while we were in kent at the weekend, and before we visited the sportsman, we spent a couple of hours exploring whitstable.

much of our time was spent walking along the front, watching people and dogs brave the water, sunbathe on the pebbly beach and stroll along the promenade. we speculated who owned the brightly coloured beach huts and what went on in each of them - most were shut up but a few had people sitting on their porches enjoying cups of tea and the sunday papers.

before we left we wandered around the town centre and, perhaps inevitably, discovered coco, a chocolate shop.

coco is quite large and stocked a wide range of chocolates and other sweets. before long david and i had picked up a selection of bars (the car-themed wheels brand for david, plus some niederegger chocolate covered marzipan), provencal pastel-coloured white-chocolate-dipped fruit-infused marzipan (they’re gifts so i can’t report on taste), some white chocolate coated honeycomb and, most excitingly, a selection of chocolates and truffles.

the chocolates are belgian from van coillie and the truffles are english from howards english truffles. we bought a small box – about 15 different truffles, each hand-selected – and every one was excellent. good quality chocolate, fresh flavours, rich truffle fillings. if i was local this is the sort of shop i’d be delighted to see opening.

sadly not all locals share my view – coco, and other similar shops in whitstable, are accused of existing because of dfls like me. dfl = down from london. find out more about the tension that whitstable, and shops like coco face in this interesting piece. in the meantime, i’ll finish eating the few chocolates that are leftover…

coco

4-5 harbour street, whitstable, kent ct5 1ag

01227 779032