choccy tins that actually still taste like chocolate?

[Monkeyandanimal]

Do you remember that exciting part of christmas when the tin (not plastic box, and bigger, deeper than cheapo-feeling tub of nowadays) of Quality Streets was opened? For us it was opened while we were putting up the tree, and we were allowed one or two as a real treat; the tin would last all through christmas time and was something special. I want to recreate that feeling but i need an alternative as modern tubs of so-called chocolates don't do it for me any more; QS have been Nestle-d and taste of grit, Roses taste similarly cheap, and Celebrations and heroes are just like everyday bars of mediocre chocolate. What else is there? I want choc that tastes like cadbury's used to! I don't necessarily want to go the route of expensive, Belgian style as actually they are a different thing altogether and don't fulfil the same purpose...and actually some of those begian truffles coat the mouth unpleasantly and actually don't taste of much anyway.......Any suggestions? Sorry for going on about such a trivial topic, but choc means a lot to me!!

I agree with you, god knows what they have done to those chocolates but they are now VILE and the stink which comes up from the tin is sick making.

Lidl do very nice chocolates, I got a load of Christmas goodies from there last year and it was lovely. And the stollen is to DIE.

I have been searching for the exact same thing. I refuse to give my money

to the manufacturers of this imitation chocolate again this year as last years are still in the cupboard! Lidl or Aldi for me I think.

What about Lindt. I love lindt but only really buy it at Christmas time as it's fairly expensive. They have different variations around Christmas time and offers on them from now till Christmas at different places. I find, with Cadbury's/Nestle etc you can eat a few without really savouring them at all, but one lindt Chocolate feels like a treat and more than that feels bit greedy so they last longer too.

Mmm...now I want chocolate. Roll on Christmas

There was a thread about this last Christmas. The problem is the high levels of soya used which creates that horrid smell and flavour. I think the result was lots of MNers trying lots of different 'own brands'.

I liked the M&S box of assorted chocs and toffees called 'The Big One' which were really very good compared to the big brands, even DH thought so. He said he hadn't enjoyed the QS the previous year, and that they were nothing like they were when he was a kid, and they always had QS at Christmas then. They were 6 quid a box, but worth it if they are going to be enjoyed, and the coloured wrappers look nice in a dish to hand around. I think Sainsbury bags of similar sweets were popular too. If you aren't bothered by having a tin as such, bags and boxes create less rubbish.

However, I may have to test some Aldi and Lidl sweet assortments as well!

DH's family had a big silver tin thing that only came out at Christmas but was filled with Quality Street, Roses or whatever. If you get a nice tin that is only for Christmas, then you can fill it with whatever you like and still get that 'special tin of chocolates' feeling.

Is that what it is, soya? Urgh.

I do like Lindt, they do a caramel Lindor now which I am determined to try.

I suspect it's soya oil replacing or minimising butter in the toffees and caramels, which seem to smell and taste the worst to me.

I was looking in Aldi today and noticed the Cadbury's chocolate is only 20% cocoa solids and Aldi's chocolate was at the very cheapest end 30% and the Orange Truffle bar I had to buy for research purposes was 85%. I'm sure Cadbury's used to have a higher cocoa content?

I will buy.....

(DC don't like chocolate orange. DS doesn't like nuts but likes white Toblerone. DH will only eat a small amount of white chocolate)

Toblerone Minis to share between DD and DS and keep the dark ones that nobody likes to melt with cream as a rich sauce.

Lindt mini for the stockings
Lindt bear for DD (she likes the heart necklace)
White Toblerone for DH
Mint Matchmakers/After Eights for DC
Thorntons Double Cream Mints for me

Maybe a tub of Celebrations or Heroes for pre Christmas picking,

I like those M&S tins, too. They're like a proper box of Christmas chocolates.

I am so nicking the idea of our own christmas tin or jar and fill with different chocs. Agree that the tubs they sell nowadays are rubbish and really don't cut it anymore. Aldi all the way, they do some really nice truffles in a blue hexagon box, not sure what they are called but they are devine!

Aldi Moser Roth chocolates are lovely.

Whilst on the subject, has anyone tried the new Lindt peanut butter chocolate truffles?
I have been resisting, but they have been calling to me in the supermarket.

Really peanut butter truffles! Right must buy them for DH.

Lindt selection boxes - My DH got me a mahoosive one last Christmas it was divine:

Lindt Selection Box

Daim bars are lovely. Will get lots of those to pass around this year. I agree that own bar chocolates have more cocoa solids than the branded chocs so taste much nicer.

Thanks, i think will try the M & S chocs and find a lovely trad xmas tin. good work everyone. so pissed off that cadbury has changed for the worse....

last year my brother bought me a box of continental chocolates and they were the co-op's own make and they were the best ever

I really like fair trade chocolate. The Divine bars are fab and also the choc coins. Am also a fan of Green and Blacks which also do boxes of chocolates also and dark choc mints for after lunch. Last year I couldn't find the mints anywhere, not even Waitrose so DH and I had a bar of the mint chocolate broken into squares with our after lunch coffee. (We didn't eat the whole bar between us all at once you understand!) I also love those mini bar selection boxes they do.

Any ideas for where you could buy a nice Christmas tin?

I agree Monkey, the giant company take overs always result in a drop in quality of products; and cheats like same size tin but less content to keep prices down. I think Cadbury are having to make changes to their products in order to compete and be profitable.

I'm glad that this is an all adult home and we can have more expensive good quality chocs and just eat less of them! It must be hard to do that when taking into account DC wishes and preferences.

I think John Lewis might have some festive tins. You could try all the usual cookery supplies places; also Wilkinsons, Hobbycraft, and shops like The Range, Home Bargains, and Dunelm Mill might have some. Plus all the supermarkets.

We are still using something I bought from Homebase years ago, a circular basket with a fabric santa wrapped around it as if he's holding it, iyswim. We just put the sweets in that to hand around. If you are a craftsperson you could buy a basket and make a cover with Christmas fabric, or applique a design on plain fabric etc, which would make it special. In fact, would make a good present!

We always get a lot of these tins handed into work from suppliers and customers. The worst are now Roses and QS. Awful chocolate. For gifts last year, we bought the Thorntons deal which I think was 5 boxes for about £10 or something similar. Again, the chocolate didn't taste great.

The best chocolate and a treat as Christmas is Lindor but I am going to look at the M&S stuff too.

Last year I bought a santa and snow man biscuit jars. I keep my chocs in those.

Have come back from Tesco and looked at a few products ingredients, it seems the QS no longer have soya on there, although it was 2 yrs back. Some products of Cadbury's have palm oil in them, some products just state vegetable fat without specifying what sort.

Bit of a minefield really. But in the end it's all down to personal taste.

Aldi Moser Roth is the best chocolate on the market IMO.

Shame Aldi isn't 24 hour.......

I got some nice Christmas cake tins from dunelm mill last year, which would be perfect for filling with chocs. Totally stealing the Ida of finding some nice chocs to fill it with this Christmas.