A chocolate Santa can be a perfect stocking filler - or a nice little pre-Christmas treat. But with so many varieties available, which should you go for?
With most supermarkets having their own versions now, there are some very good cheaper options out there. So chocolate lovers from the Manchester Evening News got together to put a range of them to the test.
Not every supermarket had an own-brand version available when the testers went searching - there were none to be found at Tesco or Sainsbury's. So instead they added some branded treats, including Kinder, Lindt and Dairy Milk.
Purely on taste, the pricier branded versions were the biggest hits with the four tasters. Dairy Milk the favourite for two, while one preferred Kinder and the other Lindt.
There was even a white chocolate version from Cadbury. The tasters, though, were not too impressed with the flavour.
Three of the Santas - from Lidl, Aldi and Morrisons - were much bigger than the rest. Lidl's came in at 150g while the latter two provided a generous 175g.
Lidl's and Aldi's offerings looked identical beneath the wrappers, but tasted different. The Lidl chocolate was a little blander and the shell seemed thinner, explaining the difference in weight.
Asda's was pretty tasty, but the testers all gave the biggest thumbs-up to the Morrisons version - which also happens to have a very cute design on the front. While the chocolate isn't Dairy Milk standard, it's definitely the best of the supermarket versions.
At £1.50 for 175g - less than half of what you pay for the well known brands - you're getting a lot more of the tasty milky stuff for your money. And that's the kind of treat we all need this Christmas.
Full list - supermarket, brand, weight, price, (price per 100g)
- Lidl, own brand Favorina, 150g, 99p, (66p)
- Aldi, own brand Dairyfine, 175g, 99p (57p)
- Asda, own brand, 100g, 89p, (89p)
- Morrisons, own brand, 175g, £1.50, (86p)
- Tesco, Kinder, 110g, £2.50, (£2.27)
- Tesco, Lindt, 125g, £2.50, (£2)
- Morrisons, Dairy Milk, 100g, £2, (£2)
- Sainsbury's, Dairy Milk white chocolate, 100g, Sainsbury's £2, (£2)
