Naice Christmas chocolates

[Mallowmarshmallow]

Last year throughout Christmas we spent every evening hankering after some sort of sweet snack that wasn’t included in our stash of cheap chocolate so we determined to do better this year.

Our plan is to buy things we actually want to eat rather than the normal big boxes of rubbish sweets.

I’ve got a box of tasting club hotel chocolat chocolates coming from the bargain thread which I intend although my willpower is questionable to put in the Christmas cupboard and I really do love after eights.

What else would be on your list of naice chocolates?

Red Lindt balls.....not 'naice' as such but utterly scrumptious!

M&S do some lovely Swiss chocolate truffles, they are round like the Lindt ones. I'm sure a large box was on offer last week.

If you like after 8 i would suggest bennedicts mints or the thorntons mint range mmmmm

I was going to recommend hotel chocolat but see you've got that covered! Personally don't rate m&s chocolates (sorry IggyAce) and was disappointed with Lily O Brian's. I was given a gorgeous box of Sainsbury's champagne truffles for mother's day and they were to die for!

Bendicks Bittermints are a Christmas essential for me.

For stuff that's easier to pop out and buy I don't think anyone's much better than M&S at the moment. Everyone else seems to have stuffed their chocolates full of palm oil and turned them into wax melts Taylors of Harrogate are still very good, if a little old fashioned. Have you got any local chocolatiers/confectioners you could try? This place is not too far from us and their chocolates are amazing, so good and rich you have one or two and it's enough to make you feel properly spoiled

www.tutudelicious.co.uk/

Belgium flaked truffles from M&S, they are gorgeous!

If you can find a specialist who stocks it, try a Bean to Bar chocolate.

Chocolate tastes different depending on the type of bean and where it’s grown and you can get higher percentage milk chocolate (Cadbury’s is around the 35% IIRC).
A personal favourite for me is a 60% milk made from Nacional beans grown in Peru (I promise I’m not as pretentious as that makes me sound - I just appreciate chocolate in the same way some people appreciate single malt whisky)

Also Femme di Virunga by Original Beans - grown by female farmers with the profits helping more females in Africa.

Paul A Young. Awesome chocolates and the best salted caramels ever. www.paulayoung.co.uk

Eye wateringly expensive though so I only get for birthday/christmas/mothers day. Not perhaps chocs you want small children getting their grubby paws on. I hate having to share with my husband tbh who just chucks them into his mouth in one go instead of devouring them for far too long.

If you like dark chocolate willies Cacau is lovely like fairfax's bean to bar the places the bean grew makes the chocolate taste different. I love Hotel chocolates balls with the fruity fillings especially the cherry ones scoffed my face full of them at my mums last year

So what was your special deal for hotel chocolat?

Definitely Bendicks.

Or Artisan du chocolat's salted caramel truffles.

Oh thanks for the the Paul A. Young recommendation. My husband works right next door so sending him to check it out. Looks amazing on the website!

Artisan du Chocolat are my favourites, especially their salted caramels.

William Curley chocs are to die for. Expensive but gorgeous. You really do not need a lot though.
www.williamcurley.co.uk

Love Zotter

The Hand-Scooped butter caramel bar is to die for.

Also like fresh cream ganaches such as Neuhaus (more expensive) or Leonidas (cheaper and some say not as good quality, but I like their manons (fresh cream coffee ganaches).

Charbonnel&walker are absolutely amazing! Marc de champagne and salted caramel are my faves

I am loving this thread! I had totally forgot about Leonidas, love them. Adding all these to my list to check out!

Bendick's bittermints are my Christmas chocolate essential. I also make up a huge batch of peppermint bark using this recipe.
My children think if that the taste of Christmas.

This is the recipe I use.
orangette.net/2008/12/look-at-that

For nice without being eyewateringly expensive chocolate, I like the Waitrose salted caramel truffles.

I just noticed yesterday that they’re doing a box of Godiva, now they are naice!!

Sainsbury’s that is! About £10

Thanks all.

My shopping list has been made!

For the PP who asked, the hotel chocolat offer is something like the first month’s tasting box for £9.95 instead of £20-something then going through top cash back for a further £5 off....

Was just coming on to say Leonidas. Yum!

I feel I've been missing out! I'm going to have to do some serious chocolate tasting this year

Oh definitely Annwithnoe, for research purposes...