I don't mean to worry you, but I'm afraid that those nasty rumours about Christmas getting closer are actually true. Even the TV adverts have started in full force – although I admit that I'm yet to see the distinctive red and white trucks coming over the horizon yet.
And as if that wasn't enough Advent is even closer still making it the perfect time to turn our attentions to chocolate advent calendars. I know you can buy advent calendars without chocolate, but let's be honest, unless you have a deadly allergy to chocolate why would you?
Marks and Spencer kindly sent me a couple of their range to try out this year and first we start with the Percy Pig Advent Calendar, which features white chocolates flavoured with dried raspberries.
Now I have to admit that I expected the chocolates inside this one to be white in colour, but in fact they were a slightly strange pink colour instead, which might put a few fussy eaters off.
They were actually really tasty though, albeit a bit sweet – but then I guess you're only supposed to eat one a day, rather than 24 in an evening!
The second calendar I reviewed was a much more traditional style Santa's Advent Calendar, filled with solid milk chocolate shapes.
I have to say that if I were choosing one for Little Miss C this is probably more the style I'd go for, but then I am a bit of a traditionalist at heart. Certainly the chocolates inside it were very nice and creamy and I also liked the little touch of there being a version of the picture on the back of the box that you could then cut out to form a jigsaw puzzle.
One footnote that I will add is for any nut allergy sufferers. Please note that on both of these advent calendars is the warning that they are "not suitable for NUT allergy sufferers due to manufacturing methods used". What isn't so clear, but that I've found out from having a husband with a peanut allergy, is that in Marks and Spencer food labelling, "nut" includes peanuts (which technically are not a nut but a legume). It is possible for a peanut allergy sufferer to be able to eat nuts, and for a nut allergy sufferer to be able to eat peanuts too. It's incredibly frustrating as most other supermarkets and manufacturers separate them out as a separate allergen, but M&S are apparently now following some new EU definition of "nut", and I think we all know what EU regulations are like…
Disclaimer: I was sent a couple of M&S advent calendars for the purposes of this review. I'm sorry, but there was no way I could not eat them before 1 December!
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