Is your breakfast already a blurred distant memory? Well, you're not alone. Most of us are guilty of eating our food without thinking; whether that be hurriedly inhaling a sandwich on public transport or mindlessly eating lunch at our desks. But what if we told you you could practice mindful eating with chocolate? (As if we needed another excuse to eat more!)

We caught up with Meredith Whitely, a food writer and passionate recipe creator on a mission to help get people discovering the joy of eating in a more mindful, connected way. Here she shares her pearls of wisdom:

"As you’re starting to read this, I’d like you to stop and think for a minute about your last piece of food. Can you remember the taste? And I mean really remember: aromas, texture, how it made your mouth feel, what tastes lingered on your palate afterwards.

If you’re like most people, you probably weren’t quite paying attention. And don’t worry, that’s totally normal. But there is another way!

With Chocolate Week taking place this week in the UK, it’s a great reminder to slow down and pay attention. This is because good quality chocolate is one of the best ingredients to bring to life what happens when you really taste your food.

Good chocolate is a very special food (and sorry, I’m not talking about Cadbury’s Dairy Milk here) with hundreds of flavour compounds. In fact, it has even more than wine and is just as complex. And it’s the darker stuff that is the best when it comes to getting the full flavour hit.

In a happy coincidence, tasting chocolate like the professionals is very similar to the principles of eating more mindfully; it’s a great way to start training your palate to taste more and to also take a little more time over your food.

Eating with more care and focus can help you get better connected with what you’re putting into your body and how it’s making you feel. You’ll start to discover new layers of taste and flavour in food – and your digestion will thank you too! It’s also a great way to show a little respect for where food has come from and who has created it, from the grower to the maker.

So how can you do it?

There are five simple steps which cover each of the five senses. All you need to get started is a piece of dark chocolate...

1: Look

Rather than popping your chocolate straight into your mouth, take a little time to look at it. Our eyes are an important part of taste so let them enjoy what’s in front of you. Notice the details of the surface and the edges of your chocolate; good quality chocolate should be a rich brown colour with a nice gloss or sheen to it. How does yours look?

2: Touch

Gently hold your finger against the top of your chocolate and notice how it feels. You might also want to move your fingers over the surface and edges. The surface should feel nice and smooth – unless of course it has nuts or nibs in it. And if you hold the chocolate in your hand, it will start to melt slightly (particularly if you have warm hands) as good quality chocolate melts at body temperature.

3: Listen

Yes chocolate does have a sound too; hold a piece up to your ear and break it. You should hear a nice snap. This is a sign that the chocolate has been well made and well tempered (the final stage of making chocolate which also gives it the gloss you noticed in Step 1).

4: Smell

So much of what we call taste is down to our smell; although you may now be very tempted to put the chocolate in your mouth, just wait and take a few gentle and then deeper sniffs to inhale its aromas.

What can you smell? It might be something floral or fruity, perhaps a little peaty, green or coffee-like (and yes chocolate is one of the aroma categories too). With so many flavour compounds to potentially pick up, it’s worth taking the time to appreciate. When you first start out, you’ll most likely smell just chocolate, but as you practice and try different chocolates you’ll start to detect more and more.

5: Taste

Finally, put a small piece of chocolate in your mouth. But don’t chew and chomp. Let it sit on your tongue, maybe moving it around against the roof of your mouth so it melts. Allow time for the flavours to release and the tastes (like sweet or bitter) to develop. Really enjoy this and observe it with attention. You may even want to close your eyes. The lasting flavour after the chocolate has disappeared from your mouth may even be a little different to the first flavour you pick up.

Also notice how your mouth feels as you taste your chocolate – is it creamy, grainy or even a little chalky? What about how your mouth feels after you’ve eaten the chocolate? It might feel creamy or even dry; different chocolate will have a different feel, so take a note and compare.

You can then repeat the whole thing again with another small piece of chocolate or a beautiful rich hot cacao drink and see what you notice. The more you practice, the more you’ll be able to taste and your palate will start to recognise the intricacies of cacao.

It’s this complexity that makes chocolate (and cacao) a really fun and delicious ingredient to taste on its own, but also to match with other flavours in interesting and tasty ways.

Just one example is this recipe for Cacao Balsamic Vinegar which can be used in both sweet and savoury dishes. Try a drizzle over a dish of strawberries or a generous glug with roasted veg – and don’t forget to pay attention to it as you taste."

Meredith Whitely is the creator of Food At Heart, made for people who want to pursue a more conscious way of living and eating. She hosts a range of workshops, challenges and programmes designed to help you explore and discover food in new ways.

Meredith Whitely, founder of Food At Heart. Photography by James Champion

Keen to start the challenge for yourself? Why not take it one step further and make your own homemade chocolate? Or browse our recipe page for plenty of cacaolicious inspiration. 

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