad choc experience’
‘A bit cloying’
‘Offensively sweet’

And there you have it! The Time Out taste testers have spoken. Which one is your fave?

Anyone talking about a Christmas pre-tox clearly hasn’t heard about the free chocolate festival taking place at Southbank Centre starting today (Dec 7-9). With a programme that would make Willy Wonka jealous, chocolate fans can sample mouthwatering wares from renowned chocolatiers such as William Curley and Damian Allsop. If stuffing dangerous amounts of chocolate into your mouth isn’t enough, you’ll be able to learn about the delicate art of chocolate making at a number of workshops, as well picking up tips on how to incorporate chocolate into your Christmas dishes. There’ll be the obligatory hot chocolate, chocolate cocktails, a chocolate fountain, chocolate savoury food and even chocolate sculptures. Jonno Hopkins

For info, see Chocolate Festival listing.

Who doesn’t love bubbles? Whether it’s a nice bottle of bubbly, a luxurious bubble bath or just picking up a bottle of 99p bubbles at your friend’s wedding after a couple glasses of… well, the bubbly stuff, bubbles are pretty great. But if the joy-inducing spheres just don’t cut it as they are, they’re about to really prove their worth. Aero has opened The Aero Bar, a three day pop-up ‘bubble playground’ at the Truman Brewery on Brick Lane providing a multi-sensory experience for all chocolate lovers. Walk through a green and orange bubble waterfall before stepping into a peppermint scented playground full of levitating bubbles which contain prizes, from a bar of chocolate to up-lifting spa weekends, and then on to other chocolatey activities that would even make Charlie Bucket jealous. Entry is free between 10am-7pm from Nov 16-18. Carly-Ann Clements

For more info, see The Bar of Aero listing. 

Tickets are selling out fast so get yours quick at unrealcityaudio.co.uk.

Monkey shoulder is inviting you on an Easter egg hunt with a big boozy twist, where chocolate and whiskey are bedfellows in an indoor overgrown wilderness. If you’re lucky enough to find an egg nestled somewhere in the foliage, these kind folks will reward you with edible delights. They’ve teamed up with the London Cocktail Club and chocolatier Niko B to create a cracking range of whiskey cocktails accompanied by specially flavored chocolates at 63 Broadwick from April 6-9. Now this is our kind of Easter egg hunt. Didi Mae Hand

For info, see facebook.com/monkeyshoulder.