The chocolatiers to the Queen of England are bringing their royal delights to the UAE this winter. Established in London in 1902, Prestat's handcrafted chocolates have enjoyed some serious patronage from royals such as Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother and Queen Elizabeth II, not to mention Roald Dahl, who as the creator of the famous children's book Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, knew a thing or two about great confectionery.
The founder of Prestat, Antoine Dufour, was a descendant of the family known to have created the divine chocolate truffle in Chambéry, France, in 1895. The present-day owner Bill Keeling and his half-brother Nick Crean bought the artisan chocolate shop in London’s Piccadilly in 1998 and have tried to maintain this legacy while further developing handed-down recipes. “Prestat has a unique and wonderful history that is mirrored in the quality of its chocolates,” says Keeling.
Middle Eastern lovers of the chocolate have been increasingly crowding the Prestat section at Harrods in London. Bringing the brand to Dubai seemed like a logical next step; the company attained its halal certification in April and has been planning its arrival through Harvey Nichols Dubai. “We take our Muslim customer base very seriously,” says Keeling. The pop-up shop will be located on level two of the store until February.
Prestat will offer bespoke hamper services to suit individual tastes, as well as a home-delivery service. Keeping up with the UAE’s predilection for ordering luxuries online, fancy orders can be placed on Instagram directly with artisans in the London shop. Keeling is also planning a special range of chocolates for the Dubai store.
The brand’s best-selling product is its dark chocolate sea-salt caramel truffle, which recently won a Great Taste Award. The milk chocolate with roasted almonds and sea-salt bar, red velvet truffles and dark chocolate with raspberry bar also come highly recommended by Keeling. Another famous favourite is the Mint Box.
Made from ethically produced and high-quality cocoa from the Ivory Coast and packed in bright boxes, Prestat chocolates make for a tasty, and tasteful, gift.
mgayen@thenational.ae
