Everyone claims to make the “perfect hot chocolate”, this is mine! Perfect it may not be, but it suits my palette and is comforting on a cold winter´s day – yes, it is cold at the moment here in “Sunny Spain”.

This is a combination of the hot chocolate I made when I was in my teens and lived with Mum and Dad – I used ordinary milk chocolate and Rowntree´s dark chocolate – and the hot chocolate I enjoy here in southern Spain. Taking a tip from the Spanish, I add a piece of cinnamon to the milk and cream, warm then leave to infuse. To enhance the flavour of the chocolate, add a pinch or sea salt.

Serves 2

450 ml Jersey/breakfast milk (divided – 300 ml; 150 ml)
70 ml whipping cream (or double cream/crème fraîche)
1/2 cinnamon stick
60 grams Green and Black dark chocolate 70% – finely chopped or grated
50 grams Green and Blacks dark milk chocolate – finely chopped or grated
Small pinch sea salt flakes

1. Put 300 ml of the milk and all of the cream into a jug, whisk to combine, pour into a saucepan set over a low heat and add the cinnamon – when bubbles appear on the surface, take off the hob, cover and leave to infuse for 10 minutes.
2. Place one third of the milk into a separate saucepan, place over a low heat, and warm until bubbles appear, add the chocolate while whisking until melted and blended into the milk.
3. Remove the cinnamon stick from the milk and cream, take off any skin on the surface and whisk into the chocolate mixture.
4. Increase heat to medium-low and warm until bubbles appear on the surface, while stirring with a wooden spoon.
5. Remove from the heat, stir in the sea salt (if you do not have sea salt, omit this ingredient).
6. Optional – sweeten to taste using either sugar or Sweet Freedom sugar replacement, top with lightly whipped cream and dust with cocoa or cinnamon.