Chocoholics! We’ve put nine luxury chocolate brands to the test (rating the packaging, presentation and taste) to help you select the best chocolates to eat, share and buy for gifts this Christmas

Hotel Chocolat, The Classic Christmas Luxe, £35
40 festive chocolates including the Christmas Mess, Mulled Wine, Mince Pie Brownie and Brandy Butter.
Best for: a family-sized box with crowd-pleasing flavours
What our tasters said: Lovely flavours and classic combinations. Crowd-pleasing Christmas treats. The chocolate is not indulgent but the centres are delicious. Christmas cake tastes just like Christmas cake and the brownie was spicy and cinammon-y. You’ll want to taste them all!
Buy from hotelchocolat.com
Rating: 4.4 / 5

The Resident: Hotel Chocolat, The Classic Christmas LuxeHotel Chocolat, The Classic Christmas Luxe

Chococo, Large Selection Box, £18.95
A fresh selection of Chococo’s handmade chocolates & truffles, featuring many award-winning & seasonal flavours. 25 chocolates in total.
Best for: a beautiful Christmas gift or treat for yourself
What our tasters said: Cool, colourful contemporary packaging with stunning dainty chocolates inside. The chocolates look incredible: each one is delicately crafted with individual strong flavours. It’s quite difficult to match the chocolates to the description and overall the long list is slightly misleading as they are not all in there. Flavours matched the description exactly. Rich dark chocolate with balanced flavours. Honey is delicate, the dried raspberry is a novelty.
Buy from: chococo.co.uk
Rating: 4.1 / 5

The Resident: Chococo, Large Selection BoxChococo, Large Selection Box

Godvia Christmas Chocolate Gift Box, 20pcs, £27.25
A carefully-selected white, milk and dark assortment of Belgian chocolates from Godvia
Best for: a beautiful Christmas gift or treat for yourself
What our tasters said: Very festive and inviting. The embossed lid makes the product look very expensive. Smells divine with warm spices and creamy notes. Rich and creamy with a hint of spice. Creamy delicate textures with strong, distinctive tastes. The raspberry ganache is rich and very smooth. There is a firm bite and a good composition of flavours.
Buy from: godivachocolates.co.uk
Rating: 4.1 / 5

The Resident: Godiva Christmas Chocolate Gift Box, 20pcsGodiva Christmas Chocolate Gift Box, 20pcs

Aleexeva and Jones Luxury Chocolate Gift Box – Dark Selection, 25pcs, £39.95
An indulgent selection of dark chocolates and truffles
Best for: The one you love
What our tasters said: Stunning packaging. It’s almost like a jewellery box – the chocolates look like elegant jewels inside. Chocolates are individually wrapped, there are a good mixture and there is lots of colour in the presentation. A very simple box but it’s especially pretty inside. The chocolates have very delicate aromas. The truffles are velvety and rich, the quality of the chocolate is excellent. These are thoughtful choices and the balance of chocolate to the truffles is spot on.
Buy from: alexeevajones.com
Rating: 4 / 5

The Resident: Alexeeva & Jones Luxury Chocolate Gift Box selectionAlexeeva & Jones Luxury Chocolate Gift Box selection

Pierre Herme, Galets Cafe Azur Intense Mogador, 28 pcs, £30.50
Disc-shaped chocolates with different flavoured soft centres.
Best for: after-dinner festive parties
What our tasters said: Like the disc-shaped chocs – a novel design. Simple but smart packaging and quite masculine. Luxurious buttons with rich aromas. The chocolate is a little too bitter for me. Strong cocoa and fruity notes, melts in the mouth. Was expecting solid chocolate but there is a butter interior, which melts quickly. Fruity aftertaste. Caramel was light and smooth.
Buy from: Pierre Herme Lowndes St (Belgravia) and Selfridges
Rating: 3.7 / 5

The Resident: Pierre Herme, Galets Cafe Azur Intense Mogador, 28 pcsPierre Herme, Galets Cafe Azur Intense Mogador, 28 pcs

Seed & Bean organic chocolate bars, £2.49 per 85g, assorted flavours (we tried White Chocolate with Lemon And Poppy Seed, Extra Dark Chocolate with Lavender, Extra Dark Chocolate with Coconut and Raspberry, Extra Dark Chocolate with Cornish Sea Salt
Organic chocolate bars with contemporary natural flavours
Best for: chocolate lovers with experimental palates
What our tasters said: chocolate looks fruity. Strong flavours, some like the lavender are a little overpowering. The raspberry flavour is really good with the bitterness of the dark chocolate but there is no taste of coconut. The sea salt and lime is delicious.
Buy from: seedandbean.co.uk
Rating: 3.3 / 5

Montezuma Dark Chocolate Frosty Ginger & Biscotti Bar, 100g, £2.39; and Montezuma’s Vanilla and Cream Snowballs, £150g, £5.49
Dark chocolate bar with biscuit and ginger hints; Snowballs: Vanilla cream centre wrapped in a white chocolate shell
Best for:
Bar for dark chocolate fans and snowballs for those with a very sweet tooth
What our tasters said (dark chocolate bar): Has a striking orange colour. Has a fantastic tobacco-ey smell to it. Spicy, rich, bitter, with a hint of ginger. 94% dark chocolate is a bit too intense and I like dark chocolate very much. Doesn’t state the percentage on the packaging, which is a little misleading. Ginger is subtle and has a lingering warmth to it, while the biscuity texture adds interest.
What our tasters said (snowballs): Very festive packaging, appeals to adults and children. Vanilla melts slowly, it’s very tasty. They are very smooth with a velvety texture on the inside.
Buy both from: montezumas.co.uk
Rating: 3 / 5

Doisy & Dam bars, 100g £3.50
Assorted-flavoured chocolate bars with superfood ingredients (we tried Coffee & Sprouted Buckwheat; Date & Himalayan Pink Salt; Lemon, Poppy Seed & Baobab; Quinoa, Smoked Tea & Vanilla; Roasted Cacao Nibs
Best for: Fans of superfoods and unusual flavours
What our tasters said: Striking, fun packaging, the innovative flavours are intriguing. Retro packaging is very cool. Quinoa bar was spicy, smoky and crunchy. Lemon and poppy seed was delicious, with citrus and white chocolate flavours. The poppy seed taste is amazing – great texture too. The Himalayan salt comes through first – it’s very moreish but there isn’t a strong taste of date or chocolate. It seems more like a health snack than an indulgence. Flavours need to be more balanced, the salt was a little overpowering.

Buy from: doisyanddam.com
Rating: 2.7 / 5

Rococo Award-Winning Caramel Box, 12pcs
Passion Fruit & Rosemary Caramel (ICA World Silver 2013, AoC Gold 2013), Kalamansi Lime Caramel (ICA World Silver 2013, AoC Gold 2013) Mandarin & Tonka Bean Caramel, Pear William Caramel
Best for: Lovers of strong flavours
What our tasters said: Chocolates are beautiful looking, have a nice sheen and metallic finish. Glam and stylish, not your usual chocolate box. They have a very fruity aroma to them. Distinctive and unusual tastes. Very sweet, chocolate is very rich. Lime was too overpowering for me. Passion fruit is the overwhelming taste, then the the rosemary follows through afterwards – it’s a pleasant combination. Lime chocolates are too strong.
Buy from: rococochocolates.com
Rating: 2 / 5

MORE CHRISTMAS GIFTS FOR GOURMANDS!