If, like me, you have a big family, you’ll know the festive panic of last-minute Christmas shopping. I have imaginative nieces and nephews to impress, parents who love a luxurious treat, and siblings who value gifts that incorporate brilliant storytelling - so when it comes to buying presents, there’s a rather heavy pressure to make sure that everyone is happy.
But what I’ve realised in recent years is that there’s one thing we all have in common: an unshakeable appreciation for beautifully crafted chocolate. My most poignant Christmas memories involve us all coming together after a hearty dinner, cosying up on the sofa, and sharing the sweet treats that we’ve been eyeing up since the start of the month. So now, I forgo the stress of darting from one shop to another in December and instead make a singular trip to my nearest Hotel Chocolat.
The award-winning chocolatier is known for their elegant and indulgent creations, and there’s nothing more satisfying than setting down a Grand Wreath Box and watching as the children, teenagers and adults alike dive in for their favourite pieces. The little ones are endlessly amazed by the sheer size of the Rather Large Chocolate Christmas Cracker, and my dessert connoisseur mother is always thrilled with the Winter Puddings box. For me, Christmas is all about spending time with my loved ones - and nothing brings us all together like an enormous array of irresistible chocolates.
The Grand Wreath Box is the ultimate showstopper when it comes to Hotel Chocolat’s festive offerings, and it’s the one that gets me the most popularity points over the festive period. With 84 carefully sculpted chocolates and weighing in at over a kilo, there’s more than enough to go around. Festive tipples have been transformed into bite-sized delights (think caramel espresso martini baubles and mulled wine thimbles), while the mini wreaths and white chocolate custard tarts showcase the brand’s innovative approach to confectionery. It also includes several flavour iterations of the impressive Supernova chocolate star - which was uniquely designed to replicate the real thing, with points which aren’t quite symmetrical. Talk about innovation!
For those who enjoy the exciting snap of a festive cracker (and in my family home, that’s everyone from my three year old niece to my father who’s in his sixties), Hotel Chocolat present their very own Rather Large Chocolate Christmas Cracker. And it’s not just rather large. It’s enormous. At two feet long the white cracker, adorned with red bows, is impressively packed with 40 chocolates, including the caramel spruce Christmas trees (which are so delicately designed that you’ll probably want to marvel at them for a few minutes before enjoying). But that’s not all. It also includes 12 paper hats and jokes, so you can enjoy the traditional fun of a festive cracker as well as champagne truffles, milk chocolate snowflakes and scarf-wearing reindeer. Win win.
The Hotel Chocolat Classic Christmas box is the one for you if you need to satisfy all. A great choice for those who want to try a little bit of everything, the tray has been updated this year to ensure that every palette is catered for. There are triple blackcurrant chocolates for lovers of zingy fruity flavours, and the Caffè Latte Supernovas are an expertly balanced mouthful of Arabica coffee and smooth hazelnut praline. You’ll also find salted caramel cream, caramel, and white chocolate penguins donning bobblehats, which were sketched and originally hand-carved by Hotel Chocolat’s in-house chocolate sculptress.
And if you have a loved one who adores cakes and bakes - for me it’s my mother, who is something of a real-life Mary Berry - the Hotel Chocolat Winter Puddings box is a non-negotiable. Filled to the brim with pudding-inspired chocolates, you’ll find tart Gooseberry crumbles alongside spiced carrot cake pots and festive cinnamon bun cases. Plus, all the chocolates in this box are alcohol-free meaning that they can be enjoyed by the whole family.
Although, you don’t have to tell the little ones that…
