I have a pretty adventurous palate and so does my one year old daughter. She adores California rolls, goes nuts for a good Rogan Josh and is a sucker for poached salmon. Her big brother? Not so much. At that age, the only thing his tastebuds went crazy for were his Crayolas. But I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t have been hard to convince him to nibble on these scrumptious chocolate pencils instead.

Renowned Japanese patissier Tsujiguchi Hironobu has created the melt-in-your-mouth pencils for Tokyo design company Nendo. We think they make the perfect back-to-school treat for holiday-weary mums and dads. They come with a cute little sharpener so you can sprinkle the shavings over your favourite dessert. Or damn that leftover baby weight and sharpen them straight into your mouth!

Like many strange but still oddly practical inventions, the chocolate pencils are apparently only available in Japan. But please, grab some for us if you happen to be in Tokyo.