General Selection 2019: UK’s favourite Christmas Chocolate Box revealed

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13-Dec-2019 - Last updated on 13-Dec-2019 at 11:33 GMT

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In a bid to uncover the best Christmas chocolate box on the market, we counted, sorted and weighed almost 1,300 chocolates (12.9kgs) from the UK's most popular Christmas tins, before asking the nation to determine – once and for all – which chocolates belong in the God Tier, and which scrape the bottom of the Golden Barrell.

A survey and analysis by iProspect​ uncovers which tin provides the most value for money, which chocolate is the UK's most loved (and what the likelihood is of picking out their favourites), as well as missing flavours that would make a welcome addition – where are the mint chocolate options?

Top of the Chocs​

Survey data reveals that of the four market leaders, Celebrations ​​is the UK's favourite tin, and coincidentally, it's also the best value in terms of chocolate content, with an average tin quantity of 71 chocolates (684g) per tin. This is compared to 67 chocolates in Quality Street​​ (664g), 63 chocolates in Heroes​​ (624g), and 58 chocolates in Roses ​​(622g).

From the 38 different chocolate treats available, Celebrations’​​ Maltesers Teaser ​was by far the UK's favourite chocolate choice (49% of the UK voted this number one). While it may be the most loved, the Malteser Teaser​ certainly isn't the most abundant – with only eight in the average Celebrations ​​tin, there's an 11.5% chance of picking a Maltesers Teaser​ out first time.

While Maltesers Teaser​ is the overall winner and Roses’​​ Golden Barrel​ takes a respectable second place, it's Heroes​​ that dominates the Top 10, with four of their collection in the line-up (Wispa​, Dairy Milk​, Twirl​ and Crunchie Bits​, taking 5th, 6th, 7th and 9th place respectively).

At the other end of the scale, Quality Street's ​​Coconut Eclair​ had only 2.5% of respondents choosing this as their favourite. However, it's the fourth most common chocolate in the Quality Street ​​collection – with six in an average tin, there's a 9% chance of pulling out a Coconut Eclair​ first time.

The age split​

The chocolate you’re most likely to grab from Celebrations ​​is the Milkyway​, since this particular variety makes up for a fifth of the tin's contents. This means those aged 18 and under are fully catered for - they‘re the only age group who voted the Milkyway ​as their favourite.

While the majority of the United Kingdom are united in their chocolate tin preferences, the same can't be said for those aged 55+ and under-18. Respondents in these age brackets both agree that Celebrations ​​isn't deserving of the number one spot, but nor can they agree on which should take the crown. Over-55s love Quality Street​​, while under-18s love Heroes​​. With the contents of the Heroes ​​tub distributed relatively evenly between the nine flavours within, is their choice of a fair and equal box a sign of the times? Maybe.

Those over 65 are even more unsure - placing both Roses ​​and Heroes ​​in the joint first position, they’re the only age group to rate Roses ​​higher than 3rd place.

Improvements could be made​

When Brits were asked how the tins could be improved, the top suggestions included classic flavours such as coffee (9% want this flavour) and mint (8% suggested this). There's also demand for more chocolates available in flavours that already exist in the tins, like nuts, chocolate orange and truffle.

Top 10 Most Wanted Flavours​

Put your money where your mouth is​

Let's say you’re a caramel fan: your best bet is a Celebrations ​​tin as this selection has four different caramel varieties, and you have a 51% chance of grabbing this flavour when picking first time. Failing that, Heroes ​​is your next best bet, with three varieties and a 31% chance of getting a caramel choc on your first dive in. Quality Street​​ also has three caramel varieties, but there's only a 20% chance of getting one first time.

Are you a non-conformist coconut fan? Then the Celebrations ​​tin is still your best bet, with eight Bounty​ minis inside, versus a Quality Street's​​ seven Coconut Éclairs​ - but the remaining tins aren't for you, with absolutely zero coconut options between them.

In conclusion​

Whatever your favourite, it's easy to see there's an obvious divide to whichever tin – and chocolate – you open on Christmas Day. Use our handy guide to discover the chances of getting your favourite variety during your chocolate tin adventures this Christmas, and best of luck in avoiding the leftover Bounty​ come Boxing Day.

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