Kokova Magazine

As December draws closer you will be hard pressed to avoid the build up to the festive season if you are in and around London. The City has played host to a number of events already, including the Country Living Magazine Christmas Fair and Salon du Chocolat. With the Ideal Home at Christmas under way this week (13th - 17th November), the BBC Good Food Show starting this weekend (15th - 17th) and Taste of Christmas planned for next (21st - 24th) we are spoilt for choice. Last week we visited the Spirit of Christmas Fair (5th - 10th) to top up our festive spirit and discover some new ideas for Christmas from the vast selection of products on display.

When it comes to chocolate are we really getting the best from the cocoa beans? Many companies overheat their beans and lose all the goodness from their bars. Some add cream and sugar until the original bean becomes less of a chocolate bar and more a butter bar with little nutrition left. But at Ombar they take their cocoa a little more serious and treat their beans with a lot more care, to produce a great selection of 'new' chocolate that should suit every taste.

Congratulations to our winners: Lucy Smith (Halifax) and Mel Lydon (Belfast).

The BBC Good Food Show is one of the biggest and best food shows in the country - and with their Christmas and Winter Shows they bring the TV show to you in London and Birmingham for 2013. Pick up on the latest food trends with hundreds of small and artisan companies under one roof with London's largest collection of producers. And with Christmas just around the corner the Birmingham show will be the perfect place to pick up inspiration to make your Christmas stand out from the crowds this year and try something different.

Broadcaster Chris Evans has confirmed the dates and venues for his latest two CarFest festivals in 2014. Performing to millions of avid listeners on his award-winning BBC Radio 2 Breakfast show, Evans announced that next summer's CarFest North will be held at Oulton Park in Cheshire from 1st - 3rd August, with CarFest South taking place three weeks later at Laverstoke Park Farm near Basingstoke in Hampshire over the 22nd - 24th August Bank Holiday weekend 2014.

Taking place from 13th - 17th November 2013 at Earls Court, the Ideal Home Show at Christmas is the ultimate shopping experience, where you can find everything on your Christmas list all under one roof. Plus enjoy festive entertainment, including a spectacular Christmas Ice Rink! With over 650 exhibitors across seven sections including; Interiors & Home Accessories, Food & Drink sponsored by Regina, Home Improvements & Outdoor Living, Fashion & Beauty, Technology & Gadgets and Gifts, this is the biggest home show at Christmas and one not to be missed.