Usually at Christmas, I try to eat my body weight in chocolate, but I've given up trying this year.

First I went for one of my favourites: the Lindt chocolate truffles. These things are now priced at £8.50 for the larger box, and all you get for your money is a mouthful of palm oil and that horrible greasy texture.

Then I was offered some Milk Tray at someone's house. Same greasy/oily texture and taste again. I checked the box and palm oil is listed as the second highest ingredient.

Are there any good brands still left out there that aren't like this? I don't mean fancy, expensive stuff that I need to order online from a tiny village in Belgium. I mean something I can pick up in the supermarket.

I'm guessing this is the future of chocolate now anyway since the price of cocoa is going up, but there's got to be some good stuff still clinging on.


39 comments

  1. I feel ya! I used to love Quality Street but it tastes like shite now. I’ve tried Chocolonely which is very nice.

  2. Have you tried Hotel Chocolat? Ok not supermarket, but there’s a store in most high streets and some shopping centres e.g Designer Outlet York, Trafford Centre

  7. >I don’t mean fancy, expensive stuff that I need to order online from a tiny village in Belgium. I mean something I can pick up in the supermarket.

    Basically… no – you might pick up something decent if there is a Booths near you, but otherwise, you are a) ordering online and b) paying more.

    *Hotel Chocolat* is going to be your best high street option.

  8. Booja booja is chocolate without palm oil and suffering!

    But yeah most have palm oil.

  10. Milka doesn’t contain palm oil, tastes pretty good and doesn’t cost a huge amount

    Edit to say many thanks for the award and incredible amount of upvotes.

  12. I get the dark chocolates (75/85%) from the supermarkets, that’s the best chocolate experience!

  15. Marks and Spencer’s own brand is palm oil free.

    Edit: by which I mean bar chocolate rather than boxes of chocolates, which do have palm oil in them. That said Big Mix is still better than Quality Street.

  18. Solid bars that we get from Lindt don’t have palm oil?  Also, get good quality cocoa and bake yourself some chocolate goodies.  

  20. I know it’s not what you asked for, but my wife swears by The Chocolate Smiths

    https://www.thechocolatesmiths.com/collections/bizarres?srsltid=AfmBOoqYzI0427Wo9T_25fc9mk-2xWmjltegUsMlgbMabRbqf0BFwK9H

    They’re based out of Newcastle and do specialty bars rather than Hotel Chocolat style chocolate bombs, truffles, etc.

    They’re expensive as is and she pays extra to have them imported here to Ireland so she clearly thinks they’re delicious. They’re not my thing particularly, but they do seem to be very high quality.

  21. Guylian has no palm oil or anything. Watch ‘Inside the factory’ from December 2024 on iPlayer.
    May be a bit sweet for some tastes though.

  22. I was gifted a box of Chococo this year – I’ve not tried them yet, but my MIL absolutely adores them, so I’m hoping they’re decent! I really like the Monty Bojangles truffles, probably my current favourite.

  23. [Mackies](https://www.mackies.co.uk/chocolate/) – made in Scotland. It’s absolutely what you except when you think of a chocolate bar.

    For a while I kept finding their bars on sale for £1 or so, but I last seen them for almost £4 in Morrisons which is a bit crazy.

  24. Charbonnel et Walker or Prestat if you aren’t worried about budget. Good chocolate is expensive these days.

  28. Morrisons cheap own brand chocolate has no palm oil. My parents say that the plain bar reminds them of how milk chocolate used to taste.

  30. I like Lidl’s big bars in the cardboard packaging (Fin Carre brand) , they do a honey salted almond bar that has a great ratio of nuts to chocolate.

  31. From best to worst of reasonably priced options, imo:

    1. M&S’s own brand “fancy” line (“single source” or something)
    2. Montezeuma
    3. Tony’s
    4. Green & Blacks
    5. The other “fancy line” supermarket ranges, like “Taste the Difference” etc

  33. I was trying to put my finger on what was wrong with the Lindor balls this year other than they just taste like margarine now – cheers!

  34. Tony’s Chocoloney has sugar, cocoa, and emulsifiers. No glucose syrup, vegetable oil or palm oil

  35. Loads.

    I like Lidl’s 70% cocoa bars, but Sainsbury’s and Aldi’s are good, too – but different.

    If you’re after milk chocolate, I was pleasantly surprised by Lidl’s Favorina milk chocolate coins which I got free before Christmas: more cocoa and milk solids than Dairy Milk, and no vegetable oil, because they’re made to meet EU standards (see 4a of https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:32000L0036 ), rather than weaker UK standards ( https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2003/1659/schedule/1 – see reserved definition 5, ”Family milk chocolate or Milk chocolate”).

  36. Big recommend for Montezuma chocolate, made in the south near chichester, no palm oil and tastes amazing! It’s not widely available in supermarkets, but they do have shops and an online business which is quick on shipping!

  37. I hate what has happened to Cadburys and they have the nerve to say it’s better!! It’s such disgusting stuff they’ve even had to take away the glass and a half milk tag!! It’s gross!!

  38. Montezuma’s Chocolate is the best, imo, if you can find it! Honestly their milk chocolate buttons are amazing, really good quality, no palm oil, just bloody good.

  39. I will never forgive Cadbury’s for selling to Kraft. Fucking Americans ruined our best chocolate. My favourite, Twirls, are now just hard and waxy. Totally hateful.

    Edit: typo

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