Plastic free. Bee-friendly. Even delivered by sailboat... How festive chocs got super-woke

  • You can now treat yourself with minimal remorse thanks to guilt-free chocolate
  • Supermarkets are selling boxes and bars of chocolate with array of ethical labels
  • These include sugar-free, emissions-free, plastic-free, palm oil-free and vegan 

How many of us, at Christmas, end up on the sofa, watching repeats while eating half a tub of Quality Street, and feel awful about ourselves? All that cheap chocolate, sugar and plastic wrapping!

Well, this year you can treat yourself with minimal remorse thanks to a new trend: guilt-free chocolate.

Supermarkets and department stores are selling boxes and bars of chocolate with an array of ethical labels to navigate: sugar-free, emissions-free, plastic-free, palm oil-free, vegan, hand-made in Britain, good for bees or good for the planet.

This year you can treat yourself with minimal remorse thanks to a new trend: guilt-free chocolate (stock image)

This year you can treat yourself with minimal remorse thanks to a new trend: guilt-free chocolate (stock image)

Fortnum & Mason even sells chocolate that has been transported to the store by sailboat, rowing boat and horse and cart to keep down carbon emissions.

Do we really want to worry about such things at Christmas? Yes, says Jessica Abela, product developer for Selfridges, which sells chocolates under its Project Earth and Forest Friendly labels that support sustainable farming.

She adds: 'Views on what indulgence means are shifting. More people see small-batch, single-origin, locally made and limited-edition chocolates as the real indulgence.'

So which guilt-free chocs are too woke and which are truly delicious? We put some to the test...

FESTIVE FAIRTRADE

Tony's Chocolonely Candy Cane, 180g (£3.50, Sainsbury's)

Why it's guilt-free: Fairtrade, slave-free.

Verdict: Tony's is a Dutch brand that arrived in the UK two years ago. Its big claim is that its chocolate is 'slave-free'. 

Most of the world's chocolate comes from West Africa, where children may be trafficked and forced to work in cocoa production. 

This bar (51 per cent cocoa) tastes like a delicious version of an After Eight mint. 

You can even snap round the edges to make it into a cute Christmas-tree shape. 4/5

PLANT-A-TREE PUD

Love Cocoa Christmas Pudding 41% Milk Chocolate, 75g (£3.35, Ocado)

Why it's guilt-free: Slave-free, no palm oil, single-origin, no plastic, made in the UK.

Verdict: Love Cocoa was set up by James Cadbury, great-great-great-grandson of the founder of Britain's most famous confectionery brand. 

For each bar sold, a tree in Cameroon, West Africa, is planted to help tackle water pollution, soil erosion and deforestation. 

The chocolate (41 per cent cocoa solids) is smooth if a touch sweet for my liking, but the spices and orange peel are nicely Christmas-y. 4/5

PALM-FREE 'VEGGIES'

Choc on Choc, Your 5 A Day, 105g (£9.99, choconchoc.co.uk)

Why it's guilt-free: Hand-made in the UK, no palm oil.

Verdict: A bit of fun — the chocolates are merely shaped like mushrooms, asparagus, sweetcorn, onion and cauliflower. 

More an amusing stocking-filler than a gourmet experience. 3/5

ORGANIC TRUFFLES

Whole Foods Chocolate Truffles, 250g (£5.99, Whole Foods Market)

Why it's guilt-free: Organic.

Verdict: Whole Foods Market (now owned by Amazon) may be a giant organic retailer, but I'm not convinced by these truffles. 

The texture is slightly gritty and at a hefty 643 calories per 100g, far from guilt-free as regards your waistline. 2/5

NO-SUGAR BAUBLE

Chococo Christmas Bauble 100% Totally Dark, 150g (£14, chococo.co.uk)

Why it's guilt-free: No sugar, vegan, hand-made in the UK.

Verdict: This does look Christmas-y: a large bauble containing lots of chocolate buttons. But it is 100 per cent cocoa, so very bitter indeed.

Also, for a chocolate that contains no sugar, it still packs in 581 calories per 100g — more than Cadbury's Dairy Milk! 2.5/5

VEGAN TREATS

Hotel Chocolat, Unbelievably Vegan H-Box, 145g (£12.95, hotelchocolat.com)

Why it's guilt-free: Vegan.

Verdict: This pretty selection of truffles and filled chocolates is a triumph. 

They have been made with 45 per cent cocoa solids and hazelnuts as a substitute for dairy. 

As a result, the nutmilk batons taste like solid praline — wonderful. 5/5

BEE-FRIENDLY

Selfridges Caramelised Honey Truffles, 175g (£19.99, selfridges.com)

Why it's guilt-free: Bee-friendly, single-origin, Project Earth, Forest Friendly.

Verdict: These are made with ethically sourced cocoa and caramelised honey from endangered Cornish black bees.

The truffles are filled with sublime honey, but teamed with chocolate the taste experience is just too rich and sweet for me. 2.5/5

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