The production of luxury hand-crafted chocolate is not limited to Switzerland and Belgium. Britain is home to some of the most renowned and luxury chocolate brands in the world.
Do you love chocolates? With so many different kinds of chocolates out there, it can be tough to decide which ones are worth the investment. If you’re dreaming of a romantic evening with some chocolate-covered strawberries, some champagne truffles, or some chocolate-covered chocolates, check out this list of the top 10 luxury chocolates brands in the UK.
Top 10 Luxury chocolate brands UK
1. After Eight
The iconic After Eight Mint Chocolate Thin logo is derived from a clock in a company boardroom, which has become a symbol of the brand since its inception in 1962. Since 1988, Nestle has been producing one billion thin-wafer chocolate mints per year.
Initially, the early advertising of the brand was not particularly politically correct, with the slogan “A woman’s place is at home, eating an After Eight and looking beautiful” being used. In 1933, Rowntree’s produced “Black Magic” box chocolates.
2. Bendicks of Mayfair
Bittermints are quintessentially British chocolates, even though they’re now owned by Germany. The chocolates have a 95% cocoa coating and were awarded the prestigious Royal Warrant in 1962. They come in 9, 18, and 36 inch boxes, and you can buy them by the yard. You can also get them individually wrapped.
The name comes from the founders, Oscar and Bertie Benson, who came up with a recipe that was passed down from one of their nurses to the other, Lucia.
3. Betty’s
Fritz Butzer was born in Switzerland and moved to England in 1907 to start a new life. Unfortunately, he didn’t know where he was going and all he remembered was that the address he was supposed to be at was something called ‘Bratwurst’.
They put him on a train and dropped him off in Bradford, Yorkshire. He got a job at a Swiss-owned sweets shop called Bonnet & sons. He opened his first store in York in 1919, which was soon to become the city’s confectionery hub. His speciality is Chocolate Desires, which are hand-rolled discs filled with chocolate, fruit, and nuts.
4. Cadbury’s Milk Tray
Before it was launched in 1935, the milk chocolate market was dominated by the Swiss after Daniel Peter’s invention in 1875. The well-known Cadbury company was founded in 1824 in a Birmingham grocer’s shop. Some of the first chocolates they made were called “Iceland Moss” and “Churchman’s Chocolate”.
TV ads in the 70s showed James Bond stuntmen handing out boxes of Cadbury chocolates. Cadbury made the first lidded chocolate box in 1916. They merged with JS Fry from Bristol, who had already launched Chocolate Creams in 1866 and a Turkish delight with rose flavouring in 1914.
Fry’s also made the first solid chocolate bars and filled chocolate sweet in 1873, as well as the UK’s first Easter Egg.
5. Charbonnel And Walker
Her Majesty, the Queen holds the second Royal Warrant as a chocolate manufacturer. Who doesn’t have a sweet tooth? Charbonnel & Walker was founded in 1875 with the help of Edward VII, then the Prince of Wales. The original shop was located on Mayfair’s New Bond Street in London, and it’s still there today.
You can also find it in stores in the US, like Saks and Neiman Marcus, as well as Sur La Table. Madame Charbonnet used to work for maison boissier in Paris, and Sir Noel Coward used to get a box of their chocolates every fortnight.
6. Guilbert’s
Guilbert’s, founded by a Swiss expat in 1910, is still making chocolates by hand in Bristol. Their 100th anniversary tins feature scenes of Bristol. Their classic range includes chocolates with chocolate stems ginger, creams with flowers, creams with peppermint, creams with raspberries and strawberries, and fondants with crystals.
7. Montezuma’s
It’s said that an Aztec chief gave Christopher Columbus a basket full of chocolates on one of his first trips to Mexico and the Aztec culture. Other conquistadors, like Hernando Cortez, saw people eating chocolates or drinking xocoatl at Montezuma’s court.
Helena and Simon Pattinson, ex-lawyers, make their luxury range right here in Sussex. Their “Happy Hour” includes strawberry Champagne cocktail truffles, along with Prosecco and Margarita and Brandy Alexander. They also have chocolate buttons and truffles, and gift boxes for all kinds of occasions, as well as vegan chocolates.
8. Terry’s
Terry’s Chocolate Oranges have been around since 1767 and are now owned by the French. Like Rowntree’s, they’re based in York and were first released in 1932. They were also known as “All Gold” around the same time.
9. Thornton’s
Thornton has been making premium chocolates handcrafted for over 100 years, and they’re based in Alfreton in Derbyshire. William Thornton opened a sweet shop back in the 1920s in Sheffield, Yorkshire.
He then passed the business down to his 14-year-old son Norman, who, with his brother Stanley, made some pretty unique treats. Norman made some sweet treats like violet cachous, sweet lips and Phul nanas.
But it wasn’t until the 1920s that the brothers started making their own hand-made truffles, “crystallized fondants,” and their own special toffee. Plus, you can iced your message or create one with alphabet squares for the ultimate chocoholic gift.
10. Whitaker’s
The Whitaker family have been making chocolates for over five generations. It all started back in 1889 in a small Yorkshire village where they ran a grocery shop and draper’s shop. The vicar’s wife taught Ida how to make chocolate, and now they make ten million a week.
They have a range of chocolates to choose from, including wafer thinners, truffle balls, chocolate hearts and honeycomb bites. Plus, they have their signature collections too, like Assorted luxury mint, dark chocolate orange & lemon cream and dark chocolate rose violet cream.
In conclusion,
There’s so much to love about luxury British chocolate brands. They’ve got great taste, great texture, and a hint of innovation. In this article, we made an attempt to introduce you the top 10 Luxury chocolate brands in UK, In case you are into chocolates and want to travel there.
Have you heard about any of them? Which one? Share your experience with us just by a simple click on the comment box below.