9 best Hotel Chocolat advent calendars to indulge in this Christmas

Best: Overall

Rating: 9/10

Wow. Wow. Wow. The grand advent calendar is Hotel Chocolat’s most lavish calendar this year, offering not just chocolates but alcohol, hot chocolate sachets, lip balm and truffles amongst other treats behind every advent door.

This one won’t fit on your mantelpiece but it will most definitely catch the eye of your Christmas guests. Bold and bright, decorated with giant silver snowflakes, this is a showstopper which builds the utmost anticipation every single day. Christmas morning has never been so exciting! So what’s behind the doors? We won’t give everything away, but our favourites included a beautiful chocolate wreath, brownie batons made to dip into coffee and pralines packaged into cute festive crackers. The chocolate cream liqueur was to die for. At £68, it might be difficult to justify splashing out on this extravagance, but if you’re feeling fancy or feel you deserve a treat after a challenging 2021, it is just about worth the price tag.

Best: For children

Rating: 9/10

The children in our taste-testing team were instantly drawn to the jolly design of up to snow good, Hotel Chocolat’s advent calendar for little ones. A playful chocolate penguin behind every door with a daily countdown on the back of the treat, this one definitely whipped up some Christmas cheer for the kids. As well as a unique, fun penguin every day, Christmas Eve has a much bigger slab of milk chocolate so the countdown was highly anticipated. There were cheers of “yum, yum, yum,” from every sample. Children eating chocolate every single day can be anxiety-inducing for some parents but Hotel Chocolat has a mantra of more cocoa, less sugar. This calendar contains 40 per cent milk chocolate, which means it’s less sickly sweet. At £8, we thought it was a fair price for a treat if the kids have been good this year!

Best: For couples

Rating: 9/10

The advent calendar for two offers not one, but two identical miniature truffles every single day. There will be no food envy this Christmas because both of you will be sampling the same sumptuous truffle each day, with a festive message behind every door. Our personal fave was one of the more classic flavours – the signature praline, which instantly melted in our mouths.

Other flavours included a tangy clementine and raspberry, which had notes of a jammy doughnut (yes, really). Some had a succulent, gooey centre and others were intensely rich. Of course, this is fine for singletons too – two truffles to yourself each day? No problem. We believe £26 is excellent value for this calendar, due to its variety and luxury offering every single day and the fact it is double the love.

Best: For vegans

Rating: 8/10

We loved the gorgeous, earthy aroma of this one as soon as chocolate was taken out of the packet. The nutty flavour was subtle but delicious and despite the lack of milk, this was one of the creamiest. If you’re thinking about going vegan this Christmas but worried about how much you’ll miss dairy chocolate, this would be an easy option to help you make the transition. It is made with 45 per cent cacao and finely milled hazelnuts to replace the milk, and we think this really works. It’s also worth mentioning that the dark chocolate advent calendar is vegan too, so you have more than one option.

Best: Paired with a glass of wine

Rating: 8/10

Although advent calendars are traditionally made to be opened first thing in the morning, we saved this one for our evening wind-down. There is something really special about a glass of wine and a slab of chocolate, and while we usually reach for an entire family-sized bar, it doesn’t take a lot of dark chocolate to hit the spot.

Hotel Chocolat’s signature dark chocolate has been years in the making and perfecting, and we’re really glad they’ve miniaturised this into chocolatey figurines for the 2021 advent calendar. It’s a minimum of 70 per cent cocoa with added cocoa butter for creaminess, striking an impressive balance of bitter and sweet, and each bite was full-bodied and silky. This is a heavenly winter treat, whether it’s with a glass of red in the evening or dipped into a milky coffee in the morning.

Best: For a sweet tooth

Rating: 7/10

We didn’t love the colour of this calendar; perhaps not as aesthetically pleasing as the others. But we paired this sample with a strong cup of tea and it was an excellent coupling. The nutty flavour and honey sweetness was utterly moreish. Hotel Chocolat uses a sugar that has been caramelised for this one, triggering notes of molasses and toffee. We thought the caramel chocolate was delicious but super sweet, so perfect for one-a-day and for those with a sweet tooth. Stick the kettle on just before you open the advent door.

Best: For a traditional chocolate lover

Rating: 9/10

It’s terribly difficult to beat classic milk chocolate, and we had high expectations for Hotel Chocolat’s signature milk blend recipe. Again, the chocolate had been handcrafted into whimsical characters and taking one out of the ultimate festive red design sprinkled a little Christmas magic into the room before even taking a bite. This one would look good perched between stockings and fairy lights in your living room.

On to the tasting, this was a well-balanced milk chocolate which was succulent and silky-smooth. The creaminess had our mouths watering and it actually makes it a little sad you have to wait 24 hours before opening another door. This one works well any time of the day and whether you’re pairing it with wine, coffee or on its own, it makes its mark.

Best: For variety

Rating: 8/10

If you’re looking for something different every day of the month this December, this one’s for you. The everything advent calendar is as it says on the tin – everything. 24 pralines, truffles and liqueurs all with an eclectic collection of flavours. We reached for a champagne truffle to start with. Biting into it, it was a burst of sensations and we really felt like we’d been sipping the fizz.

But the opulent flavours doesn’t stop at the bubbles; there’s carrot cake, eton mess, lemon cheesecake and even caramel espresso martini to look forward to. This calendar felt like a really indulgent experience every single day, but the explosive flavours and distinctive sweetness may not be for everyone. Our favourite was the gingerbread praline – with it’s spicy, strong cinnamon flavours, it was truly Christmas in a cup.

Best: For creaminess

Rating: 8/10

White chocolate can go either way. It can be tangy or tasteless, or it can be delicate and velvety, and we were very much looking for the latter during our taste test. Fortunately, Hotel Chocolat’s signature white chocolate did not disappoint. It was wonderfully creamy and we thought it would work well with Baileys or hot chocolate during the festive period. It would be a perfect accompaniment to a beverage made by the Hotel Chocolat velvetiser (£99.95, Hotelchocolat.com).