WIN: Luxury afternoon tea at Sheffield's chocolate heaven cafe

The new Godiva boutique and café opened in Meadowhall in December, and offers Sheffield’s chocolate-lovers the chance to experience the quality and artistry of the famous Belgian chocolatier.

As a chocolate lover it was very exciting to be given the chance to sample the menu, which includes croissants drizzled with warm Godiva chocolate, plenty of savoury sandwich options and traditional afternoon tea - all promising a touch of Godiva decadence.

We were invited to try out the menu, and arrived at around 6.30pm last Thursday evening, greeted by the friendly store manager, who explained it had been a busy day and some of the products had sold out, but she had saved some of the dishes for us to try - a gesture which was appreciated.

It was easy to see why the products had been a sell-out once we started eating.

Firstly, we were served sandwiches.

As a vegetarian, I chose to have the tomato and mozzarella sandwich with pesto ciabatta, (£5.40).

It was a delicious sandwich packed with lots of fresh-tasting filling.

The pesto ciabatta was particularly enjoyable; a twist on the classic bread that I had never seem before.

Of course, being a chocolate-themed cafe there had to be an option to add some sweetness to the dish.

It was recommended that we add black lavia salt to our sandwiches, for the uninitiated it was like a chocolate flavoured salt - again something I had never sampled but thoroughly enjoyed.

It was tough to make a choice from the croissant options, with those on offer including chocolate, (£2.60), blueberry cheesecake, (£3.50) and salted caramel (£3.50).

Unable to pick just one of these tempting choices, we decided to order all three and split them three ways.

They say that you first eat with your eyes, and it was definitely the case when these croissants were brought out to us.

Each of the buttery pastries were generously topped with the fillings and presented beautifully - and each one tasted just as good as it looked.

The blueberry cheesecake, with a blueberry compote and cheesecake cream, drizzled with white chocolate was the favourite.

Each of the ingredients complimented each other perfectly; the chocolate was silky while the blueberries provided a perfect sharper contrast to the sweetness - a wonderful balance.

The salted caramel croissant, with the salted caramel ganache, roasted pecans, black lavia salt and melted Godiva chocolate came in a very close second.

It was another deliciously rich treat.

I particularly enjoyed the smooth ganache and the crunchy texture of the pecans. The classic chocolate croissant showed why Godiva is a luxury chocolate brand. It offered such an indulgent taste experience of delightful, high quality chocolate.

Next, we were offered a chance to try one of the store’s range of elegant petit gateua desserts. Again, we chose three to share.

The pistachio cherry had a pistachio mousse filled with a cherry compote centre and was coated in white chocolate, the triple chocolate, which had a milk, dark and white chocolate mousse and a Victoria blackcurrant sponge and a sesame umami - a dish inspired by the chef’s background which offered salted caramel and background ganache. All these petit gateuas were priced at £6.50.

Once again, each one was presented in a very attractive way on the plate, inviting you to taste the dish.

The triple chocolate was my favourite, with its melt in the mouth sponge cake and tangy blackcurrant flavour.

My friends each preferred the sesame umami, which provided a very unusual but delicious blend of flavours.

All of this amazing chocolate-filled food was - naturally - accompanied by the most luxurious hot chocolate. I chose to have the dark chocolate with toffee apple and cinnamon popcorn hot chocolate, which was made with pure dark Godiva chocolate ganache, cream and milk, (£4.50).

It was the best hot chocolate I have had, and also the richest and most indulgent.

This cafe really is a chocolate-lovers’ dream and we will certainly be back to try all of the sweet treats.

n The Sheffield Telegraph has teamed up with Godiva to offer one lucky reader a chance to win an afternoon tea for two, and experience some of these luxurious chocolate goodies for themselves.

The chocolate afternoon tea, which is priced at £25 per person, offers diners the chance to enjoy a selection of sandwiches, chocolate foundue, petit gateuas and tea.

For your chance to win, e-mail [email protected] with your details and the answer to the following question: “What flavour cheesecake is available as a topping on a Godiva croissant?’

The competition closes at midday on Thursday March 15. Full terms and conditions at www.johnstonpress.co.uk/competition.

Godiva, 58 High St, Meadowhall