Purdy’s Chocolates is one of the go-to chocolate companies in many parts of Canada. From their famous hazelnut chocolate hedgehogs to filled chocolates and chocolate bars, and even a selection of sugar-free items for the compromising Candy Addict, they’ve got something to please anyone.
I’ve written previously about Purdy’s Chocolate Chewie Bar and how I always associate the company with special occasions. Well, what should turn up in my Christmas stocking this year but – surprise! – a Purdy’s item. This year, it was the Purdy’s Blueberry Almond bar, a combination of 70% dark chocolate, almonds, and dried blueberries.
At first, I was a little skeptical of this combination. I love fresh blueberries, but often have trouble getting behind blueberry-flavored candies – it’s one of those fruit flavors that just doesn’t take the transition to artificial form very well. But real dried blueberries combined with two of my favorite candy ingredients – very dark chocolate and almonds – sounded like a completely different animal altogether. Would this combination change my feelings about blueberries and candy?
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Around here, when you’re eating Thanksgiving dinner with your grandparents and someone passes around a box of chocolates, it’s likely to sport the familiar purple and gold wrapper of Purdy’s.
Purdy’s, which has been around since 1907, is a fixture in the provinces of Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia. It’s one of those mid-range chocolate companies that’s definitely a cut above the likes of Hershey or Nestle, but isn’t selling single-origin curry-flavored bars for $12 apiece either. It’s upscale yet nonthreatening, the kind of chocolate that your average Joe is comfortable buying for a Christmas gift or a dinner party with the boss.
In addition to gift boxes and filled chocolates by the pound, Purdy’s also does a very nice selection of chocolate bars, at least one of which I can usually count on finding in my Christmas stocking or on top of a birthday gift. In my mind, Purdy’s chocolate is inextricably connected to special occasions, so it felt very extravagant to simply walk into the store and pick out something for myself. I settled on a half-remembered item from Christmas stockings past, the Chocolate Chewie.
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