Mitzi Blue chocolate

I love love love product packaging. It is my dream to be the comer upper of unputdownable tins of soup, washing powder cartons and stock cube packets. If I had the energy to make a portfolio, apply for art school and spend three years being told what to do, I would become one. Until then, I will have to make due with drooling over the lovely things I see in the shops.

And drooling I was, when coming across this beautifully designed brand of chocolate: Mitzi Blue. I spent an absolute age trying to pick the one flavour I was allowing myself to buy. (The steep price was the only thing holding me back. Oh, and my ever so slowly increasing weight.) I went for the Schweinstrauben (pigs' grapes), with a funky little drawing of piggies clustered together as a bunch of grapes. It contained milk chocolate, grapes and the unknown ingredient of 'Grammelnougat'. Never in a million years did I think there were actually piggies in there. But there are, in the shape of tiny nuggets of caramelized pork scratchings. And they taste good too (the piggies).

At Mitzi Blue they fight the worthy fight against the levelling of flavours that seems to come with globalisation, and they do so by coming up with the funkiest combinations. I spotted flavours like Hot Chicken (milk chocolate with an eggnog filling and a chicken in fishnets on the packaging), Gekräuterte Ziege (herbed goat; goat's milk chocolate and mint chocolate with herbs) and the fragrant Marrakesh (with almond nougat, orange flower oil and real rose petals).

The fat man in the tutu that features on their strawberry chocolate presumably shows you what happens if you eat the lot. And are partial to wearing tutus.

Behind the brand is Austrian producer Joseph Zotter, a modern Willy Wonka with a chocolate theatre and an edible zoo on the factory site. No, I am not sure what to make of this either. But it sounds pretty dedicated and involved. At Zotter, they don't do things by halves, and therefore all chocolate is as organic as can be (each packet will tell you exactly what is and isn't organic about it), their suppliers are certified Fairtrade and they understand the importance of a great designer. Oh, and the chocolate tastes pretty smooth too. Mr Zotter, I salute you.