Chocolate is far more scrumptious in the winter.
There’s nothing quite like enjoying a velvety smooth hot cocoa with whipped cream and marshmallows on a cold evening spent watching your favourite Christmas films.
Likewise, the taste of a singular square of dark chocolate alongside an espresso after a hearty seasonal roast is undeniably delicious. Compare that to messy, melted Dairy Milk on a summer afternoon, or a heavy chocolate gateau following a selection of light hors d’oeuvres on a summer picnic, and you’ll begin to understand our point.
Perhaps the most beloved and anticipated chocolate treat of the winter season is a classic Christmas countdown. No matter one’s age, chocolate advent calendars are a must-have for the month of December. They elicit a childlike joy and gastronomic delight depending on the chocolatier you opt for, delivering a new delicious treat every day until Christmas finally arrives.
The first chocolate advents arrived in the 1950s before being commercially produced by Cadbury in 1971. Though they’re not exactly an age-old tradition, the humble chocolate countdown calendar has provided unbound festive cheer and cheeky snacking in the decades since its introduction, serving as a delicious departure from traditional object-based or artistic Christmas calendars.
The best advent chocolate calendars tend to sell out before October even comes to a close, so we’ve curated an early selection of the best chocolatey marvels on the market right now. Get ready to praise your own self-control for not devouring the entire enticing collection of chocolates in one sitting and keep scrolling for the ultimate Christmas countdown.
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Harrods Chocolate Advent Calendar
Count on Harrods to produce one of the most beautifully designed chocolate advents we’ve ever come across for Christmas 2024. Behind each festive door is a selection of solid milk and white chocolates adorned with an adorable Harrods bear.
Buy now £20.00, Harrods
Chococo Dark Chocolate Advent Shapes Tube
A uniquely cylindrical take on the classic chocolate advent, this dark chocolate-filled option from luxury chocolatier Chococo is still delightfully festive. Each chocolate is handcrafted from 72 per cent Ecuador-origin dark chocolate and packaged in a reusable, plastic-free tube.
Buy now £12.00, Chococo
Fortnum's Children's Chocolate Advent Calendar
Designed and curated with little ones in mind, Fortnum’s Children’s advent is a chocolate-filled dreamscape. It’s filled with 25 milk chocolates, including an extra-special, extra-large bar to enjoy on Christmas day.
Buy now £25.95, F&M
Venchi Prestige Chocolate Advent Calendar
An investment in chocolate-fuelled luxury, this opulent advent by Venchi is part-calendar, part-puzzle. It includes 25 of Venchi’s finest chocolates (because bonus treats shouldn’t be controversial) which are placed in interchangeable boxes that can be moved around to create different festive scenes.
Buy now £67.51, Harvey Nichols
Ferrero Rocher Collection Advent Calendar
Complete with all the nutty delights which make up the entire Ferrero collection (including the perennially under-appreciated Rafaello), this advent calendar certainly looks and tastes the part.
Buy now £15.00, Tesco
Cadbury Heroes Christmas Advent-ure Calendar
Classic Cadbury Heroes are a Christmas staple. Sorry, we don’t make the rules. This advent calendar is sure to be a December crowd-pleaser thanks to favourites such as Twirls, Eclairs and Wispas.
Buy now £10.89, Amazon
Milkybar White Chocolate Christmas Advent Calendar
Cheap, cheerful and always delicious, a Milkybar white chocolate advent calendar is a fan-favourite for a reason. The bite-size pieces are perfect for sweet-toothed little ones.
Buy now £6.99, Amazon
Ombar Vegan Chocolate Christmas Advent Calendar
Complete with a variety of plant-based, festive chocolate delights, the true prize in this brilliant vegan advent calendar is the extra-large spiced orange and hazelnut truffle bar.
Buy now £14.99, Ombar
Celebrations Chocolate Christmas Advent Calendar
Let’s be real, Christmas isn’t Christmas without a box of Celebrations. We love the fact that with this beloved advent, you get a different chocolatey surprise every day until Christmas morning. We’ve got our fingers crossed for extra Maltesers Teasers.
Buy now £6.00, Ocado
Baci Chocolate Christmas Advent Calendar
Baci chocolate is a sorely underrated advent option to enjoy this Christmas. Like Nutella in solid form, each chocolate is delightfully hazelnutty and goes wonderfully with a morning brew.
Buy now £20.00, Amazon
Galaxy Smooth Milk Chocolate Christmas Advent Calendar
Gloriously smooth and moreish Galaxy chocolate is always a winner among the kiddos over the festive period. Treat them to their all-time favourite for a classic Christmas countdown this year.
