The Best Gourmet Chocolates To Buy At Christmas

Christmas is a time when edibles come thick and fast, with traditional dinners and desserts always at the forefront of the shopping mall list. Chocolates are becoming far more than just a stack of candy bars for the children. There are luxury chocolates that hit the shelves for young and old at affordable prices, adding a sweet but not sickly touch after Christmas lunch.

Charbonnel et Walker has a rich history in terms of longevity, quality and location. Its first store opened up in London’s Bond Street in 1875, after Mrs Walker had visited Paris with one Madame Charbonnel to observe the art of chocolate-making. The company is celebrating 150 years.

Ultimately, Charbonnel et Walker was Britain’s first official luxury chocolatier, and that has inspired a range of anniversary selections that beautifully represent its heritage. One of the best is the Advent calendar, which represents the Royal Arcade shop that started the journey.

The opening of the doors provides the key to a selection of milk, dark and white Chocolates and Truffles. The company held the Royal Warrant for the late Queen Elizabeth II, and the range covers Dark Orange Cream, Milk Chocolate Truffle, Milk Sea Salt Caramel Truffle, Dark Fudge Vanilla, Milk Hazelnut Cream with gold leaf, Milk Coconut Cream, Strawberry Truffle and more.

Another fine alternative is the Grand 1875 Christmas Chocolate and Truffle Assortment, which has a beautifully illustrated train carriage on the box to represent the journey from Paris to London. There are sumptuous Christmas flavors including Orange & Cinnamon, Praline Yule Logs, and Spiced Raspberry Truffles.

Charbonnel et Walker has a rich history in terms of longevity, quality and location. Its first store opened up in London’s Bond Street in 1875, after Mrs Walker had visited Paris with one Madame Charbonnel to observe the art of chocolate-making. The company is celebrating 150 years.

Charbonnel has always been known for the quality of its dark chocolate, and this is particularly true of the Violet Creams, which are given a more festive style within the grand Boite Box presentations. The anniversary edition of a Boite Box has an apt title, Kings and Queens, with Dark Chocolate Crowns that contain a winning combination of marzipan, whisky and hazelnut praline.

Hotel Chocolat has been a big player in the luxury chocolate market since it gained traction at the beginning of the Millennium. Hotel makes luxury chocolate mainstream in its approach, but the serious quality of the chocolate lies within the fun element.

The “Lovely Little Things” of the Hotel Chocolat range include A Dozen Portly Chocolate Penguins, a mix of white and milk chocolate waddlers, the Milk Chocolate Reindeer Sleigh Team, and the solid caramel and milk chocolate trees of The Enchanted Forest.

No review of Hotel Chocolat is complete without some of the delectable Christmas selection boxes. The Classic Christmas Sleekster Box is one for the ages, with White and Caramel Penguins, Pink Champagne Supernova, Cinnamon Bun, and Triple Blackcurrant. There’s a mix of fruit and dark, milk and white, and Salted Espresso Martini. Hotel Chocolat does shake and stir the senses, but never gets too overblown.

Laderach is a family business in Switzerland that has turned into a global giant. The taste journey begins in the Swiss Alps, and the company is one of the select manufacturers that conducts the process from the cocoa bean to the shop floor. The prime Christmas produce comes with hefty selection boxes like the 72-piece Praline box with milk, dark and white chocolates.

Laderach’s FrischSchoggi brand is well known for exactly that – fresh and beautifully crafted chocolate, and there’s a seasonal spin on those with a large box of sticks that are packaged in the form of a Christmas tree. The large red box contains some classic favorites, such as Whole Milk Classic, Hazelnut and Raspberry-Blackberry White, while the green version provides a dark chocolate contrast.

Christmas gourmet chocolates have dominated the Millennium and now come in packages and boxes that look as delicious as a product. The proof is still in the pudding.