Valentine's Day is all about romance and indulgence, with delicious meals and a chocolatey treat to top off the special day.
With many different retailers offering romantic boxes of chocolates to enjoy with your loved one, it can be difficult to pick the best option.
Chocolate is chocolate, but sometimes picking the wrong box of chocolates can be a real disappointment and a waste of money.
READ MORE: Aldi vs M&S Valentine's Day meal deals rated and there is one winner
We tried Valentine's Day boxes of chocolates from Aldi, M&S, Hotel Chocolat, Thorntons, Lindt and Morrisons to see which one was the perfect Valentine's gift for that special someone.
Moser Roth Belgian Chocolate Seashells
I absolutely love Guylian chocolates and the Moser Roth Seashells were basically an Aldi option for a slightly cheaper price at £2.49 so it's a win win!
In terms of the box and the look of the chocolates, they looked exactly the same as the Guylian £3.75 version so I was very impressed.
They had the classic shell appearance with the slight shine and looked just as good as they tasted! One bite into the moreish chocolate basically left me wanting to eat the whole box, with the chocolates offering a nice crunch and a soft praline centre.
If anything, these chocolates were slightly nuttier than the Guylian version, but I definitely wasn't complaining.
If your loved one isn't a fan of nuts, I probably wouldn't recommend these as a gift, but if you're after a cheaper alternative to a good brand of chocolates, these are a great option.
Admittedly, there wasn't a great range of Valentine's Day chocolates in Aldi, so I wouldn't rely on the store for variation, but these chocolates were delicious nonetheless.
Rating: 4/5
Price: £2.59 for 250g
Where to buy: In store at Aldi
M&S You Light Up My Life
Last Christmas, Marks and Spencer seemed to have light up everything, from gin bottles to biscuit tins and the theme continues for Valentine's Day.
After browsing the Valentine's selection in my local M&S Food Store I simply had to try the huge 'You Light Up My Life' chocolate selection box. Big, red and covered with a pretty heart pattern, the box stood out from all the others and I was intrigued by the light up aspect.
To activate the light, you simply use the tab on the side of the box to slide out the chocolate inside and it instantly lights up as it opens. I have to admit it added a fun touch, despite the eye popping £15 price tag. But M&S is known for its quality food and confectionary and the chocolate truffles didn't disappoint.
You get 20 good sized truffles - five Strawberries & Cream, six Salted Caramel, five Smooth Milk and four Double Dark. They're hand painted with fruit, caramel and chocolate centres, and were as nice as you would find in an artisan chocolate shop. The Salted Caramel was a personal favourite, with a gooey soft centre and I also adored the richness of the Smooth Milk chocolate. The Double Dark were deliciously bitter while the Strawberries & Cream had a real fruitiness to them.
While I wouldn't spend £15 on a box of chocolates every week, for a special occasion these hit the mark and who wouldn't want to be presented with a huge light up box of heart shaped chocolates on Valentine's Day?
Rating: 5/5
Price: £15
Where to buy: In store at M&S
Hotel Chocolat With Love H-Box
I'm a big fan of Hotel Chocolat. I think there's no better hot chocolate around than the chocolatier's silky smooth, velvety concoctions so I was excited to try its Valentine's Day chocolates.
I picked up a box of its With Love chocolates, 14 heart shaped treats in a variety of flavours. There's white, milk and dark chocolate on offer so there's something to suit all manner of tastes.
My favourite flavours included salted caramel, which was absolute perfection; vanilla, which is light, sweet and tasty; lemon curd, which was refreshingly zesty; the delectable and rich mousse au chocolat and the super sweet strawberry mousse.
Among my least favourites were raspberry and peach, which offered a floral flavour that reminded me of cleaning products; and the pecan and pistachio, both of which were tasty but just a little bit too nutty for my liking.
The dark gianduja was intense and rich and while it wasn't my favourite, my boyfriend adored it and said it was the best in the box. If you like your chocolate flavours strong and a little bitter, then this is the one for you.
The worst of the bunch was the Amaretto, which had so much of a boozy kick that I felt like I'd done a shot and had to rinse my mouth out. It left both me and my boyfriend coughing and spluttering, while he declared: "I feel cheated." You couldn't pay me to eat one of those again.
I found these chocolate offerings a relatively mixed bag, with some that were completely delicious and others I'd like to banish from my memory for good.
Rating: 3.5/5
Price: £13.50
Where to buy: Online and in-store at John Lewis, Hotel Chocolat and more
Morrisons 'Be My Valentine' chocolate slab
I was delighted to see Morrisons in West Kirby, Wirral, had an aisle dedicated to Valentine’s Day goodies, including a variety of yummy chocolates.
Among well-known boxes of chocolates, the supermarket had its own range of Valentine’s sweet treats. This included a chocolate heart trio, chocolate heart lollipop and a ‘Be My Valentine’ hand finished Belgian chocolate slab.
I decided to purchase the Belgian chocolate slab due to it looking so pretty. It cost £4 and consisted of milk and white chocolate swirled together with bits of dried strawberries sprinkled on top. I absolutely love chocolate and fruit together, so it was a must-try for me!
Morrisons' ‘Be My Valentine’ slab was absolutely delicious. The chocolate was smooth and creamy, and the white chocolate wasn’t sickly like some can be. The bits of strawberry were so tasty and made the chocolate feel extra special.
I find some chocolate slabs can be quite thin, but this one was nice and thick and it tasted high quality.
As Morrisons’ ‘Be My Valentine’ Belgian chocolate slab has been made specifically for Valentine’s Day and is hand finished, it felt extra special and the combination of dried strawberry with the milk and white chocolate was simply delicious.
Rating: 5/5
Price: £4
Where to buy: In Morrisons stores and online here.
Thorntons Classic
While in Morrisons, I noticed Thorntons Classic chocolates were on offer for £4.50, down from £6, so I treated myself to a box of those, too.
I was very impressed with the variety of chocolates in the box, as it contained eight different flavours. These were Nutty Caramel, Creamy Fudge, Gooey Caramel, Tempting Toffee, Crunchy Praline, Honeycomb Baton, Triple Chocolate and Strawberries and Cream.
My only criticism would be the inconsistency of the amount of chocolates you got in the Thorntons Classic box. For example, there were four Honeycomb Batons but only two Strawberries and Cream. If you were planning on sharing the box with more than two people, not everyone would be able to enjoy each chocolate.
However, the chocolates were yummy and moreish - it was hard to only eat a couple in one sitting!
Rating: 4/5
Price: £4.50 (usually £6)
Where to buy: In Morrisons stores and online here.
Double Chocolate Lindt Lindor truffles
Believe it or not, finding Valentine’s Day chocolates at Sainsbury’s proved difficult.
When I visited my local store, there was a small Valentine’s Day section but it mostly included prosecco and themed cards. From the small range I managed to find a box of Double Chocolate Lindt Lindor truffles.
In the brand’s classic bright red box, the truffles definitely screamed ‘Valentine’s Day’.
Inside are individually wrapped truffles, with perfectly round milk chocolate shells and filled smooth dark chocolate.
The truffles melted in the mouth, with the perfect combination of milk and dark chocolate.They were perfect for indulging.
While delicious and something I’d definitely buy again, the chocolates were rich and filling to the point where I could only eat one or two.
You get around 15 chocolate truffles in the box, and considering how rich they are in flavour, I’d say that might even be too many.
Rating: 4/5
Price: £4
Where to buy: Sainsbury’s
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