Buy now £2.50, Amazon
Montezuma's Dark Chocolate Advent Calendar
An oh-so-adult selection of dark chocolate which is sure to keep little paws off, Montezuma’s sumptuous selection makes for a perfect after dinner treat throughout the month of December.
Buy now £11.07, Ocado
NOMO Premium Advent
Whether you’re into plant-based chocolate by choice or by dietary requirement, NOMO is a fan-favourite for a reason. This delicious plant-powered advent calendar contains a selection of NOMO’s most delicious dairy-free, gluten-free, nut-free, egg-free and palm oil-free flavours as well as a full-size caramel bar.
Buy now £22.50, Amazon
Reese's Advent Calendar
The peanut butter-filled American delight is officially available in advent calendar form, giving us Reese’s obsessives an excuse to enjoy a chocolatey cup every day in December. The selection includes both milk and white chocolate cups.
Buy now £5.50, Ocado
M&S Where’s Wally Advent Calendar
A chocolatey advent but make it an optical illusion. M&S has decided to make finding those precious dates even harder with this ingenious Where’s Wally calendar which is filled with 24 festive milk chocolate shapes.
Buy now £2.75, Ocado
Hershey's Cookies 'n' Creme Advent Calendar
Hershey's Cookies 'n' Creme chocolate is a classic white chocolate filled with mouth-watering cookie crumbles. We love the festive polar bear on the front of this value-for-money option.
Buy now £5.50, Ocado
Cadbury Dairy Milk Advent Calendar
You simply can’t go wrong with a classic Cadbury’s advent calendar. Weighing in at a whopping 340g, you’re certainly getting bang for your buck with this delicious box of treats. You’ll be more chocolate than human come Christmas.
Buy now £10.00, Cadbury
Kinder Bueno Advent Calendar
That’s right, the irresistible chocolate hazelnut and wafer-coated treat has been wrapped up, especially for Christmas. With a 50/50 mixture of white and milk chocolate Kinder Bueno minis, there’s always a 100 per cent chance of pure chocolatey bliss.
Buy now £8.80, Boots
Lindt Teddy 3D chocolate advent calendar 310g
Who says the classic Lindt teddy advent calendar is just for kids? We, for one, would adore being greeted by this teddy's smiling face every morning as we count down to Christmas. The sumptuous, creamy chocolates hidden within also help.
Buy now £24.95, Amazon
Fortnum's Chocolate Truffle Selection Advent Calendar
Fortnum & Mason is a paragon of British luxury, famous as the Mayfair department store in which the late Queen did her grocery shopping (not personally, alas).
What better way to celebrate the Christmas countdown than with a surprisingly value-for-money selection of Fortnum’s most delicious chocolate truffles curated with chocolate lovers in mind?
From milk chocolate sea-salted caramel truffles, to dark chocolate orange truffles – our mouths are already watering and it’s not even December yet.
Buy now £28.50, F&M
Charbonnel et Walker Advent Calendar
Indulge in an entire advent calendar's worth of luxurious Charbonnel et Walker truffles this Christmas. We certainly won't judge if you don't stick to the designated countdown.
Buy now £35.00, Fenwick
Candy Kittens Advent Calendar
We know we’re cheating by including a non-chocolate advent calendar in this round-up, but we couldn’t resist the pull of this extravagant gourmet advent calendar from Candy Kittens. Filled to the brim with delicious, fizzy flavours from the brand’s addictive range, you’ll get a sweet treat every day for 24 days.
Buy now £12.00, Amazon
Tony's Chocolonely Countdown Calendar
Tony’s Chocolonely has become a cult chocolate brand, and has certainly taken Gen Z by storm. Enjoy a selection of the most delicious flavours to come from the fresh brand, including a classic milk chocolate hazelnut, as well as a milk chocolate almond honey nougat. Suitable for families as well as the chocolonely this Christmas.
Buy now £12.80, Boots
Pierre Marcolini Advent Calendar "Gentleman of the Snow"
Indulge in the moreish Belgian chocolate creations of Pierre Marcolini this Christmas. A joy for children and adults alike, the lovely Winter Wonderland scene houses 24 iconic Marcolini chocolates including pralines, truffes, hearts, caramels, Petits Bonheurs and more.
Buy now £54.00, Pierre Marcolini
Love Cocoa Chocolate Advent Calendar
This calendar houses 23 scrumptious chocolate squares hidden behind this festive London scene. Featuring Love Cocoa’s best-selling flavours, open the doors to salted caramel, spiced gingerbread truffle or hazelnut crunch - all of which are made from sustainable single-origin cocoa by the ethical British chocolate brand.
Buy now £16.00, English Heritage
