With only a few weeks to go until December, festive goodies are starting to line store shelves, with a string of food and drink related advent calendars available.
From something for gin lovers, to fans of cheese, here’s our pick of the best food and drink advent calendars.
Award winning chocolatier and pastry chef Sebastian Kobelt’s “Scottish Santa” caendar is back for 2023.
German born Sebastian produces his own range of handmade chocolates, truffles and bars from a workshop in Linlithgow. Sebastian has commissioned illustrator David Williams of Truffled Pig Art who came up with the design of a Scottish Santa in a snow globe.
For further details on Sebastian Kobelt’s full range, and to reserve an advent calendar (priced at £30.95) for dispatch the last week of November, are available on his website.
This eye-catching advent calendar comes in a colourful box from whisky club The Scotch Malt Whisky Society and is an ideal way to celebrate the 12 days of Christmas (which run from 25 December until twelve night on 5 January).
Inside the 12 doors there's a different 5cl bottle of single cask single malt Scotch whisky, including fun and festively named drams Fruitcake Earthquake, Party Tarts and Hog Roast and Marshmallows to Toast.
40 of the calendars contain a special prize behind one of the doors. These range from luxury experiences in SMWS venues that money can’t buy, to SMWS merchandise, taster packs, bottles, digital experiences, and dinner in venues.
The advent calendar and SMWS membership are available together for £199. To find out more, visit the SMWS website.
The Chocolates of Glenshiel Advent Calendar is back for 2023, priced at £23. Behind each window you’ll find a handmade chocolate, made using Scottish ingredients.
Alcohol-free and vegan versions are available. Chocolates of Glenshiel was founded by Finlay Macdonald when he was 16, after he realised he loved cooking when he used to bake scones with his granny.
All flavours include locally sourced ingredients such as whisky from Skye or heather honey, and all are handmade in the remote Highland location.
Find out more and buy via the Chocolates of Glenshiel website
The classic Walker’s Shortbread Advent Calendar is back for 2023.
Filled with a selection of all-butter goodies, this year’s calendar pays homage to the town of Aberlour in the Scottish Highlands, which is the home of Walker’s Shortbread.
Inside you'll find Walker’s Shortbread products behind every window, from pure butter shortbread fingers, to rounds and mini chocolate chip shortbread.
Priced at £19.99, the calendar is available to pre-order online now.
Chocolatia was set up by Gleneagles chocolatier, Chloe Oswald, during lockdown in 2021 after being furloughed from her job.
Initially she thought that they would be back at work full time in February and that she could enjoy the bumper chocolate selling periods of Christmas and Valentines and in her words, "hit the ground running."
For this Christmas, Chloe has confirmed she'll selling two advent calendars, priced from £25.
This year you can choose from a 12 day or 24 day advent calendar. Behind each door you will find a beautifully hand painted festive bonbon with 12 varieties inside - the biggest flavour selection yet.
10 percent of profits will be donated to Reach Across and Andys Man Club.
Find out more on her website.
Enjoy a different jam or marmalade this December thank to this calendar from Bonne Maman.
Doors one to 23 carry a 30g mini jar of jam or marmalade, in different flavour combinations, some made not available in the UK.
These include: milk caramel with cinnamon spread and raspberry with dark chocolate spread.
While stocks last, every order this year will also receive an extra special complimentary gift box of new spreads.
The Bonne Maman Advent calendar is available exclusively online priced £33 plus postage and packing.
Crafty Nectar have brought back their cider advent calendar, which includes 24 award-winning craft ciders.
The calendar includes ciders are made by traditional cider makers - including Tom Oliver, Blue Barrel Cider, Cidre Breton, Pilton cider - and are gluten-free and vegan-friendly.
Priced at £93, more info can be found here.
Toast the countdown to Christmas with the range of spirits calendars from Drink by the Dram and That Boutique-y advent calendars.
Choose from a selection of whisky, gin, rum and vodka from some of the best producers. These range from £49.95 to £9,999.95 for the Very Old and Rare Whisky Advent Calendar.
The calendars start at £49.95 are are available to buy online now, here.
For a slightly different sweet treat this December, why not try an advent calendar from Popcorn Shed?
Behind each of the doors, you'll find a packet of mini popcorn in flavours such as salt and vinegar, toffee and smoky maple.
There is a vegan, free-from calendar as well as a gourmet option and both are ideal for those looking for something a bit different from traditional chocolate.
Available to order now, priced at £23.99.
Owner of this Glasgow bakery, Alison Dunlop launched her Chocolate Advent Calendar in 2021.
Behind each door in this stylish calendar you'll find a delicious hand painted chocolate bonbon. There are 24 chocolates in total, in 12 different flavours.
The calendar is available to pre-order now, priced at £42.50.
The eteaket Tea Advent Calendar is back, and this year they've teamed up with the Isle of Harris Gin.
Inside tea lovers will find a carefully curated selection of 25 sachets of speciality loose leaf teas and infusions.
