Ho, ho, ho – Fine Christmas Co-co-coa !

Hotel Chocolat is an excellent place to look for chocolate Christmas gifts with a wide selection of different choices across a large price range, from stocking fillers to luxury chocolate hampers. Hotel Chocolat is a British company who grow their own fine cocoa at their Caribbean cocoa estate on the island of St Lucia, and work with farmers throughout the world through their ‘Engaged Ethics’ to enhance the livelihoods of cocoa farmers whose products they use.

Hotel Chocolat makes chocolate from the finest and most wholesome ingredients, and is truly fanatical about using chocolate in all manner of unusual ways. The website has stacks of information that will fascinate the chocoholic; with gourmet cuisine recipes and a wealth of detail for the chocolate connoisseur on how different kinds of chocolate are made.

This seasons advent calendar collection includes the ‘Children’s Advent’ with three cut-out tree decorations, a ‘Teens and Over Advent’, the ‘Ultimate Advent’ in milk or dark, and the ‘Truffles to Share Advent’ with two truffles behind each door. Behind each window of the Ultimate Milk Chocolate Advent Calendar is different velvety 40% milk or 50% milk chocolate seasonal character, covered in nibbly cocoa nibs. The problem with having all this delicious chocolate hidden away is resisting the temptation to skip a few days ahead!

The 2010 Christmas gift range includes stocking fillers with some luxury chocolate selections, crackers and advent calendars. Stocking fillers include ‘Solid Festive Wreaths’- in fruit, nut, and caramel, mini ‘Christmas Dinners’ in chocolate cast shapes, and chocolate ‘Enrobed Fruit’. For children, ‘Milk Chocolate Jolly Santa’ is a merry, munchable Santa cast in mellow 40% milk chocolate, or choose a ‘White Chocolate Best Dressed Snowman’, snappily dressed in a winter berry chocolate scarf.

For a serious chocolate lover, the ‘Christmas Pamper Hamper’ is an excellent gift, with a Christmas Wreath and Yule log to slice and share, amongst eleven other luxury items including Purist range chocolates, including cooking ingredients and festive drinking chocolate.

Hotel Chocolat has an excellent selection of gifts at a variety of different prices so you should find something for anyone you’d like to spoil this Christmas. The advent calendars are especially indulgent and perfect for the exciting run up to Christmas, but remember – only one per day!

This is a guest post provided by Hotel Chocolat.

I Smell Chocolate!

I am sure most parents are guilty of this. I know I am. What is the charge? Sneaking treats and candy behind your child’s back. It is not that you don’t want to share, well maybe sometimes you don’t but usually it is you don’t want your child to have anymore treats. You might hide in your bedroom, your closet, or maybe the car to enjoy a little treat without little hands and faces begging for some. I am somewhat of a pushover when it comes to treats. I don’t go overboard though. I feed my son very healthy foods but I am a firm believer that everyone needs a treat sometimes. Most of the time, I am eating something sweet around Noah I will share a little bit. Sharing is important after all. I don’t let him eat a lot of candy or treats. I make sure he has had a meal first or if it is the middle of the afternoon it is a small amount. I am teaching him about healthy eating because it is best for his growing little body and it is my job to make sure he gets the nutrients that he needs. Thankfully, for snacks he is happy with something healthy versus having a bowl of candy or chips.

When I was little, I loved treats and candy. That has not changed much. I don’t think I eat nearly as much as I used to. My cousins used to tease me about how I would buy pounds of candy but I would always share with them. My mom would used to have a little treat when I was little, she knew that as any child would I wanted some. Occasionally she would wait until I was upstairs or in another room. Her plan would fail because I would come running yelling I smell chocolate! It wouldn’t matter where I was in the house I would always smell it. We have always lived in nice sized houses too. I just had the scent for chocolate.

Do you have me time when it comes to treats? Do you have any good hiding places?