Quality Chocolates at Christmas

Luxury chocolate has become more accessible for consumers as high streets reflect the need for healthier and tastier brands. One of those brands is Hotel Chocolat, a company that drives the idea of more cocoa and less sugar.

Hotel Chocolat have something for all members of the family. The Classic Christmas H-Box comes with 14 chocolates with flavours ranging from caramel to cinnamon and champagne to praline. The His and Hers theme continues cleverly with the All I Want for Christmas Hamper which can be given to your favourite couple with an assortment of goodies that include a Penguin Snowed Under Slab, a Reindeer Lick, a Milk & Cookies Slab, Champagne Truffles and Salted Caramel Snowflakes. The divergence of taste is the key. There are even For Him options including a Beer Truffles Collection.

Christmas is always said to be a family time and Hotel Chocolat really come into their own with its superb range of boxed collections. The traditional Christmas Sleekster has something for everyone, both young and old, with a yummy white chocolate reindeer and a Caramel Christmas Tree for starters moving on to the more adult lure of Christmas Mess and Mulled Wine Truffle. Even more family friendly is the Luxury Winter Puddings Sleekster, which contains no alcohol. The company clearly has a lot of fun with the children's titles. In fact, with a very affordable box of Portly Penguins, a milk chocolate Jolly Santa and other “Tiddly” delights, the young ones are as much spoilt for choice as the adults.

Divine Chocolate is a Fairtrade chocolate company which produces some stunningly tasty bars. A great introduction for Christmas would be the Chocolate Tasting Set which includes a dozen mini bars all individually wrapped including White Chocolate with Strawberries, Milk Chocolate with Toffee & Sea Salt and Dark Chocolate with Raspberry. There’s also the traditional individually wrapped White Chocolate, Milk Chocolate and Dark Chocolate Hearts that always present perfectly on any occasion. For a more targeted and obvious Christmas gift, the Divine Chocolate Advent Calendar is also available.

The Chocolate Trading Company offers one of the most complete online resources for retail luxury chocolates from the finest chocolate makers in the world. The Independent gave the site a glowing review, calling its range: "the widest selection of premium chocolates from around the world for chocolate connoisseurs." Most of the chocolate makers featured on the site are award winning bean to bar chocolate makers. The company’s partnership with specialist chocolatiers in the Single Estate field such as Michel Cluizel, shows its commitment to excellence. Some of the leading Gourmet brands are also there and include Amedei, Domori, Pralus and Venchi.