Simon Lewis LIFESTYLE REVIEWS EDITOR 13 October 2023 2:53pm BST This article contains affiliate links. The products or services in this article have been selected independently by

journalists. We may earn a commission when you click a link, buy a product or subscribe to a service. When we came to write our guide to the best advent calendars of 2023 we realised just

what a huge task we had taken on. The market for advent calendars has absolutely exploded this year. As well as the classic chocolate advent calendars there are beauty advent calendars, toy

advent calendars and alcohol advent calendars. The best food advent calendars, meanwhile, now include every kind of comestible from marshmallows to artisan cheeses. We’ve reviewed 23 of them

Popcorn HOW WE TESTED THE BEST FOOD ADVENT CALENDARS Admittedly we’ve broken the law by opening them before December, but how else were we going to do it? Our waistlines are proof of how

seriously we take the job. Whether you’re a mature cheese connoisseur or helpless marshmallow addict, you’re sure to find something here to see you through December in delicious style. (By

the way, if you’re getting ready for Christmas, you may want to read our guides to the best Christmas hampers and the best artificial Christmas trees next.) ------------------------- BEST

SWEET ADVENT CALENDARS 1. CANDY KITTENS ADVENT CALENDAR £10, Amazon WE LIKE: vegan and ethical with no artificial ingredients * Inside: 23 boxes containing at least two gummie sweets each

and a full-sized bag for Christmas eve * Available now * Free next-day delivery with Prime The Candy Kittens calendar was hugely popular last year, perhaps because parents like the company’s

eco credentials. The fruit-flavoured gummies are all vegan, made from natural flavours and colours with no palm oil or animal gelatine. As a bonus this year, purchasers are entered into a

competition to win two nights at a luxury country house hotel. £10 Buy now Price at Amazon 2. JELLY BELLY HARRY POTTER ADVENT CALENDAR £21, Fenwick WE LIKE: not just a calendar but a game of

dare * Inside: 24 bags of jelly beans, total 190g * Available now * Delivery in 3 working days for £3.50 or next day for £6 Combining two of the hottest things in advent calendars - Harry

Potter and jelly beans - this is a clever twist on the standard calendar offering. There’s a bag of beans behind every door, but they’re not all sweet and festive. You might get a mouthful

of ‘soap’, ‘earthworm’ or even ‘rotten egg’. That’ll keep the kids on their toes. There’s also a fun bit of trivia behind each door. £21 Buy now Price at Fenwick 3. THE NAKED MARSHMALLOW CO.

GOURMET MARSHMALLOW ADVENT CALENDAR £20, Naked Marshmallow Co WE LIKE: set them on fire for extra festive ambience * Inside: 24 x 13g marshmallows in 12 different flavours * Order now for

dispatch October 16 * Delivery costs £3.95 and takes 3-5 working days get chestnuts roasting by an open fire, kids these days want to melt marshmallows and there are 12 different flavours to

melt here, from vanilla bean to cookies and cream and, er, fizzy watermelon. A £23.95 version is available that comes with a marshmallow toaster (basically a paraffin gel stove) and 24

skewers, so you don’t even need an open fire. Adults will be happy to know there’s also a Boozy Edition for the same price. £20 Buy now Price at Naked Marshmallow Company 4. BONNE MAMAN

ADVENT CALENDAR £33, Bonne Maman, also available at Ocado for £28 WE LIKE: a different jam every December morning * Inside: 17 different 30ml jars including fig with cardamom, caramel with

cinnamon and plum with spices, six flavoured teas including Silent Night and Christmas Blend, plus one surprise for Christmas eve * Pre-order now for dispatch mid-October * Free delivery

with Bonne Maman French confiture kings Bonne Maman probably supply a million tiny pots of preserves each month to hotels around the world, but it’s nice to have 17 of them to sample as the

mornings get gloomier - plus six herbal teas and an extra treat on day 24. This year, while stocks last, you’ll get a complimentary box of spreads with each order. £28 Buy now Price at Ocado

5. MRS BRIDGES PRESERVES ADVENT CALENDAR £34.99, Lakeland WE LIKE: 13 different Christmassy flavours  * Inside: 23 43g jars of preserves (various flavours) and one 113g jar of Celebration

