Charbonnel et Walker ''Chocolatier'' is a British firm of chocolate makers based in
Bond Street
Bond Street in the West End of London links Piccadilly in the south to Oxford Street in the north. Since the 18th century the street has housed many prestigious and upmarket fashion retailers. The southern section is Old Bond Street and the l ...
,
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
.
History
Encouraged by Albert, Prince of Wales, later King
Edward VII
Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until Death and state funeral of Edward VII, his death in 1910.
The second child ...
, in 1875 Virginie Eugenie Lévy, née Charbonnel, of ''Maison Boissier'' chocolate house in Paris, and Minnie Walker began a partnership in London as "Parisian Confectioners and Bon-Bon Manufacturers".
[ Charbonnel et Walker History] The partnership of Charbonnel and
icWalker was dissolved on 16 April 1878 and Walker carried on alone until her death on 8 June 1883.
The notice of death published in the ''
London Gazette
London is the capital and largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Western Europe, with a population of 14.9 million. London stands on the River Tha ...
'' referred to "Mary Ann Alphandery also known as Minnie Walker".
[ The company of Charbonnel and Walker Limited went into liquidation in June 1894. The connection with the royal family continues, as Charbonnel et Walker hold a Royal Warrant as Chocolate Manufacturers to the ]Queen
Queen most commonly refers to:
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen (band), a British rock band
Queen or QUEEN may also refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Q ...
.
Charbonnel et Walker is based in the Royal Arcade in Bond Street, not far from the original premises, and manufactured its chocolates at its factory in Tunbridge Wells
Royal Tunbridge Wells (formerly, until 1909, and still commonly Tunbridge Wells) is a town in Kent, England, southeast of Central London. It lies close to the border with East Sussex on the northern edge of the High Weald, whose sandstone ...
, Kent
Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...
, until 2018 when it relocated their production to Poundbury, Dorset
Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...
.
The company claims a number of notable figures from history to have been customers, such as Noël Coward
Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time (magazine), Time'' called "a sense of personal style, a combination of c ...
(who is said to have requested a fortnightly delivery box of their finest selections to his home), Wallis Simpson, Sir John Gielgud, Sir Alec Guinness, Lauren Bacall
Betty Joan Perske (September 16, 1924 – August 12, 2014), professionally known as Lauren Bacall ( ), was an American actress. She was named the AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars, 20th-greatest female star of classic Hollywood cinema by the America ...
, Princess Diana and Princess Margaret
Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon (Margaret Rose; 21 August 1930 – 9 February 2002) was the younger daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. She was the younger sister and only sibling of Queen Elizabeth II.
...
. Prince Francis of Teck, the younger brother of the British queen Mary of Teck
Mary of Teck (Victoria Mary Augusta Louise Olga Pauline Claudine Agnes; 26 May 186724 March 1953) was List of British royal consorts, Queen of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, from 6 May 1910 until 20 Janua ...
, bequeathed the Teck Emeralds to his mistress "after courting her with Charbonnel et Walker chocolates."
Confectioneries
Charbonnel et Walker offers a wide variety of chocolates, as well as sugar confections like crystalized ginger and glazed brazil nuts. A speciality is the Marc de Champagne Chocolate Truffles: these are chocolate truffles with chocolate butter infused with Marc de Champagne.
The company also produces a themed "James Bond – 007" range, inspired by the James Bond
The ''James Bond'' franchise focuses on James Bond (literary character), the titular character, a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels ...
film franchise, including 007 Dry Martini Truffles. Their hot drinking chocolate was created by Charbonnel in 1875; it is available in Original and Sea Salt Caramel flavours.
Branches
, there are four Charbonnel et Walker shops, as well as two outlets in department stores:Canary Wharf
Canary Wharf is a financial area of London, England, located in the Isle of Dogs in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The Greater London Authority defines it as part of London's central business district, alongside Central London. Alongside ...
, London
* Leeds
Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...
, West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a Metropolitan counties of England, metropolitan and Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and east, South Yorkshire and De ...
* Broadgate Circle, London
* Harrods
Harrods is a Listed building, Grade II listed luxury department store on Brompton Road in Knightsbridge, London, England. It was designed by C. W. Stephens for Charles Digby Harrod, and opened in 1905; it replaced the first store on the ground ...
– Chocolate Room (Ground Floor), London
* Selfridges – Chocolate Room (Lower Ground Floor), London
References
Further reading
*
External links
Charbonnel et Walker UKCharbonnel Chocolates US WebsiteCharonnel et Walker Hong Kong
{{British Royal Warrant holders
Food and drink companies established in 1875
British chocolate companies
Food manufacturers based in London
British brands
British royal warrant holders