Nutella

Sometime ago, Nutella Belgium had an application that allowed you to make your own label for your Nutella jar. They would then send two of them to you by mail for free. I have, of course, made mine and have since then been eating some (little!) Mariana/Nutella spoons for dessert, from time to time.

Neuhaus' factory shop

After having read this post, I became really curious about visiting Neuhaus' factory shop. It is located in Anderlecht, very close to the metro station Erasme (10 minutes maximum walking distance), so you can easily reach it with public transportation. Inside you'll find all types of Neuhaus' chocolates, being sold for a reduced price. In their regular gift boxes, you don't see that much of a difference in the prices, only in case their expiry date is close (we saw a box of 500g of truffles being sold for 10€, because it would expire in 15 days).

What is really worthy is the called "lucky corner", where you'll find 1kg boxes filled with all types of chocolates (each box only has one kind of chocolate, though, but you have a lot of variety to choose from). Each box currently costs 25€, but if you buy 3 of them you pay only 50€. These are cardboard boxes filled with chocolate (well accommodated with layers and plastic shelves) and you can taste each of them before buying (in fact, everything sold in the shop can be tasted for free, as there are plates with samples in front of each product, so even if you end up deciding not to buy anything, you can still have pieces of some finest Belgian chocolate for free).

I went with a friend and we bought together one of those 1kg boxes. We then split its content half-half (so I got 500g), which I then divided into 5 plastic bags, that I bought in HEMA (10 of these bags are sold for approximately 1,50€, they come with a piece for closing and they have them in several designs). 

So, in the end, I had these 5 little bags to offer as a souvenir to my friends and family, not in one of Neuhaus' classic packages, but with one made on my own and for a much lower price than if I had bought them in a regular shop or at the airport. If you want to offer even a larger portion, it may be worthy to go with a friend with the same idea and buy the 3 boxes for 50€, because then the discount would be even greater. Nevertheless, pay also attention to the expiry date of these boxes, as some have a long period, but others were also finishing in just one month.

Neuhaus Outlet

Postweg 2, 1602 Vlezenbeek, Belgium

Tel: 02-568-23-10

Hours: Mon. – Fri. 9 a.m.-6 p.m. | Saturday 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

The outlet is open during the lunch hour.

All major credit cards accepted

Jip & Janneke

Jip and Janneke is a series of children's books in the Netherlands, written by Annie M.G. Schmidt and illustrated by Fiep Westendorp. The series is known for its simplicity and wit and started in the '50s. In order to commemorate their 60th brithday, HEMA launched this cute set of a plate, a bowl and a mug for 11€. I couldn't resist to buy yet this other souvenir, even though a Dutch one, but whose cartoons and books were famous in Belgium as well, because of the language.

Tintin cookie box

This was my first souvenirish buy since I arrived in Brussels. I went to the supermarket and saw these boxes (they had them in 3 different designs) full of 1kg of chocolate cookies and I had to buy one. It costed 10,95€ and I have seen them being sold in shops in the center for 15€ or more, so check your supermarket if you also want yours for a cheaper price. I am determined to fit it into my luggage when I return!