After nearly three years, I visited Bake and Chocolate festival on Thursday and I was sooo glad I did! This festival happens every year in October in Stockholm mässan which is five minute walk from Älvsjö Station. You can read about the festival from 2016 here on this link, but the festival has grown so much this year. It is better and rich in experience. There are more stalls and variety is great. This festival started on 10th October and ended on 13th October 2019.

Festival showcases plethora of businesses and companies involved in baking and chocolate industry. Never mind even if you don’t read the map of stalls on this hall, they all are unique in the products they sell and it is so much fun to explore them. I think I have managed to cover in pictures only half of the variety that was being sold and displayed here.

I think some stalls are their regular stalls, like the one which displays Chocolate sculptures made by the students of professional school of Kristianstad. I love to see what new the students have created.

Similar to sculpturing yet something different I saw this year was this stall selling rusted tools.. Well, they are actually chocolate tools. This took me by surprise this year. All these tools were for sale. One wonders though the shape which is created with so much effort has to be damaged to consume the chocolate.

One of my favorite stalls is Liv Sandberg Cakeart. Liv Sandberg is a well renowned chocolatier and cake artist. She has won best wedding cake of the year award in 2016. That was the year actually I fell in love with her chocolates displayed in this festival. It was my first chocolate festival in Stockholm, in 2016 and her colourful, artsy, beautiful looking pralines were unique. Check them out in my previous blog.

This year as expected her stall was again crowded as she really makes her pralines stand out using unique colour combinations, glaze and flavour combinations. Be it macaroons with golden brush strokes on them or skull shaped multicolored pralines, there is lot to enjoy visually! Enjoy some pictures from her stall.

Another stall which is my all time favorite are the ones displaying chocolate fountains. Usually plain chocolate and white chocolate flavored fountains are displayed but was happy to see orange and pistachio flavored chocolate fountain this year. They not only sell the marshmallows dipped in the fountain but also the fountain itself as well.

Even though this flowing chocolate beauty was difficult to ignore, I have noticed bite sized handmade pralines were the hot favourite to be bought and sold by most companies. Not only are the flavours unique but also are the company names. This time favorite was Omn Omn Omn. Well, that was easy to remember and if your products look as delicious as the company name then you are winning for sure!

As I speak about winning, below is the picture of Isabella Westergren. She is the winner of Årets Konditori Tävling that is held at the festival. So this competition is held over two days. They are competing live at the venue. They are the finalists and have to keep on preparing and competing for two days in front of this large festival audience. Everyone can see them and the pressure is huge as this competion officially decides Sweden’s “Pastry Chef of the Year”. They won prize money and represent the industry.

She was the only contestant whom I was watching and took pictures of that day. Infact I even unknowingly spoke to her mother!! Her mom explained to me the contest. She was and must be one proud mother. I think the family came dressed in green t shirts to support her… Amazing!! 😊👏 What a photographic coincidence for me 😅😁

Another incidence of mom helping her daughters was this stall called Green Praline. I guess small businesses must have some help from family to survive in a four day long festival.

Besides chocolates being sold at the festival, many other kinds of food and drink stalls were also available. Be it most authentic cheese being sold with tastiest olives or a separate section for wine tasting. A huge stall selling anything and everything related to baking and making chocolates was also majorly liked by the people attending the festival. A stall selling ceramic products related to Christmas and ornaments exclusively made to look like fruits and vegetables also saw a lot of interest from the attendees. Be it coffee beans or selling chocolate bars everything was available at the festival.

Have you ever felt the need to taste pumpkin spice flavored drinks or food just because they are such a huge craze whenever Halloween is approaching? Then I even spotted these flavored vegan chocolates by a company named vegan delight. I must say Ecological, organic and vegan chocolates were also promoted and loved by many companies and attendees.

It was also an excellent opportunity to buy books from different chocolatiers and chefs. Also observe the chefs in action as they created chocolates on front of your eyes.

Each stall offers chocolates to taste before you buy them. I was full even before I left the location. Tiny bits of chocolate are energy boosting and I did not realise the two hours I spent roaming in that location.

Still I ended up buying few pralines for myself. This is my loot from the festival.
My husband thinks they look like 9 planets.😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍

Chocolates are from companies named @livsandbergcakeart @vegandelights.sweden  @chokladforsjalen  and @greenpraline
Flavours are simple Praline (Liv), white passionfuit Praline (Chokladforsjalen), Pumpkin Spice (Vegan delights), chili (Vegan delights), Pistachio (Green Praline), white passionfuit Praline, mocha (Green Praline), saffran(Liv) and Cardamom rhubarb (Liv).

I have covered only half of the things happening at the festival on the first day. There were three more days of fun and new things happening at the venue which I was tracking via Instagram. I hope this blog post must have tempted you to eat a chocolate, I know I feel the craving already. Adios for now..I hope to see some of you at the festival next year.