For a cream tea with mixed preferences, start with small pieces of plain 70% dark chocolate alongside the scones, jam and clotted cream. Offer a higher-cocoa or flavoured bar separately when guests want that stronger or different flavour, and check the exact pack for allergens before serving.
If scones, jam and clotted cream are the main event, serve plain dark chocolate in small pieces as an optional accompaniment. A 70% bar is a starting point for mixed preferences; guests can decide whether to have it with their tea or scone.
A separate higher-cocoa option lets guests choose a more pronounced cocoa flavour without making it the only chocolate on the table. Montezuma’s and Hotel Chocolat list dark products at different cocoa percentages, so check the percentage on the particular product.
Check each exact product’s ingredients and precautionary allergen statement before serving. Dark or vegan-labelled chocolate can still carry a relevant milk warning, and warnings differ between plain and flavoured bars.
Decide whether the chocolate is a plain accompaniment, a tasting option or an intentional addition to the menu; then check its serving format and the exact pack.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Cocoa level | Check the stated cocoa percentage and whether the bar is plain. Compare a 70% option with higher-cocoa choices if guests have different preferences. | I’d like chocolate alongside the jam and cream, without making a stronger cocoa flavour the only choice. |
| Serving format | Check whether the product is a bar to break up, separate batons or small bars. Hotel Chocolat lists 70% batons in a 15-finger format; Divine lists 12.5 g mini bars. | A few pieces on a shared plate would let guests choose their own portion. |
| Allergens | Read the exact ingredient list, allergy advice and any ‘may contain’ statement. The Food Standards Agency says precautionary allergen labelling communicates possible unintended allergen presence. | If a guest has an allergy, I need product-specific information before putting chocolate on a shared plate. |
| Added flavours | Identify additions such as ginger, fruit, nuts or alcohol, and check their ingredients and warnings. Keep a plain choice if the flavoured bar will be optional. | I want an added flavour only if it suits the tea, jam and guests I’m serving. |
Product warnings vary. Lindt’s Excellence 70% bar lists possible nuts, milk, soya and sesame; Marks & Spencer says its 70% bar is not suitable for people with milk, nut or peanut allergies.
Read the current label for the exact bar and flavour, and keep its packaging available for guests. Do not use a vegan description in place of an allergy check.
A guest who wants chocolate with a sweet scone and jam may prefer a different cocoa profile from someone seeking a separate dark-chocolate tasting piece.
Put out small pieces of a plain 70% bar for mixed preferences, with a higher-cocoa choice alongside if guests want one.
Ginger, fruit, nut and other additions change both the flavour and the ingredients guests need to consider. Montezuma’s 70% ginger bar, for example, contains soya and may contain milk, nuts and peanuts.
Present a flavoured bar as a clearly identified extra, and check its exact label rather than relying on information for a plain bar from the same brand.
A bar chosen for chopping or melting may be less convenient than ready-to-separate pieces on a shared plate. Lindt presents its 70% cooking bar for recipes including cakes and brownies.
Choose a serving format for chocolate offered beside the scones; consider a cooking bar when the chocolate is going into a recipe.
These brand examples illustrate different cocoa levels and serving formats; check the individual product rather than applying a range-wide description to every bar.
Divine offers a plain 70% dark bar and small 12.5 g 70% bars for a separately portioned serving.
Lindt Excellence 70% is a plain 100 g bar; the brand also offers a distinct 70% cooking bar for recipes.
Montezuma’s lists higher-cocoa dark chocolate and flavoured bars, including a 70% ginger option.
Hotel Chocolat lists 70% dark batons and slabs alongside 80% and 85% dark products.
M&S lists a straightforward dark-chocolate bar containing at least 70% cocoa solids.
These options include plain bars near 70%, a higher-cocoa bar and flavoured bars for cream-tea tables where guests want a choice.
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A plain bar to break into small pieces alongside scones. The product information lists possible milk, nuts, peanuts and gluten; check the exact pack before serving guests with relevant allergies.
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A plain 72% bar for hosts considering a cocoa level close to 70%. Its product information identifies soya and lists possible milk, nuts, peanuts and gluten; check the exact pack for guests with relevant allergies.
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A higher-cocoa bar to offer separately to guests seeking that profile, rather than as the only choice for a mixed table. Its product description lists possible hazelnuts, almonds, other nuts, milk and soya; check the exact pack.
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A fruit-flavoured option for a cream tea planned around raspberry. The product information states at least 70% cocoa and 3% freeze-dried raspberry pieces. Its vegan-friendly wording conflicts with ingredient and allergen information identifying milk: do not assume vegan or milk-allergy suitability, and check the current pack for all relevant warnings.
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A rum-and-raisin alternative for a deliberately flavoured tea table. The ingredients identify raisins and 0.5% rum; check the exact pack for its cocoa percentage if that affects your choice. The product information identifies milk and possible nuts and wheat, so check guest requirements before serving.
A plain 70% bar is a starting point when guests have mixed preferences. Break it into small pieces, and offer a higher-cocoa bar separately if some guests want a more pronounced cocoa flavour.
For a traditional cream tea, pieces of a bar or separate batons let guests choose whether to have chocolate alongside their scones. If you are baking with chocolate, choose a product intended for the recipe; Lindt presents its separate 70% cooking bar for uses including cakes and brownies.
Not necessarily. A vegan description does not override milk information on the exact product: Divine’s 70% bar carries a possible-milk warning, while Lindt’s Excellence 70% bar also lists possible milk. Check the current pack before serving either to a guest with a milk allergy.
The Food Standards Agency explains that precautionary allergen labelling communicates that a regulated allergen could be unintentionally present. If the warning names an allergen relevant to a guest, do not treat the chocolate as an allergy-checked alternative; use the exact current pack information when choosing what to serve.