Childhood memories of being spellbound by chocolate...

There's more to 'Chocolate' than it simply being a 9 letter word starting with a 'C'...

Many of us have wonderful, entertaining and definitely memorable stories of how we first came across the sweet pleasure that is wrapped, unwrapped and devoured thousands of times a day across the globe.  We wanted to capture a few of these and with a little help from our friends at WICKED we ran a competition asking people to tell us about their earliest childhood memory of being spellbound by chocolate.

We had some fabulous entries so wanted to share the top 10 (the 1st 2 were the winning entries), enjoy and we hope it helps trigger a memory or two of your own chocolate memories...

'I was about 5 years old. I was sitting with my Grandpa down in the back of the garden after helping him pick up the apples that had fallen from the tree. He reached into his pocket and gave me 4 squares of his own secret chocolate stash and being told no to tell Nanna about where he kept his chocolate hidden in the garden shed. Those 4 squares were the sweetest chocolate I ever tasted.'
- Jeannie, 2014

'Like it was yesterday.. I remember accompanying my beautiful Mum on a trip to the markets to "help" at about 5 years of age. Whilst she ordered at the counter of the Providore I became transfixed as my eyes came across what seemed to be an immense chocolate fountain. Much to Mum's mortification I simply had to immerse my entire hand into that magical flow to ensure my eyes were not deceiving me!'
- Jessica, 2014

'My first memory of being spellbound by chocolate was waking up one Easter morning to a trail of bunny footprints throughout our house. I followed these with excitement to the backyard where there waiting, as if by magic, was a pile of chocolate! I was in chocolate heaven, there were big eggs, small eggs even an egg with a “seed” you could plant to ensure the bunny came back the following year and to top it all off it was the one time we were allowed to eat chocolate for breakfast!'
- Emma, 2014

'I remember one of the Easters as a child I was actually praying that there would be more chocolate than I could dream of on the Easter Egg Hunt. There is actually a picture of me with my hands together in prayer! I think I was obsessed at a young age :)'
- Melissa, 2014

'My earliest memory was Easter morning when I was 5 years old, I woke up before my family to do the easter egg hunt all by myself! I ate every single chocolate (including big cherry ripe bunnies) before my family woke up...my sister was only a baby so gathered easter bunny had left all the eggs for me! Took me a very long time to eat cherry ripe chocolate again!'
- Kate, 2014

'As a adventourous 2 year old, I found the Easter Bunny's stash of chocolates. Of course I could not help myself as I played with the paper and eagerly unwrapped each one. I was spellbound by the most amazing taste of this divine indulgent taste and texture which I had never experienced. With chocolate dripping down my mouth and covered from top to bottom I was in a state of great excitement of this exquisite taste, and of course devoured each one. To this day I cannot contain myself with the excitement and taste of this wonderful treat called CHOCOLATE.'
- Sharon, 2014

'I was 8 years old, and i had been in hospital for 2 months, and i was allowed to come home for a few nights, Mum made me a hot chocolate and showed me to use a frozen tim tam as a straw to suck the hot chocolate through. I gained the weight of a packet of tim tams that day thanks to my mum.'
- Neil, 2014

'Remember back in the 70's, when David Jones had the gourmet chocolates in a rotating shelf display? We had recently watched Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. I blame that movie for giving me the impression I could help myself to the chocolate display. My little brother and I sampled our way through several deliciously expensive delights. When the sales person tapped me on the shoulder and asked "Are you planning to eat all of that chocolate, young lady?" I looked at her with my innocent, 7 year old eyes and replied "No...I am sharing with my brother". Unintentionally wicked.' 
- Michelle, 2014

'My earliest memory of being spellbound by chocolate was from when I was about 3 or 4 years old, my uncle had an easter egg that was so big it fit into a wicker laundry basket. It was so big and heavy that I could lie on top of it with all of my weight without it breaking. I remember going to his house everyday and sneaking a piece of chocolate from that giant easter egg with my cousins, it felt like it lasted forever!'
- Angela, 2014

'I was lying flat out on my tummy on the lounge room carpet with my little brother and sister (mum and dad were sitting on the lounge) watching the Disney family movie on a Sunday night. My mum and dad asked if we would like a piece of Cadbury's 'Snack'. It was amazing with its wondrous gooey flavours of Pineapple, Strawberry, Orange, Caramel and Turkish Delight. It was funny to see how people enjoyed chocolate in different ways, sucking it so it lasts, eating the syrupy middle first. That is one of my fondest memories, spellbound by chocolate and family.'
- Lindy, 2014