Marmalade with Champagne * Available now * Free delivery in 3-5 working days Lakeland have a great little range of traditional advent calendars this year but we were drawn to this, similar

to the Bonne Maman calendar but with a distinctly British flavour (lemon curd, anyone?) It has 24 mini-pots of preserves in 12 different flavours, from blackcurrant and blueberry to

pineapple and ginger, plus a bigger jar of champagne marmalade for breakfast on Christmas day. £35 Buy now Price at Lakeland 6. BISCUITEERS ADVENT BISCUIT TIN AND CLOTH CALENDAR Tin of

biscuits £60, Emma Bridgewater calendar £65, both together £125, Biscuiteers WE LIKE: the keep-it-forever limited edition cloth calendar (although it’s highly likely to sell out) * Inside:

24 individually designed vanilla biscuits, total weight 275g, 100cm x 60cm embroidered cloth calendar sold separately * Available now * Free next-day delivery if ordered before 4pm Being

endlessly personalisable, iced biscuits are a popular gift – but to keep 24 of them fresh, you really need a tin. Biscuiteers’ solution is to team up with designer Emma Bridgewater on on a

limited-edition cloth calendar with 24 embroidered pockets, with the tin of biscuits sold separately – although you can, of course, buy them together. £125 Buy now Price at Biscuiteers 7.

WHITTARDS HOT CHOCOLATE ADVENT CALENDAR £70, Whittard WE LIKE: lovely packaging can be used as a mini chest of drawers afterwards * Inside: 24 x 20g sachets of hot chocolate in 12 different

flavours. Each one makes enough for two people * Available now * Free delivery in 2-4 working days Some advent calendars are plainly designed to be gifts in their own right and Whittard’s is

definitely one of those. The hot chocolates include salted caramel, rocky road, Christmas hot chocolate, cookies and cream and eight other rare and delicious flavours, all served from neat

drawers that will be great for storing ribbons, buttons or jewellery when Christmas is over. Or more hot chocolate. £70 Buy now Price at Whittard BEST CHEESE ADVENT CALENDARS 8. PAXTON &

WHITFIELD ARTISAN CHEESE ADVENT CALENDAR £150, Paxton & Whitfield WE LIKE: the ultimate advent for fromage fans (although there’s no actual calendar) * Inside: 24 x 75g cuts of artisan

cheese including Gruyere, Stilton and unusual cheeses from artisan British and European cheesemakers * Order now * Free delivery on Nov 30, Dec 8 and Dec 15 The 225 year-old London

cheesemongers naturally do the most upmarket cheese offering. Each cheese is hand-cut, hand-wrapped and delivered in a numbered box, but you don’t get all 24 days at once: it arrives in

three separate deliveries to keep them super fresh.  £150 Buy now Price at Paxton & Whitfield 9. THE CHEESEGEEK ADVENT CALENDAR £150, cheesegeek WE LIKE: not just 24 cheeses but the food

to go with them * Inside: 24 x75g pieces of cheese, delivered in three lots, with a box of crackers, 45g of honey and a 113g jar of condiment included in each delivery * Order now * Free

delivery on Dec 1, Dec 8 and Dec 15 Like Paxton & Whitfield, Dragon’s Den winner the Cheese Geek (Edward Hancock) deals out his advent calendar in three deliveries to keep the cheeses

fresh. The difference is, each delivery also contains a pack of crackers, a honey and a condiment. Cheesegeek also sell a Christmas hamper, if you can grab it before it sells out. £150 Buy

now Price at The Cheese Geek 10. SO WRONG IT’S NOM ILCHESTER CHEESE ADVENT CALENDAR £9, Ocado WE LIKE: something different in your sandwich every day, for very little money * Inside: 24

mini-cheeses in 11 varieties of Cheddar, red Leicester and double Gloucester * Pre-order now for dispatch November 10 * Delivered with your Ocado shop, or buy in-store at Sainsbury, Lidl and

Morissons If Paxton & Whitfield and cheesegeek are the most aspirational cheese calendars, this one from ‘cheese influencer’ So Wrong It’s Nom is the most affordable. It’s also the most

lunchbox-friendly: you get 24 little cheeses from the Ilchester Cheese Company in 11 flavours, including six types of aged, smoked or flavoured Cheddar, two types of red Leicester and a

double Gloucester. Yum – or, if you prefer, nom. £9 Buy now Price at Ocado BEST CHRISTMAS FOOD ADVENT CALENDARS 11. SELFRIDGES 12 DAYS OF PANETTONE ADVENT CALENDAR £124.99, Selfridges WE

LIKE: better than eating 12 panettoni in one go on Christmas day (although we will also do that) * Inside: 12 x 110g panettoni in four varieties: classic, double chocolate and vin santo,

chocolate glazed and chocolate and orange * Available now * £5.95 for standard delivery within 5 working days or free next day click-and-collect in store Last year everyone was after the

