See more on this at dessert-inspired chocolate collection.

A few practical notes. Serve the wine slightly cool rather than warm, since an over warm red exaggerates the alcohol and buries the fruit. Take a small bite of chocolate, let it start to melt, then sip so the two meet on your tongue rather than one after the other. Notice how the salt seems to sharpen the fruit, which is the effect you are chasing.

With fruit, nuts and chocolate all on one board, ask guests about dietary or allergen needs and check the packs before you serve. Beyond that, a chocolate and fruit board is the easiest impressive dessert there is. Assemble it, put it in the middle of the table, and let the party finish itself.

Irish whiskey and chocolate hampers belong together at the end of an evening. Both are made by careful roasting and slow work, and both reward you for taking your time. You do not need to know much about whiskey to pair the two well, just a rough sense of the styles.

Move on to soft cheeses. A brie or a young goats’ cheese pairs nicely with a fruit-centred chocolate, where a raspberry or orange note lifts the cream. Keep these pairings gentle, since a heavy dark chocolate will bury a delicate soft cheese rather than meeting it.

Caramel and coffee is one of those pairings that feels obvious the moment you try it, yet most people never do it on purpose. Both are built on roasted, caramelised flavour, so they meet in the middle rather than fighting. A sea salt caramel share bag and a fresh pot of coffee is an easy way to see why.