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Britain and Belgium Dominate the Best Chocolate of 2011 Awards

February 3, 2012 By tjtheper Leave a Comment


(PRWEB UK) 13 December 2011

In the recent past Britain has been used to being viewed as second class citizens in the world of chocolate. However, according to the ChocolateReviews.co.uk survey over over 300 chocolate products during 2011 the country is fast becoming a dominant force. Although Belgian Pierre Marcolini won the overall award for his selection box, British chocolate makers have taken the bulk of the other chocolate awards on offer.

Other category winners of the best chocolates of the year incude the highly imaginative Artisan du Chocolat with their festive creations title with their ‘Magic Wands’ – flavoured sticks of chocolate which when combined mimicking other interesting flavours which were viewed as the perfect chocolate Christmas gift.

Traditionally the Italians, French and Swiss are most noted for their dark chocolate, however, it was Cleethorpes based Duffy from Red Star Chocolate with his Tierra Oscura Panama 72% which scooped the prize as being the best dark chocolate bar of 2011.

British chocolatiers dominated the novelty chocolate category with Lucky’s of London creating absolutely fantastic chocolate coated cakes, Berry Scrumptious from Scotland with their chocolate covered strawberries and Montezuma?s from Sussex with their interesting chocolate with lime pickle affair.

Commenting on the awards, Editor and Academy of Chocolate judge stated: it’s intriguing that so many people in the UK believe that companies in Europe make the best chocolate, and although Belgium won with Pierre Marcolini’s exceptional ganaches, there is a fantastic array of absolutely exceptional chocolatiers in this country we should be proud of. It’s time that chocolate lovers here support the fantastic work of our home-grown talent.”

Despite the resurgence of the UK in the creation of fine chocolate, Lee believes that British chocolatiers shouldn’t rest on our laurels, stating that “there is some tremendous chocolate being produced in USA at the moment. Currently brands such as Rogue Chocolate, Amano and the Mast Brothers can be hard to get hold of in this country. As supply channels improve, however, I am sure American chocolate will become increasingly popular amongst chocoholics in the UK and should hopefully encourage British chocolate makers to innovate and produce a much broader variety of artisan chocolate.”

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Playonwords.com Announces Top 10 PAL (Play Advances Language) Award Picks 2011, Holiday Gift Guide: Best 10 Toys, Games and Books That Spark Fun and Encourage Language Development

December 20, 2011 By tjtheper Leave a Comment


Southport, CT 06890 (PRWEB) November 15, 2011

Sustained interaction with children guides Playonwords founder, Sherry Artemenko, to a unique subset of the best toys, games and books that have the chemistry to develop language while delivering great play. Today, Playonwords is announcing the Top 10 picks in each product category. Each set of ?Top 10?s? represents their PAL category out of the 100 winners in 2011.

Providing parents and educators with the TOP 10 PAL Award Picks for 2011, takes the guess work out of gift giving for the holidays. Each product has been tested and reviewed by Sherry and her team of parents, kids and educators. Observing kids in action, combined with her critical eye for language potential, Sherry awards products and writes insightful reviews offering practical tips on how to maximize the educational value in each winner. Many parents and educators find PAL winners and play ideas helpful throughout the year on Sherry?s blog, playonwords.com.

Uniquely understanding how the interaction of new toys and healthy play can advance language development is what distinguishes the PAL Award. Sherry?s expertise has been tapped in interviews with NBC Connecticut, The Chicago Tribune, Time To Play, MomTrends, parenting.com and Scholastic Instructor.

For Sherry, great play is not just about fun, or about cognitive development, it?s about going deep on both. Her expertise has been built on science and more than 15,000 hours of client experience. Each set of Top 10?s represent a breadth of themes and genres, but they all have one thing in common, they are trusted lists of fun products that educate through play.

TOP 10 TOYS ? From Ark to Zoo, from sand boxes to secret agents, great stories and vocabulary building abound:

1.

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St. Barth Properties Announces Villa Availability for the 2011 Holiday Season

November 12, 2011 By tjtheper Leave a Comment


Franklin, MA (PRWEB) October 11, 2011

St. Barth Properties (SBP) , a U.S. based boutique travel company that specializes in vacations on the island of St. Barth has launched the season with a listing of villas for the 2011 holiday period. The listing is culled from the company?s portfolio of over 160 private villas that range in style from simple beachfront bungalows to amenity-laden hilltop estates. The listing includes pricing, specific dates available and minimum stay requirements.

Descriptions and images of the villas can be viewed online at the company?s website and a team of specialists is at the ready to work with clients or their travel agents. They will be happy to provide additional information about the island, the villa lifestyle and make the booking. St. Barth Properties offers a full menu of concierge services including assistance with inter-island transfers via air and yacht charter and car rental. SBP maintains a full-service office on the island and a staff member is on call 24 hours should guests require assistance.

The petite island of St. Barthl

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Shirt Magic Continues the Magic in 2011

October 29, 2011 By tjtheper Leave a Comment


Hilton Head Island, SC (Vocus/PRWEB) January 05, 2011

ShirtMagic has found a niche in the online business community as one of the leaders in custom apparel and printing. Custom screen printing is one of its major services, and the company has secured its good reputation when it comes to quality service. Other services include custom embroidery and digital printing of T Shirts, hats and caps, sweatshirts and jerseys. The company accommodates both single and bulk orders for groups like sport teams and organizations, making it a one-stop shop for people who wants to express themselves through custom shirts.

ShirtMagic is barely 4 years old in the industry but it has already been the go-to site for individuals in need of quality merchandise and customization. From the start, the company has provided its clientele with all the tools they need to design and order customized apparel, regardless it is for personal or corporate use. Aside from the merchandise, the company has also made a name for itself through its state-of-the-art technology, excellent customer service and reasonable rates. It does not stop there: ShirtMagic has better things in store for its customers for 2011, something else to look forward to when the new year approaches.

In the past two years, ShirtMagic has achieved a remarkable feat: the business has achieved a triple digit growth. This success can only be attributed to the continuous support and patronage of the company’s clients. “I want to thank all the current t shirt customers who have propelled the triple digit growth of ShirtMagic.com” from the company’s CEO Todd Kriney. To show their gratitude to their loyal clientele, Mr. Kriney and his team are expressing their gratitude the best way possible: with new and improved services.

For the coming year, customers can expect to receive their ShirtMagic apparel in a short amount of time. Since January 2010, the company has tripled its production. This is due to the addition of more automatic screen printing presses and more direct to garment machines. As a result, there is a faster turnaround time for ShirtMagic products. The company’s efficient production processes will be continued to the next year, so customers are ensured that they need not wait a long time for their orders.

The gift of ShirtMagic to its clients does not stop with production, though. The company also rewards its customers with a better website. In the site’s updated version, there are now more design templates to choose from. With these added templates, custom designing a shirt would not only be easier but also more exciting. No need to be a pro in graphic designing when using ShirtMagic?s Online Design Studio. The program is user-friendly and very easy to manage. There are hundreds of images to choose from their Art Gallery and should you want to use an image from the web or your hard drive, you can do so by simply uploading the image.

2011 has just started but it is already shaping up to be a great one, as far as ShirtMagic is concerned. Clients should look forward to what the company will offer next.

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