(REVIEW) Hotel Chocolat @ Xmas

It’s now the start of December and I’m in more of an ok position to begin writing about Christmas-related material, although I’ll admit that every year I do start to get excited about the holidays earlier and earlier!

This year we were once again treated to an excellent choice of products from the Hotel Chocolat Christmas range to try out, and report back to you guys our thoughts and feelings towards them.

The products that we tested out were the Christmas Sleekster as well as their Toasty Toddies.

Before I get to the specifics of the products and the individual chocolates within them, a few words on Hotel Chocolat as a whole.

Each year for the last however many years I’ve always been impressed by what Hotel Chocolat have delivered.

They haven’t stood still and remained with the classic products they know sell well, but instead continue to excel in their product development by constantly looking at new innovations that their rivals almost always fall behind on.

Just stepping into a Hotel Chocolat on the high-street can be quite an exciting prospect.

I always wonder “will I be offered a free sample?” or “should I treat myself/my other half to something nice?” – I also think about what new products I’ll encounter that they’ve recently come up with.

These feelings are few and far between when I step into the majority of other chocolate and confectionary stores due to the lack of originality and product innovation that too often falls short.

The Christmas Sleekster

First to the Christmas Sleekster.

30 individual chocolates, some in pairs, but a beautiful selection box in terms of the choice it provides.

What I loved about this selection box was how I wanted to eat almost every chocolate inside (not all at once of course!) but unlike a number of other selection boxes I’ve tried in the past, I’ve often been put off by the majority and only wanted a select few.

This was the opposite case and the ones I wasn’t so keen on were few and far between. Perhaps this is the result of wider market research from the company? Perhaps they’ve really listened to what people want, what works and what is almost always left until the very end?

In terms of price, the box retails at £22.50 on their website.

Yes it’s not the cheapest but you’re ultimately paying for a fantastic range of chocolates that are made from quality ingredients, which you can taste. Plus it’s Christmas, and if you can’t treat yourself at this time of year, what’s the point?!

It would also make a great gift for somebody as it’s not your average box but something that little bit special, and for anyone who’s a real lover of chocolate, a perfect treat.

Some of my favourite chocolates inside the box included the Simple Milk which was a delicious blend of milk and their caramel milk. It was luxurious without being too rich. I also loved the Caramel Supernova which had a delicious sea salt after taste after enjoying the creamy caramel inside.

 

Toasty Toddies

This box of 16 mini liquor-based chocolates were a delicious after-dinner treat with each one really packing a tasty alcoholic punch.

Until trying these I was mainly eating Marc de Champagne truffles, but in comparison to these beauties there’s very little alcohol in them, and you feel you’re definitely getting more for your money with the Toasty Toddies.

My only slight reservation about them was that a few of the chocolates were a little harder to distinguish between as they had similar colouring on top, and due to the menu being on the bottom it was difficult to look at it whilst looking at the chocolates.

I got over that though and just chose whichever, as they were all rather indulgent!

 

Conclusions

Thankfully I’m often in the position in which I get to try out new products and being a foodie that definitely has it’s advantages, however these chocolate were in their own class. They were rich, indulgent and, in my opinion, well worth the money, plus they definitely put me in the Christmas spirit!

There’s a wide range of other choices from their current Christmas range that you may also want to check out. Click here for more information about Hotel Chocolat.

Adam Warren