Chocolate Breakfasts and Food for Bloggers

This year I was lucky enough to be able to attend the New Zealand Food Bloggers Conference. This was the second time running after a successful first round last year (which I didn't know about at the time). It was held in Wellington and run by the amazing duo Shirleen (from Sugar and Spice) and Allison (from Pease Pudding) along with a tonne of amazing sponsors and venues.

We started off both days with a chocolate breakfast which was a bit full on but I'm not one to turn down good chocolate! We got to experience the New Zealand Chocolate Festival and sample some of the finest chocolate from all around. We were so spoiled by NZ Chocolate Festival, they even gave us all goody bags full of delicious chocolate to sample!

Juan Balsani demonstrating how to make fancy chocolate tapas

Juan Balsani's work of art

Delicious drinking chocolate

Chocolate fountain

Chocolate without the calories (soap!)

Chocolate!

Schoc Choc!

More hand made chocolate 

These guys had award winning salted caramel chocolates

Jandal chocolates!

My favourite packaging

A new and delicious take on chocolate covered almonds. The white ones were amazing!

Chocolate chess!

Hair drying chocolate to keep it warm, why didn't I think of that?

Look at that cake!

On day two Jo Coffey from L'Affaire au Chocolat showed us the ins and outs of real chocolate tasting as we sampled some of the finest chocolate from around the world. How spoiled are we?! I think my favourite (and everyone elses) was the chocolate coated cocoa bean. Can't wait to get my hands on some more of those bad boys! Learning about what REAL chocolate should taste like gave me such a greater appreciation of delicious dark chocolate. I think I have expensive taste now!

Jo Coffey telling us all about good chocolate

Chocolate sampling - it's a hard job but someone's gotta do it!

One of the highlights of going to a food bloggers conference I found, was the amount of great food on offer there was. Wellington on a Plate was wrapping up at the time we were there and we were lucky enough to be sponsored by some of the finest Wellington restaurants for lunch on Friday. I was chosen along with Kate (Mama's Pantry), Margaret (With Love, Mags) and Celia (Ultimate OmNoms) to go to lunch at Coco at the Roxy. There we met the lovely manager, Valentina, ate a fabulous lunch and got a personal tour around the restaurant and theatre. The food was absolutely amazing and I have to say, this was one of the highlights of the conference for me!

Coco at the Roxy

Silence of the Lamb Burger

Delicious ice cream with berries, peanut brittle and Whittakers dark chocolate

Celia, Me, Valentina, Kate and Margaret enjoying our dessert

Fabulous architecture in the Roxy 

Movie merchandise gets changed often

Lovely archway

Vintage movie artwork on display down the halls

Later that evening we were taken to a secret location (Floyd's Cafe in Island Bay) for a Pop Up Dining experience (something I had never tried). Pop up dining is where chefs use someone elses kitchen to serve up food in a fun and exciting way. The dinner was amazing, though I had to leave early so missed out on dessert sadly. We were also treated to a cocktails mini master class by Justin McKenzie from Liquid Winks who served up a wickedly satisfying cocktail for all of us.

Rustic and cute

Justin McKenzie whips up some fresh cocktails

The conference was definitely every foodies dream come true! Chocolate, good food and drinks, what more could you ask for? All up I took 632 photos (don't worry I won't be posting them all!) But I do have lots more to share so stay tuned for the next two instalments of the fabulous NZ Food Bloggers Conference...