Round the choc queues at Selfridges for Willie Wonka's bars of gold

LONDON'S department stores have become accustomed to waiting lists for Hermès bags, Victoria Beckham dresses and Louis Vuitton shoes.

Now, for the first time, Selfridges has been forced to make customers queue for £3.49 bars of chocolate.

More than 1,500 people are on a waiting list to taste the first 3,000 bars made by TV chef Willie Harcourt-Cooze - nicknamed "the real Willie Wonka" - when they go on sale at the store on Thursday.

The Peruvian San Martin 70 per cent cocoa is described as having berry notes, while the Venezuelan Rio Caribe Superior 72 per cent cocoa boasts a citrus tinge.

It is Mr Harcourt-Cooze's first attempt at making bars sweet enough to eat from the packet, after he achieved cult status for his 100 per cent cocoa cooking chocolate.

Selfridges sold 10,000 of those bars in a week, after the chef suggested putting it in porcini risotto and game casserole.

Marco Pierre-White regularly orders batches for his Yew Tree Inn in Highclere, Berkshire, and Mark Hix is understood to use it at his restaurants.

Other fans include bag designer Anya Hindmarch, comedian couple Lenny Henry and Dawn French, and actor Billy Zane.

London has become the world's chocoholic capital since a new generation of British chocolatiers began adding a gourmet element to their products.

William Curley was voted the best British chocolatier in 2007 for his innovative creations such as rosemary and olive oil and apricot and wasabi. The Hotel Chocolat chain, meanwhile, has a £40million turnover. The average Briton ate 10kg of chocolate in 2006, compared with the Belgians (8.7kg) and the Germans (8.1kg), according to Datamonitor.

The credit crunch has seen ever more consumers turn to chocolate as a treat, with Cadbury posting a 30 per cent rise in profit.

Mr Harcourt-Cooze's chocolate is made from cocoa beans grown on his own South American plantations and processed in his factory in Devon.

Selfridges buyer Tania McMullen said: "Because the factory is so small, we'll have to keep waiting for fresh batches, so I think there will be a waiting list for some time."

The two 80g bars will be sold in Waitrose and independent stores from the weekend.

Mr Harcourt-Cooze will be signing copies of Willie's Chocolate Factory Cookbook in the Selfridges food hall on 18 April.

His new series Raising The Bar: Willie's Chocolate Revolution starts on Channel 4 on 7 April.

Hot chocolate ... the best producers in London

Chika Watanabe, Melt

Mixes Japanese tastes with European styles - green tea powder sprinkled chocolates and silver leaf decorations.

59 Ledbury Road, W11, www.meltchocolates.com

Angus Thirlwell and Peter Harris, Hotel Chocolat

Specialities include huge chocolate slabs.

163 Kensington High Street, www.hotelchocolat.co.uk

Laurent Couchaux, Rococo

Laurent brought fine ganaches to London including truffles with delicate flavour.

5 Motcomb Street, SW1, www.rococochocolates.com

Paul A Young

Ex-pastry chef at Marco Pierre White's Quo Vadis, uses Valrhona chocolate from France, and won Best New Chocolate Shop in 2007.

33 Camden Passage, or 20 Royal Exchange, www.paulayoung.co.uk

William Curley

Four-time Best British Chocolatier winner. Ingredients include wasabi.

32-34 Shepherd Market and 10 Paved Court, Richmond, www.williamcurley.co.uk