Selfridges mince pie advent calendar. This year, they’ve gone continental and created 24 mini-panettoni in partnership with Tuscan family bakery Fratelli Lunardi. The flavours range from the

traditional to the uncompromisingly Christmassy (candied orange and Belgian chocolate, anyone?) £124.99 Buy now Price at Selfridges 12. FATTORIA LA VIALLA ADVENT IN THE FARM SHOP £152, La

Vialla WE LIKE: no half-measures in this bumper delivery of Italian food and wine * Inside: seven 75cl bottles of wine, one 37.5cl bottle of frizzante, one 300g  cheese, two 250g strings of

sausages, three 500g bags of dry pasta, five jars of sauces and savouries, four bags of biscuits and sweets, one jar of chocolate spread * Available now * Free delivery in 3-5 working days

Panettone is one thing, but if you want a proper Italian Christmas you’ll need to call in the experts. Fattoria La Vialla is an award-winning, family-run biodynamic farm and wine estate in

Tuscany and their advent calendar (actually a box, handpainted to look like the La Vialla farm shop) contains 24 Italian delicacies from Chianti to carciofini, spaghetti to sugo bombolino –

plus a handbook in English to explain it all and how best to serve it.  £152 Buy now Price at La Vialla 13. DAYLESFORD ORGANIC FARMSHOP ADVENT CALENDAR £250, Daylesford Organic WE LIKE: bath

and home gifts as well as food in this very indulgent calendar * Inside: 25 gifts from Daylesford’s food, drink, homeware and bath & body ranges * Order now for dispatch after November

1 * Delivery for £7 in 3-5 working days We have farmshops in this country, too, of course, and none more upmarket than Daylesford Organic, whose first ever farmshop advent calendar is

suitably exclusive. Its 25 drawers contain not just sweet and savoury organic Christmas treats like clementine curd and cranberry sauce but Christmas decorations, candles, hand cream and

even a marble-handled cheese knife. There’s also a £125 kid’s calendar in the shape of a Christmas tree. £250 Buy now Price at Daylesford Organic 14. THE CARTWRIGHT & BUTLER ADVENT

CALENDAR £210, Cartwright & Butler WE LIKE: enough Christmas food to feed a family of 30 or a medium sized business * Inside: 24 full-sized Cartwright & Butler products including

shortbread, biscuits, fudge, cakes, tea, mulled wine bags, toffees, sweets, preserves and prosecco * Available now * Free delivery within 3-5 working days The price may seem high but it

figures when this advent calendar arrives. You are looking at well over 20kg of biscuits, preserves, cakes, hot drinks, confectionery and prosecco in 24 drawers, standing almost two feet

high. It might work best as a workplace advent calendar, with a treat each day for the whole company to share. £210 Buy now Price at Cartwright & Butler 15. FORTNUM & MASON FEASTING

ADVENT CALENDAR £200, Fortnum & Mason WE LIKE: the abundance of cinnamon, ginger and festive spices in this ultra-traditional foodie gift * Inside: 25 miniature and full-sized Christmas

food and drink products including preserves, chocolates, biscuits, liqueurs, Christmas teas and coffees * Available now * Delivery in 3-5 working days for £5.95 Fortnum & Mason’s

Feasting advent calendar is essentially one of their famous Christmas hampers in calendar-form. 24 doors hold Christmas classics like figgy pudding, Damson gin and cognac butter. Behind the

25th is a quarter bottle of champagne. F&M also do a spirits and liqueurs advent calendar and a tea advent calendar. They do luxury Christmas crackers, too. £200 Buy now Price at Fortnum

& Mason 16. THE FENWICK 12 DAYS OF DELICIOUS CALENDAR £135, Fenwick WE LIKE: nice balance of treats for kids and grownups * Inside: four types of chocolate, two types of biscuit, two

preserves, one spread, coffee, tea, sweets, mulled wine bags, gin and champagne * Available now * Free delivery in 3 working days Not quite as venerable as Fortnums but a respectable 140

years old, Fenwick have restrained themselves to just 12 days for this year’s advent calendar. Its well-chosen treats include Fenwick’s own strawberry and rhubarb preserve and a 20cl bottle

of Moët for Christmas day. £135 Buy now Price at Fenwick BEST COFFEE ADVENT CALENDARS 17. NESPRESSO ADVENT CALENDAR £35, Nespresso WE LIKE: nicely designed box that you can reuse for your

