This Factory Near Brussels Lets You Gorge On All-You-Can-Eat ​Chocolate Samples

Many of us remember sitting down to read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (or watching one of the many movie adaptations) in sheer joy, revelling in the thought of giving ourselves belly-ache from all the sweet treats at Willy Wonka's factory.

While we can't offer you a chocolate river, it turns out there is somewhere you can go to lap up a free-flowing supply of chocolate, where you can taste chocolate 'to your heart's content' without having to spend a penny.

Independent journalist Jon Stone shared the revelation on Twitter, writing: "I don't want to alarm anyone, but at the end of Brussels metro line 5 there's a factory outlet for chocolate maker Neuhaus and you can literally 'try' (eat) as much as you like for free."

Neuhaus Factory Shop is situated in Sint-Pieters-Leeuw, near Brussels - around eight minutes' walk down the road from Erasme Metro Station.

In one of Stone's photos, a notice translated into several languages explains there's no catch; you can just eat as much chocs as you like - or can handle.

It says: "Here you can taste our chocolate to your heart's content."

However, the poster does 'urge' customers 'not to take these samples home', as only full, closed boxes are sold for you to take away, and also asks people 'not to open closed boxes'.

I think that seems fair, to be honest.

PA

Stone's tip-off has been met with much gratitude from the online world, with one person commenting: "My heart skipped a bit... While my liver ran for the hills... I knew paradise on earth existed!"

Others also revealed they too had experienced the joy of visiting Neuhaus, sharing their own anecdotes about the experience.

Someone said a pal had taken them there last summer, joking: "I've not been beach body ready since."

Another advised: "The reality is that it's not the sort of chocolate you can devour in quantity like some sort of lunatic - when I went we all only a few each and tended to break them in pieces to share."

A blog post on En Route Traveller also has some wise words for prospective visitors, warning you to go early, not to go on a full stomach, to bring water and to pace yourself.

Another handy hack, it advises, is to 'bring a friend to sample more flavors,' telling you: "Halve the sweets with each other to maximize the varieties of confections you can try."

Topics: Food, World News, News, Chocolate

Jess Hardiman

Jess is a journalist at LADbible who graduated from Manchester University with a degree in Film Studies, English Language and Linguistics - indecisiveness at its finest, right there. She also works for FOODbible and its sister page Seitanists, which are both a safe haven for her to channel a love for homemade pasta, fennel and everything else in between. You can contact Jess at [email protected].

@Jess_Hardiman