Love of my Life

I have a mildly unhealthy obsession with the flaky, buttery, chocolatey, deliciousness of a Pain au Chocolat.
If there was one item of food I would choose to live on for the rest of my life, it would be them.
It started as a little girl when my best friend would regularly stop off at the bakery in Muswell Hill and buy each of us a Pain au Chocolat. I would wait eagerly each day praying she hadn't fallen ill or been running too late to pop into bakery. The chunky parcel in a grease-stained bag was a sign of hope and the countdown to lunch would be begin.

One of the best weekends of my life was when my then-boyfriend-soon-to-be-fiancé-now-husband took me to Paris for the day. Whisked off in first class Eurostar, a beautiful sunny day and a marriage proposal at the top of Le Sacre Coeur of course made it a very special time. However...I made it my mission to find the best pain au chocolat in Paris in one day....I managed 6! Such a special time.

Anyway, I'm pleased to say that it hasn't been a quick fling or teenage crush, I've put in some hard graft maintaining my relationship with these beauties. And to save you the arduous ordeal yourself, here's
Trev's guide to best Pain au Chocolat in town:

Sainsbury's

Sainsburys
Only sold in packs of 2 (oh dear!)
Nice flake to the pastry however a little dense towards the middle. Their glaze can often catch a little but not beyond the first layer. 4/5

Starbucks
Good size but very disappointing taste. Don't think they're baked on site either. Even in the morning, they are very bready and need a huge coffee to help it go down. 2/5

Greggs
Now if you catch these warm, you're in for a real treat. Soft, flaky and often gooey chocolate in the middle. If you're near a Greggs in the morning, why not? 4/5

Wild Bean (BP)
If you're looking for an absorbent brick to help with damp proofing, this might just do the job. Dry, usually stale and heavier than a pint of milk. Don't do it. Ever. 0/5

Waitrose
Cue Gregg Wallace: "Soft, buttery, flaky, rich...very good, very good indeed". Too small in size for my liking but baked in store, these are so good! Go early and you might catch them warm, go late and you might catch them reduced and they still taste good. Win win. 5/5

Tesco
Bleurgh. Nothing special but not hideous. Go elsewhere if you can. 2/5

M&S
Very buttery, flaky and decadent (as all M&S things are). My first choice here would actually be the all butter croissant as I think they have a better taste but a good effort! 3/5

Waitrose Part-Baked 

DIY

Now, if you're looking for a home-bake, these are 2 very good options:

Waitrose part-baked (from frozen)
I find these require the oven temperature a little lower than stated as there's a risk of burning the top whilst the inside is still raw but very good once you get it right. Great thing to have stashed in the freezer when you want to stay in your jammys. 4/5

In a tin
Really easy although might count as 'baking' as you have to roll out from the can, divide along the perforated lines and form into a pain au chocolat. Yummy but they come out quite small :( 3/5








You will note that there is no nutritional information as in my world, pain au chocolat don't have calories. Hurrah!

Happy Pain au Chocolat munching!

Trev x