Not only does it include a selection of their famous teas, it will also include their Small Batch Christmas blends as well as the Tea in Mind range and the Isle of Harris Gin Tea
Open a door each day for a tea-surprise and follow the daily tea routine on the reverse, which invites you to pause, re-balance and create a calming space for your mind this December.
Buy the calendar now, priced at £34.95, here.
An alternative to a standard chocolate advent calendar, the Cheese Advent Calendar is available to buy now in Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Lidl for £8.
Including 24 individually wrapped cheeses, the calendar has a ‘book style’ packaging design, allowing one half to be torn off after the initial 12 days of Christmas to maximise fridge space.
The award-winning advent calendar features 11 varieties from award-winning Somerset-based cheese specialists, Ilchester Cheese Company.
The 2023 Cheese Advent Calendar from So Wrong It’s Nom features the following cheeses: Ilchester Apple, Onion and Sage, Applewood Vintage PDO, Mexicana and Ilchester Red Leicester with Black Pepper.
Crisp fans can tuck into a mini tub of Pringles to celebrate the 12 days of Christmas.
Featuring 12 pots of Pringles crisps with flavours including original, salt and vinegar, sour cream and onion, and BBQ, this calendar is ideal for those that prefer a savoury snack.
The calendar is available now for £10 at B&M stores nationwide.
The small Edinburgh distillery - whose gin-filled Christmas baubles sold out in just 82 seconds when they launched - is back with a new gift for Christmas.
Pickering’s Gin has created the “Crimbo Limbo” calendar, a fun and interactive way to remind us which day of the week it is when time seems to lose all meaning - the six days from Boxing Day to New Year’s Eve.
Behind each door is a miniature bottle of Pickering’s award-winning gin and a handy note to remind people what they should be doing on each of the six days – from checking if the turkey is still okay to eat through to packing the in-laws off home again.
As well as its signature London Dry gin, the limited-edition calendar includes exclusive festive flavours like Chocolate Orange and Spiced Pear and Cinnamon making this the ideal treat for any gin aficionado.
A QR code on the packaging takes the consumer to the Summerhall Distillery YouTube channel, which provides a interactive perfect serve suggestion carefully matched to each miniature.
Gin drinkers can easily follow along from home with the online step-by-step tutorial which is updated daily.
Just 10,000 of the limited edition “Crimbo Limbo” gin calendars are via the Summerhall Distillery website and selected independent retailers, with a recommended selling price of £30.
New for Christmas 2023, Norwich based Naked Wines has launched its first ever wine advent calendar.
The brand new calendar includes 24 different wines made by independent winemakers.
Presented in a boxed set, each wine comes in a handy 100ml tasting pack with festive wine notes and a special Christmas video message from each winemaker.
As well as this, there's a QR code that links to an online hub full of more winemaker stories and surprises.
Naked’s new advent calendar is now available online for £89.99.
This gourmet Marshmallow Advent Calendar features twelve flavours to try over 25 days.
The Gourmet Marshmallow Advent Calendar from The Naked Marshmallow Company features flavours from the Classic-Edition, Sweet-Edition and Festive Edition ranges.
The larger central door for Christmas Day includes a milk chocolate enrobed salted caramel marshmallow bar - made using The Naked Marshmallow Company salted caramel recipe marshmallow and Belgian milk chocolate.
As an optional extra, you can also choose to add a marshmallow toasting kits.
This advent calendar is priced at £20 (with Marshmallow Toaster £23.95).
Kevin the Carrot fans are in for more than a treat this Christmas as the famous vegetable will be making its return to shelves – this time in a variety of sweet delights from £1.09.
This range includes the sell-out Kevin the Carrot Advent Calendar (£1.29, 65g) which has returned to stores.
The unveiling of each door reveals a bespoke chocolate mould of each of Kevin’s family members.
Gift the gift of BrewDog beer or celebrate the 12 days of Christmas with this gift box priced at £18.
The collection features an assortment of BrewDog’s bestselling beers, including Punk IPA (5.4% ABV) and Lost Lager (4.5% ABV), as well as limited-edition brews and festive one-off showstoppers.
Also included in the pack is BrewDog’s festive beer, Hoppy Xmas (6% ABV) – a fruity Christmas tipple that delivers a bright mix of flavours.
Treat a loved one or yourself to this mega advent calendar from Hotel Chocolat, £75.
More than the classic single chocolate, discover a new gift behind every window, including elegant cacao-infused tipples, crackers to decorate your tree, a chocolate wreath and more.
Danish confectionery brand Lakrids by Bülow has launched a Christmas advent calendar, £50 full of gourmet chocolate coated liquorice for the 2023 festive season.
The calendar is full of flavours such as salt and caramel and the slow crafted range, as well as returning seasonal favourites, including butter cookie, frozen mint and crispy raspberry, now with a crispy shell.
Behind every door, there's two pieces of chocolate coated liquorice, a small festive quote and some include a QR code leading to an interactive experience.
