Fortnum & Mason - Piccadilly since 1707

It seems only right that Christmas should be filled with chocolate – stuffed into stockings, hanging from the tree, handed around after the Christmas feast. So at Fortnum’s we always make sure that we have plenty of excellent chocolates to go around, many of them created especially for the festive season.

The place to start is, of course, with a chocolate-filled Advent calendar, an annual indulgence that makes the countdown to Christmas even more deliciously exciting. Fortnum’s wooden advent calendar is a miniature replica of the store itself, with each numbered door hiding a treat, such as a gold chocolate coin, jelly beans and chocolate shapes. We also have a more grown-up version of this annual treat; our Christmas Carriage Advent calendar, inspired by our the tale of Dick Whittington, which is our Christmas theme this year, this box of chocolates is decorated with an image of the historic coach of the Lord Mayor of London, and opens to reveal 24 doors, each hiding a festive chocolate shape.

A fabulous box of chocolates is as much a part of Christmas as turkey and crackers, something to be opened after a delicious feast and enjoyed at leisure, preferably in front of a roaring fire. We make sure that our Christmas selection always includes a huge and beautifully decorated box of chocolates that will easily go round the entire family, with plenty to spare for guests. This year, our most extravagant box of chocolates is the Lord Mayor’s Silk Hat box, a beautiful handmade box topped with a feathered tricorn hat and filled to order with the finest chocolates to be found on our confectionery counter.

Still on the Lord Mayor theme, we simply have to mention our new Square Mile Truffles. Dick Whittington hoped that London’s streets would be paved with gold; had he found these gold-dusted truffles instead, he’d have been more than pleased. These salted caramel truffles are rich, dense and fudgey with a subtle pinch of salt to offset the sweetness of the chocolate – quite irresistible. Finally, the Procession Silk Box is hand-covered in silk and decorated with a silhouette of the Lord Mayor’s procession; filled with a selection of handmade dark and milk chocolates, it makes a very beautiful gift.

As well as these special edition chocolates, we have lots of confectionery classics that are always popular at Christmas. A box of liqueur chocolates, made to traditional methods; dark chocolate griottes, a superb French delicacy of chocolate-covered, liqueur-soaked cherries; our inimitable truffles in their smart, striped drums; chocolate mints, ginger selections and even a tiny Fortnum’s hamper to hang on the tree, which opens to reveal two of our handmade chocolates. For the children we have bags of chocolate Santas and a whole Enchanted Cottage that you can make yourself, with biscuit walls and bags of sweets for decoration. An edible fairytale – what more could you want at Christmas?

This is a mere taste of the delights Fortnum's has to offer this Christmas. To view the entire range here or in-store.