Tipple | Orangey Hot Chocolate

Hot chocolate’s great, but add orange (and perhaps a splash of Cointreau) and it’s hard to go back.

Serves 6

2ltr whole milk
1 large orange
6 tbsp dark hot chocolate powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp grated fresh nutmeg Cointreau (optional)

1 Warm the milk in a large saucepan over a medium heat and bring to a gentle simmer.

2 Cut the orange in half, cutting each half into half-moon slices. Put six aside and add the rest to the saucepan, along with the hot chocolate powder, ground cinnamon and nutmeg.

3 Simmer gently for 5 mins, keeping the heat low to prevent it from boiling. Stir frequently to avoid the milk from catching on the pan. Once ready, discard the orange segments.

4 To serve, pour into cups and add a shot of Cointreau for a boozy extra, if desired. Garnish each cup with one of the orange slices set aside earlier.

This recipe is just one of the ideas from our March ‘gathering’ pages, which this month is a menu for a crafternoon of ‘loose ends’ projects. It also includes recipes for Carrot & Ginger Soup, Spiced Chicken Skewers, Roast Paprika Sweet Potato Wedges, Whipped Feta & Pistachio Dip and Pear, Dark Chocolate and Cardamom Muffins. Recipes are by Kay Prestney and photography by Rebecca Lewis. Ceramics kindly supplied by Francesca Atkinson of Frankie’s Ceramics @frankieceramics.

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More hot drinks for cold days…

More from our blog…

Fancy up | Hot chocolate

It might be difficult to improve on a good thing, but that shouldn’t stop you trying

No autumnal walk is complete without a hot chocolate at the end of it. We fell a bit in love with the recipe for Spiced Hot Chocolate by Lia Leendertz in our November issue’s ‘Nature’s Table’ pages. You can find it on page 14. And we were inspired to hunt around for other ways to make a hot chocolate a bit fancier. Here are a few ideas…

Things to stir in...

Butter and rum

Gingerbread syrup and a cinnamon stick stirrer

A dollop of peanut butter

Peppermint essence with a candy cane stirrer

A shot of espresso and maple syrup

Irish cream whisky

Dried lavender (steep in the milk beforehand)

A dollop of ice cream (any flavour, added at the end)

Chai spice and vanilla extract

Grated orange zest

A pinch of cinnamon and cayenne pepper

And a few things to sprinkle on top…

Good old marshmallows

Crushed nuts

Dessicated coconut

Smashed up boiled sweets (butterscotch works well)

Cake decorating sprinkles

Chocolate chips

Your favourite biscuits, crushed

Blackberry coulis and cream

Chopped fudge pieces

Cinnamon and brown sugar

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More from our November issue…

More hot chocolate ideas…

Mugs: Where to buy similar to those on November's The Simple Things

We didn't source the mugs on the cover of the November issue, but since we've had so many queries about them, Louise (our wonderful Stuff of Life Shopkeeper) has found some great alternatives. 

Check out www.nativeandco.com, www.maudandmabel.com and www.nomliving.com for their ceramic mugs - sea salt hot chocolate at the ready!

And you lot over on Facebook have been sharing your suggestions too. Try the following:

Julia Smith Ceramics

Seasalt Cornwall

Pyaar

Carmel Eskell Ceramics

Leach Pottery

Charlotte Storrs Stoneware

Paul Mossman Pottery

Let us know if you find any others!

Recipe: Sea salt hot chocolate

This deliciously thick hot chocolate is the perfect combination of sweet and salty, and was deemed beautiful enough to be our November cover star. You can make it with milk, white or dark chocolate and adjust the salt to your own taste.

For a salted caramel hot chocolate and a richer flavour, use a caramel chocolate such as Caramac.

Sea salt hot chocolate

SERVES 2

250 ml milk
250 ml double cream
100 g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), chopped
1 tbsp caster sugar
1⁄2 tsp salt (or to taste)
1 egg yolk

1 Place the milk, cream and chopped chocolate in a saucepan with the sugar and salt, and heat over low heat until the chocolate has melted, whisking all the time.

2 Taste to see whether you need to add a little more salt for an extra salty kick. Remove from the heat and whisk in the egg yolk to thicken the hot chocolate.

3 Pass it through a sieve, then pour into two cups and serve immediately. 

Read more:

From the November issue

Buttered bourbon mulled cider

Chocolate recipes

Fancy sea salt hot chocolate, cinder toffee and firepit cakes, a celebration of toast plus ways to tell a good story around the fire, subversive cross stitch and how to keep your herbs going over winter? Oh and bibliotherapy, crafternoons and a poem about beautiful librarians. 

All this in our November COMFORT issue. You'll find us in even more Waitrose and Sainsbury's stores this month plus WH Smiths, Tesco and good independents. We're on sale now somewhere near you.

November's The Simple Things is out now - buy, download or subscribe.

Recipe: Tangerine and nutmeg hot chocolate

There is a spectrum of hot chocolates. At one end, the instant and saccharine; at the other, chunks of the real deal – melted and laced. This warming number sits at the luxurious end, with hints of citrus and aromatic nutmeg lifting it onto an altogether cosy, autumnal plane.

Tangerine and nutmeg hot chocolate

Makes one small cup 20g plain chocolate (at least 70% cocoa) 1 piece dried tangerine or orange peel 100ml cold water 1–2 tsp icing sugar, according to taste and quality of chocolate

To serve: 1–2 tsp double cream Extra nutmeg

You will need: Nutmeg grater Small skewer or cocktail stick

1. Put the chocolate and tangerine peel in a non-stick pan. Add the water and gently bring to simmering point on a low heat, stirring to melt the chocolate. 2. Add sugar to taste, simmer and stir for 5–10 mins until the mixture just begins to thicken. 3. Remove the peel and pour into a small cup or tea bowl and float cream on the top, swirling or marbling using a cocktail stick or small skewer. Serve sprinkled with a grating of nutmeg.

Tip: For a comforting bedtime treat, add 100ml milk to the pan and, once the chocolate has thickened and heated through, pour into a mug to take to bed.

Variation: Try adding a 1cm piece of vanilla pod and a pinch of ground cinnamon or chilli in place of the tangerine and nutmeg.

Hot chocolate recipe from Artisan Drinks by Lindy Wildsmith (Jacqui Small, £25)