The 10 Best Luxury chocolates

Pimp your edible presents by giving flavours from spicy wasabi to Eton Mess... and a pistachio praline to die for

1. Bettys Piedmont Hazelnut Pralines

£15.25, bettys.co.uk

The Yorkshire cakery's festive offering includes delicate hazelnut pralines – nutty with a caramelised crunchy wafer through the middle.

2. Pierre Hermé Chocolat au Macaron

£22, pierreherme.com

Addictive half macaron, half chocolate. The revered patisserie chef has combined his two great loves to create a box of dainty bonbons.

3. Rococo Popping Champagne Truffles

£12.25, rococochocolates.com

A Valrhona chocolate base has been mixed with champagne and studded with exploding candy to create a mini-party for your tastebuds.

4. Pierre Marcolini Praline

£26, marcolini-eboutique.com

Pierre Marcolini's Christmas shell pralines are a thing of wonder. If you happen to find a box in your stocking, go straight for the creamy pistachio flavour – sublime.

5. Lauden Fresh Mint Chocolates

£9.99, laudenchocolate.com

After Eights may have gone out with John Major, but the concept lives on. The mint here is fresh, and the chocolate has over 65 per cent cocoa.

6. Gorvett and Stone Mixed

£8.95, gorvettandstone.com

This Oxford-based chocolatier puts an eccentric spin on traditional British chocs. Their mixed box is best with a healthy quota of G&S's tastebud-tickling Eton Mess.

7. Godiva Christmas

£14.50, godiva.be

If it's good enough for the King of Belgium it's good enough for us. The Royal Warrant holder's chocolates are milky as you like, with myriad delicious centres.

8. Charbonnel et Walker Rose & Violet Creams

£18, charbonnel.co.uk

For some, the royal chocolatier's rose and violet creams taste like granny's old Estée Lauder, for others they are manna from heaven.

9. Montezuma Christmas Truffle

£4.99, montezumas.co.uk

These are rich but hard to beat, with a mix of milk chocolate mandarin caramels, a moreish vanilla creation and an espresso truffle.

10. William Curley Couture

£21.50, williamcurley.co.uk

The Richmond-based chocolatier's box of weird and wonderful creations include apricot and wasabi, Japanese black vinegar, and thyme and muscovado caramel.