festive flavours from whittard...

As thoughts inevitably turn to keeping warm, the idea of a steaming hot mug of hot chocolate is tempting. To make the decision about what to drink as you look out of your window onto a cold December day, Whittard of Chelsea has expanded the delicious range of hot chocolates. You could, I suppose, always get all of them...

Seven deadly delicious sins come in the form of some delectable hot chocolate drinks made with cocoa from the Ivory coast. With flavours like Coconut, Ginger, Aztec Chilli and White Chocolate to choose from, decision making isn't going to be easy. I'm a big fan of ginger (no, not Geri Halliwell) so I sneaked a tub of the chocolate & ginger variety home with me the other day. Very nice, too.

Tubs of each flavour along with 70% Cocoa, Mint and Skinny are also available this Christmas. The White Christmas Hot Chocolate Tub with marshmallow toppingsand the Christmas Gianduja Hot Chocolate with biscuits balls will also make you want to stay indoors watching rubbish TV, just so that you can have another one...

If you want to spread the love, Whittards also have a Cosy Hot Chocolate Gift Set which you might want to get any chocolate loving friends - in the hope that they feel like sharing it! Add some variety with the Hot Chocolate Shaker Set and shake the snowy cocoa powder over a festive stencil to create a charming Christmas design. Fun for children and adults, this set is the perfect gift for anyone wrapped up in the spirit of the season.

And just to make the whole thing easier, you can whisk it all up with The Hot Chocolate Maker - the fastest way to warm up on a cold winter's day. Simply put in the milk, warm in the microwave, froth with the built-in milk frothier and add cocoa. Top the creation with some sugary Christmas Sprinkles - your gingerbread men, snowflakes and Christmas trees add a touch of silliness to chilly winter evenings - and we all need silliness as well as chocolate at this time of year...