I grew up on the edge of York, North-East England, in what was one of the less-than-picturesque parts of a very picturesque Roman city. Something we shared with the beatific city centre however was the amazing smell in the air whenever Rowntree’s chocolate factory were cooking up certain products and the wind was blowing in the right direction. I have distinct memories of following the scent across town every Friday evening after swimming practice to my dad’s house, head out of the window like some stoned puppy dog, drinking in the scent of Mint Aero and Maltesers.
Which leads me in a very roundabout way to this edition of FOTW, focusing as it does on the chocolate cosmos. I’ve not experienced the innocent joy of chocolate-flavoured air since leaving for London some ten years ago, but sticking one’s nose into a chocolate cosmos is about as close as I’ve ever come. Clue’s in the name right? These things smell a bit like chocolate.
They’re also a real sweet feast for the eyes, flowering as they do with deep crimson, bowl-shaped blooms. It’s native to Mexico and its name of course is derived from the Greek for universe. Imagine that: a chocolate-scented universe. It almost makes me want to move back north (almost).
