There's no specific definition for "gourmet," but high-end chocolate can be high-end in many different ways. It's a lot like coffee: There are many different types of beans grown in many places around the world, which can be processed, roasted, and prepared in various different ways. What that comes down to is that there's a dizzying array of chocolates out there. And that doesn't even include all the ways all those types of chocolate can be turned into truffles and other candies, or poured over fruits and nuts. Really, what it comes down to is attention to ingredients: Gourmet chocolate uses better, more special versions of all of them, and it's often made in smaller batches by smaller groups of people—sometimes by the head chocolatier themself.

Winemaker Josh Bahen made a seamless transition into chocolate, restoring the vintage age of chocolatiers by utilising a 1930s Barth Sirocco Ball Roaster and circa 1910 Guitard Melangeur in the batch process. Slow and special is how we would describe the chocolate from this Australian brand. The cocoa beans themselves are directly sourced from some of the most remote and exotic places in the world, then stone-ground, conched, tempered, and wrapped at Bahen’s factory in the Margaret River wine region. Choose at random amongst a variety of bars or simply go with the gift set because you can do no wrong with this Australian chocolate brand. The rules are different with chocolate candies, especially truffles filled with cream-based ganache. These will generally last two or three weeks at room temperature or a few months in the fridge—though refrigeration negatively affects chocolate's flavor. (These are general guidelines; read the storage instructions for anything you buy to make sure it doesn't have special rules.) Britain’s favourite chocolate has been revealed, along with the nation’s favourite chocolate bar brand, according to Britsuperstore. RELATED: These are the best Australian lollies and sweets of all time. Best Australian chocolate at a glanceThe Cadbury Favourites Dark Edition is a delicious new way to enjoy your favourite Cadbury chocolates - perfect for dark chocolate lovers. All-natural and delicious, we love Winnow Chocolates for their eye-catching colours and equally impressive flavours. Most of all, we love how these Australian chocolates are made using organic, fair-trade couverture chocolate, the brand employs the traditional French technique of hand-tempering on marble. Waste is kept to a minimum while the taste is truly maxed out. The husband-and-wife chocolatiers behind Philadelphia's John & Kira's specialize in adorable truffles that look like they came from, well, an enchanted forest. The whimsical plants and animals in this collection are filled with sophisticated flavors like mint, honey lavender, caramel, and white tea with rose. (And the hand-painted bees, appropriately, taste like salted honey caramel.) This collection comes with 29 pieces in total, with 16 ladybugs, four bees, and three each of mushrooms, wildflowers, and butterflies. Shop online for personalised gifts, chocolate hampers and a huge range of milk, white and dark chocolate for delivery by post.

One of our editors, Taylor, taste-tested these for our best gift baskets roundup and said, "These chocolates were the fanciest chocolates I've ever received. They're almost too pretty to eat." Is this the cheapest price? Find out with our free supermarket price comparison app. Compare Morrisons with Sainsbury's, ASDA, Tesco, Iceland, Ocado and Waitrose. Allison Wignall, who updated this roundup, is a writer who focuses on food and travel. During her globetrotting, she has tasted some of the sweetest confections, from macarons in Paris to fresh gourmet chocolates in Ecuador. Her work has been featured in publications including, Food & Wine, Travel + Leisure, and Southern Living. According to the grocery delivery service, which analysed over 10,000,000 UK search results in time to revealed the nation’s favourite chocolate as Fererro Rocher.We eat with our eyes first, and in the world of gourmet chocolate, this concept is taken seriously. Especially if you're giving chocolate as a gift, a luxe ribbon-tied box full of colorful pieces in a variety of shapes will be more appealing than a plastic tray of identical squares. The appearance of the chocolate itself can also tell you a lot about its quality. Chocolate should have a smooth, shiny surface; any cloudy discoloration is a sign of "bloom," which means the chocolate was stored improperly. (Bloomed chocolate is generally still safe to eat, but the taste won't be at its peak.) Higher in cacao content, dark chocolate is complex, with roasty-toasty coffee flavors that are often drowned out in milk chocolate. The Parisian chocolatiers at La Maison du Chocolat highlight dark chocolate with this assortment: two pieces each of a dozen different pralines and ganache–filled truffles. Flavors include intense 100-percent-cacao chocolate, Ethiopian coffee beans, lemon cream, passionfruit, hazelnut, and more. The Coffret Maison box is also available in sizes up to 84 pieces, which add a couple extra flavors. The major loser among the 10 leading brands has been M&M’s, which has seen 17.5% wiped off its value.Mars-owned M&M’s is facing fierce competition in the sharing sub-category, including from challenger brands such as Doisy & Dam, which recently launched its own vegan spin on M&M’s chocolate covered peanuts.