ADVENT calendars are no longer about one small, dull square of chocolate.
The countdown to Christmas can be just as exciting for adults as it is for kids with a whole array of delicious snacks, from boozy marshmallows and popcorn to Pringles and cheese.
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Some however are priced up for Christmas and what’s inside is not necessarily good value.
So whether you invest or not may depend on how much you love opening those little doors in the run up to the big day.
Here, Lynsey Hope rounds up ten of the best offerings for December 2023.
Bird & Blend Tea Co. Advent Calendar
- £38, birdandblendtea.com
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A beautifully designed calendar in vibrant blue, yellow and pink colours.
It contains 48 teabags in a range of unusual and tempting flavours including Apple Strudel, Hazelnut Rocher, Chocolate Digestives, Morning Kick and Lemon Sherbet.
It’s a great eco-friendly choice given it’s 100 per cent plastic free and biodegradable.
Perfect gift for those who love their tea.
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- TASTE: 8/10
- VALUE: 6/10
- OVERALL SCORE: 7/10
The Naked Marshmallow Company’s Boozy Gourmet Marshmallow Advent Calendar
- £20, naked marshmallow.co.uk
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Behind each of these doors, you’ll find a handmade gourmet marshmallow in a range of boozy flavours including Raspberry and Prosecco, Peach Bellini, Violet Gin and Pina Colada.
The large central door for Christmas Day boasts a raspberry and prosecco marshmallow bar covered in Belgian milk chocolate.
I found some of the flavours a bit heavy, but they were fun to try.
As an option extra, you can buy a marshmallow toasting kit for £3.95 and they definitely tasted better warm.
- TASTE: 7/10
- VALUE: 8/10
- OVERALL SCORE: 8/10
Popcorn Shed Gourmet Popcorn Advent Calendar
- £26, ocado.com
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An alternative to chocolate, this popcorn advent calendar is vegan-friendly.
Behind each door is a small bag of popcorn in six different flavours: Butterscotch, Cherry Pie, Chocolate Orange, Gingerbread, Cocoa Caramel and Christmas Pudding.
The popcorn was really yummy actually and very flavoursome for a vegan option.
But at £26, I did think it was rather expensive for 24 mini bags of popcorn which were only 168g in total.
If you’re not fussed about advent, you could buy two 80g bags of the Butterscotch flavour for £7, saving yourself nearly £20.
- TASTE: 7/10
- VALUE: 4/10
- OVERALL SCORE: 5/10
Pip & Nut Nut Butter Cup Advent Calendar
- £20, ocado.com
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Loved the design of this calendar which features a festive scene of London drawn by Argentinian illustrator Bernardo Henning.
Your daily treat is an individually wrapped nut butter cup in peanut and almond varieties covered in Columbian dark chocolate.
They are vegan-friendly, contain no palm oil and were incredibly more-ish and delicious.
It’s large compared to the little square of chocolate you’d get in most advent calendars.
Each bite was around 100 calories a pop so not great for the Christmas diet but worth every penny.
- TASTE: 10/10
- VALUE: 10/10
- OVERALL SCORE: 10/10
So Wrong Its Nom Cheese Advent Calendar
- £8, sainsburys.co.uk
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So good, this advent calendar has become a global phenomenon with 1.4million calendars sold in 17 countries worldwide.
It contains 24 individual cheese including 12 from the Somerset-based Ilchester Cheese Company, plus there’s a cheesy joke behind every door.
This year’s cheeses include Ilchester Apple, Onion and Sage, Applewood, Mexicana and Ilchester Cheddar with Caramelised Onion.
Just remember to keep it in the fridge.
- TASTE: 10/10
- VALUE: 10/10
- OVERALL SCORE: 10/10
Walker’s The Shortbread Advent Calendar
- £19.99, walkershortbread.com
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Shortbread has long been synonymous with the festive season making this Walker’s advent calendar a winner.
You’ll find a delicious shortbread behind every window, including all butter mini choc chip shortbread, shortbread fingers, salted caramel squares and shortbread hearts, all of which were equally delicious.
The tartan design is festive and it’s a lovely way to count down to the big day.
- TASTE: 9/10
- VALUE: 8/10
- OVERALL SCORE: 8/10
The Snaffling Pig Co Pork Crackling Advent Calendar
- £22, prezzybox.com
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If you can’t pig out at Christmas, when can you?
This is packed with 24 bags of pork crackling in different flavours including Pigs in Blankets, Salt Vinegar, Low & Slow BBQ, Black Pepper, Perfectly Salted and Marvellous Maple.
It’s huge but the crackling was yummy, a lovely daily treat for the countdown to Christmas.
- TASTE: 9/10
- VALUE: 8/10
- OVERALL SCORE: 9/10
Pringles 12 Days of Christmas Advent Calendar
- £17, amazon.co.uk
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Once you pop you really can’t stop but you won’t need to worry about that with this calendar, which gives you one 40g tub of Pringles every day for 12 days in the run-up to Christmas.
It’s a super treat but not great value.
A mini 40g tub only costs £1 at Tesco, so you could get the lot yourself for £12, saving £5.
- TASTE: 8/10
- VALUE: 5/10
- OVERALL SCORE: 6/10
Cocoba Chocolate Hot Chocolate Advent Calendar
- £49.95, cocobachocolate.com
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An impressive and gigantic calendar, it’s actually quite heavy to lift.
There are some amazing treats inside including 12 hot chocolate bombs in different flavours, eight hot chocolate spoons and sprinkles.
It seems very expensive when you consider it costs nearly £50 but if you bought this stuff individually it would cost even more, so if you like hot chocolate or you are a fan of Cocoba, you’re getting a bargain here.
Everything included was incredibly delicious – these really are the tastiest and most luxurious hot chocs around.
It felt really indulgent and special, warming for the winter and perfect for the run-up to Christmas Day.
- TASTE: 10/10
- VALUE: 8/10
- OVERALL SCORE: 9/10
Bonne Maman Advent Calendar
- £28, bonnemaman.co.uk
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A festive-looking calendar with a 30g jam or spread behind each door.
Flavours include Milk Caramel with Cinnamon, Chestnut Orange with Spices and cherry with Pink Peppercorn.
The flavours are exciting and delicious to try.
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My daughter Olive, six, in particular, loved trying the different festive flavours and it includes a surprise gift for Christmas Day.
- TASTE: 7/10
- VALUE: 7/10
- OVERALL SCORE: 7/10
