If you consider hot choc to be essential for a cosy Christmas/winter...

[shippa]

What brand do you use? I always like the idea of hot chocolate but they always leave me a bit meh. On here they seem to be the epitome of cosines so I might give them one last try if I can get a recommendation.

So far I haven't really got on with Cadbury's, options or green & blacks. Maybe I'm making them wrong 🤷‍♀️

Charbonnel et Walker

Do you have to drink Twinnings at the dinning table? Or can you take it to bed with you?

Green & Blacks cocoa powder, I find got chocolate mixes too sweet!

We use a bog standard aldi hot chocolate powder with milk, add some dairy milk to sweeten it, and then add a bit of cornflour to thicken. Then add some Squirty cream on the top

Prestat.

They used to be packed as chocolate shavings but now come as quickly melting chocolate buttons. My gawd they are so lush!! I finish half the pack just eating the buttons

Pure cocoa Aldi own brand is better than green and blacks and Bourneville with all water a splash of double cream and then loads of whipped cream!
Low carb, not too sweet, very rich and delicious!

I can’t bear the sickly sweet ones!

The best hot chocolate I’ve ever had was white choc melted into full milk with lemon and lime zest added - it was my “go to” comfort drink when I worked in a particularly stressful job. Wonderful.

Butlers do lovely ones - a large block of chocolate (with a slightly softer middle) which you put into hot milk and allow to melt into it - they come in a box of 10.

Chez Emily (and a few others) do the type that is a large ice cube type block of chocolate, with a wooden teaspoon stuck in the middle before it hardens, and some have marshmallows or smarties or stuff already on/in them. Our favourite 2 types are 1 brand I can't remember who have tiny plastic "squeezers" of whiskey or brandy stuck into the top. Or O'Connaill's chocolate which is really lovely artisan chocolate and they do dark, milk, white, or a mix of white/milk, versions. (O'Connaills also do great coffee that they roast themselves!). O'Connaills also do bags of chocolate already grated small, that is the hot chocolate mix, and you measure out tablespoons of that into hot milk and let it melt...….mmmmmmm…..

Sometimes I take the O'Connaills bag of choc version, and add a dash of brandy to it myself.

I like the aero foamy one,or galaxy. Made with 3 quarter mug boiling water and finished with cold milk and topped with a mountain of squirts cream

Although, when I am on Cub camp and other overnights, I make the Lidl powder version by adding the required quantity to a large jug, mixing it with some hot water initially to get the lumps out, then filling about 2/3 full with boiling water (this version is supposed to be totally made on water) and adding cold milk to cool it down enough to drinking temp and makes it richer as well. The Cubs all love this version (we tried various combinations over the years to get to this) and the Leaders usually finish off a few mugs before starting back on the strong tea again later while we wait for the precious darlings to get to sleep! (It can sometimes be quite a long wait!)

@MustardScreams beat me to it - the Aldi one is the nicest instant hot chocolate I've tried. I'm going to give the salted caramel one a go, too.

No ones mentioned Clipper organic, or São Tomé which are my main two

Green and black or Cadbury’s are great if used correctly. Make sure you get the one you add milk to and add milk to it. Can or hear the milk in a pan then place in mug and add 4/5 teaspoons of powder and stir. Add one teaspoon of sugar or sweetener and it tastes lovely.

I use the Jamie Oliver recipe below. It's nice as it is or I sometimes leave out the cinnamon and add other flavours instead

I like Valor the Spanish one but it is sweet,

Charbonel is my favourite for luxury. For everyday Co-Ops instant but made with milk

Whittards is great!

Another good recipe.
www.thugkitchen.com/recipes/hot-chocolate-mix

Thank-you thank-you thank-you! It seems there is an art to it so I might follow some of the preparation tips to see if that makes a difference but loads of ideas including melting real chocolate with cream! That would be more of a special one off but well worth trying Aldi has cropped up a few times too and I have a local one to me so will try that too.

Thanks again

@bananacakerox just getting round to looking at each recommendation individually looks incredible! Thanks for the tip

slowcookingperfected.com/slow-cooker-hot-chocolate/

I've never made it myself but tried some at an English Heritage Christmas event where they'd added spices such as long peppers, cinnamon and ginger etc to hot chocolate made in the slow cooker. It was nice and creamy and would have been delicious if it wasn't spiced (I hate Xmas spices).

Shannons do microwaveable Irish Coffee and hot chocolate with brandy. They're lovely.

Make it with hot milk, not water.

Cadbury's options Bournville flavour, add a teaspoon of cocoa to make it really chocolatey, then a slug of brandy when it's ready to drink

Always powder/chocolate and quality milk. Never the instant crap with dextrose sucrose and chemical additives.

All instant hot chocolate is blurgh.

Use cocoa, a little sugar and hot milk. Or better still, chocolate buttons in hot milk.