Who would have thought you’d find an array of decadent handcrafted Belgian chocolates in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands? I happened to drive past a delightful little place last time I took my mom for a meander, and am very glad indeed that I decided to pop in. When I saw a signboard announcing ‘Belgian Chocolate’ my car came to a complete stop in a matter of seconds, and I made the turn-off just in time for my mom to jump out of the car and run for the shop and its alluring temptations.

Offering a huge variety of good quality chocolate at a reasonable price, Florentines The House of Chocolate is a quaint little Hansel and Gretel cottage situated in Lions River. The raw chocolate itself is imported from Belgium, but all the gorgeous bite-size pieces are handcrafted on the premises by chocolate expert and owner Brigitte Du Plessis.

Different ranges – including ginger, alcohol, nougat and diabetic – make sure there’s something for everyone to indulge in. And my personal favourite is represented as well: the hot chilli chocolate.

A coffee shop is also open, serving scrumptious sandwiches and sweet and savoury Belgian waffles.

The store is open from 8.30am to 5pm from Tuesday to Sunday, and you can get hold of Brigitte on 033 330 4146.

Here’s my mom practically running in to buy chocolates…

florentines