Chef Adam Handling MBE has officially opened his new boutique chocolate shop in the heart of Covent Garden. Located at 17 Maiden Lane, the Adam Handling Chocolate Shop welcomed its first customers at 10am on Wednesday 26 March, offering a wide range of luxury hand-crafted chocolate products.
Positioned just two minutes from Handling’s Michelin-starred restaurant, Frog, the shop introduces 14 types of single variety chocolate and marks a first for a British Michelin-starred chef to open a dedicated chocolate shop of this nature. The collection is centred around sustainable, single origin cacao and highlights the influence of origin, terroir, and traditional cultivation.
The product range includes hand-painted bon bons, truffles, florentines, foraged caramel bars, hot chocolate, dipped fruits and nuts, and freshly baked brownies and cookies. A dedicated hot chocolate corner features 12 varieties of the drink, and customers can also purchase artisan spreads and chocolate buttons. All items are made in-house and finished in London.
The team roasts and grinds cacao beans from countries including India, Madagascar, and Peru, working closely with suppliers such as XOCO Gourmet, known for cultivating its own single variety cacao through regenerative farming. The single variety approach uses ancient Roman grafting methods to produce unblended chocolate, highlighting natural flavours influenced by soil and climate.
All chocolates are made using natural ingredients and are designed to reflect the characteristics of their origin. According to the brand, the cacao is fermented for 2.5 days before being roasted and ground, creating what Handling describes as a “pure expression of perfection.”
Handling said: “The cultivation of cacao tells a powerful story. Similarly to coffee, every cocoa bean has different expressions, based on its locality. In the UK, it’s common to think that chocolate tastes the same – that generic word, ‘chocolate’. But gone are those days. My vision is to create the purest expression of perfection, utilising sustainable chocolates that really showcase the essence of that fruit. The flavour of these chocolates is representative of the soil, the air and the hands that nurtured them. So, it’s easy for us to create stunning, hand painted chocolates in Britain, as we already have the foundations of excellence to play with. I hope you enjoy what we’ve created.”
As part of its wider offering, the shop also features 170g jars of chocolate spreads, including dark, milk and white chocolate hazelnut, as well as white chocolate pistachio. Products are available for takeaway and gift purposes, with seasonal additions planned in the months ahead.