pods * Inside: 24 coffee pods including limited-edition blends * Available now * Delivery within 2-5 working days for £4.95 George Clooney is almost certainly getting one of these. Behind

each door is a different coffee, including limited-edition flavours and a special surprise on day 24. The box was designed by French luxury clothing brand Fusalp. There’s a Vertuo advent

calendar (£39) for use with the more expensive Vertuo machine and pods.  £35 Buy now Price at Nespresso 18. PACT ADVENT CALENDAR £29.95, Pact Coffee WE LIKE: tasting notes and background

info on each artisan coffee * Inside: 25 x 25g sachets of coffee, ground to suit most brewing methods * Pre-order now for dispatch October 25 * Free delivery in 2-5 days Pact pioneered the

coffee subscription, sending you a different roast every week from small, sustainable coffee farms. This distills that idea into one box, with a different coffee for each day of December

including some rare limited editions and seven Christmas exclusives. Each sachet makes one generous cup. So, if you’re a couple, order two calendars. £29.95 Buy now Price at Samsung BEST TEA

ADVENT CALENDARS 19. PUKKA DAYS OF JOY ADVENT CALENDAR £10.99, Pukka WE LIKE: lots of flavours you’d never usually try * Inside: 24 sachets of herbal tea, from Three Ginger to Licorice

& Cinnamon, including an exclusive ‘Joy’ blend for Christmas * Available now * Delivery in 1-2 working days for £3.99 One of the best-known herbal tea companies also has one of the most

sought-after advent calendars. No worries about calorie-counting here, with 24 varieties of ethically-sourced and organic tea, most of which you won’t have seen on the supermarket shelves,

including ‘Love’ and ‘Joy’. It’s probably the only advent calendar that’s actually good for your health. £10.99 Buy now Price at Pukka 20. MARIAGE FRÈRES CHRISTMAS IN LOVE ADVENT CALENDAR

£48, Mariage Frères * Inside: 24 x sachets of classic and herbal teas plus a one-off exclusive tea for Christmas day * Available now * Shipping via UPS, fee calculated at checkout Mariage

Frères is France’s most illustrious tea company, founded in 1854. Their advent calendar has 25 teas in cotton muslin bags, including all their classic Darjeelings, Earl Greys, jasmines and

flower teas plus some Noël teas just for Christmas. It’s a French site,with the price listed in Euros, but don’t be put off, delivery to the UK only takes 3-5 days. The calendar can also be

bought in their Covent Garden store.  £48 Buy now Price at Mariage Frères BEST SNACK ADVENT CALENDARS 21. PIP & NUT ADVENT CALENDAR £22, Ocado WE LIKE: nice alternative to chocolate

calendars (but no less calorific) * Inside: 12 x 17g peanut butter cups, 12 x 17g almond butter cups * Available now * Next-day deliveries available on Ocado Pip & Nut are taking over

the peanut butter aisle at your local supermarket with their growing range of nut-based spreads. The logical next step is an advent calendar for nut-butter-loving kids. Slight shame that

there’s only two flavours, but that’s unlikely to deter fans of this American-style treat. Watch out: there’s 420 calories in every cup. £22 Buy now Price at Ocado 22. JOE & SEPH’S

GOURMET POPCORN ADVENT CALENDAR £30, Joe & Seph WE LIKE: opens up like a Christmas storybook * Inside: 24 x 7g packs of popcorn in 14 different flavours * Available now * Delivery in 3-5

working days for £4 Popcorn’s reasonably healthy, right? That’s what we tell ourselves, anyway. There’s certainly no shortage of it in this calendar, with Christmassy flavours including

chocolate, salted caramel, cinnamon and ginger and baked apple. It’s Joe & Seph’s range-topper, but you can also get a vegan version and a smaller £15 advent calendar.  £30 Buy now Price

at Joe & Seph's 23. PRINGLES ADVENT CALENDAR 2023 £39.99, Amazon WE LIKE: simple, kid-pleasing and shareable * Inside: 24 x 40g tubs in four flavours (original, salt and vinegar,

sour cream and chive and BBQ) * Available now * Free next-day delivery with Prime We were slightly suprised to learn how popular Pringles’ advent calendar is: more people are searching for

this online than any other non-chocolate advent calendar. But it does make sense when you think that each tub can be shared with siblings, avoiding daily squabbles over who’s got a better

treat. It would have been nice to see more flavours, is all. £39.99 Buy now Price at Amazon ------------------------- View the latest Amazon and John Lewis & Partners deals