Nothing signals the arrival of the festive season quite like the familiar sight of a half-empty tub of Christmas chocolates nestled beside the television remote. These sweet assortments have become as integral to British Christmas traditions as the tree itself, though complaining about their contents has become something of a national pastime.
Modern chocolate collections have undergone significant changes from their predecessors. The once-common metal tins have largely disappeared unless consumers are prepared to pay extra, while many classic chocolates have either been reformulated or vanished completely. The most common complaint, however, centres on shrinkflation - the gradual reduction in tub sizes while prices remain steady or increase.
The Great Chocolate Investigation
To help consumers make informed choices this festive season, we conducted a detailed analysis of four leading chocolate assortments: Quality Street, Heroes, Roses and Celebrations. We meticulously counted every sweet across multiple standard plastic tubs to provide a definitive breakdown of what you're actually getting for your money.
Quality Street: The Original Festive Favourite
First introduced in 1936, Quality Street holds the distinction of being the original Christmas chocolate collection. The assortment has seen notable changes in recent years, including the controversial replacement of shiny foil wrappers with recyclable materials in 2022 and the more recent alteration to The Purple One's distinctive brazil nut shape in 2024.
Our analysis of a standard plastic tub revealed 61 sweets across 11 flavours. Contrary to popular belief about Coconut Eclairs dominating the mix, they were actually the least numerous in our sample. The complete breakdown showed:
- Caramel Swirl: 9
- Toffee Finger: 7
- Toffee Penny: 7
- Orange Creme: 6
- Strawberry Delight: 6
- Fudge: 6
- Orange Chocolate Crunch: 5
- Milk Choc Block: 4
- The Green Triangle: 4
- The Purple One: 4
- Coconut Eclair: 3
Cadbury Heroes: The Compact Collection
The Heroes assortment presents 9 different varieties totalling 57 individual chocolates in their standard tub. Interestingly, despite not being among the most sought-after varieties, Dinky Deckers appeared most frequently in our count. The full flavour distribution revealed:
- Dinky Decker: 8
- Wispa: 7
- Dairy Milk: 7
- Crunchie Bits: 7
- Dairy Milk Caramel: 7
- Eclair: 6
- Fudge: 6
- Twisted Creme Egg: 5
- Twirl: 4
Roses: The Classic Contender
Having graced British Christmas celebrations since 1938, Roses represents one of the longest-standing festive chocolate collections. This year's standard plastic tub contains just 49 sweets across 9 flavours, making it the smallest quantity among the major brands we examined.
While Dairy Milk enthusiasts will find seven of their favourite treats, the new-look Dreamy Strawberry appears in equal measure, which may prove controversial among traditionalists. The complete count showed:
- Dairy Milk: 7
- Dreamy Strawberry: 7
- Hazel Whirl: 6
- Orange Creme: 6
- Country Fudge: 5
- Golden Barrel: 5
- Hazel in Caramel: 5
- Chewy Caramel: 4
- Signature Truffle: 4
Celebrations: The Miniature Marvel
As the relative newcomer, having first appeared in 1997, Celebrations offers miniature versions of popular chocolate bars. A standard plastic tub contains 54 sweets across 8 different varieties. Our analysis revealed a notably imbalanced distribution, with certain varieties appearing almost twice as frequently as others.
The flavour breakdown demonstrated this disparity clearly:
- Snickers: 9
- Mars: 9
- Milky Way: 9
- Twix: 7
- Malteser: 5
- Galaxy: 5
- Galaxy Caramel: 5
- Bounty: 5
Making Your Christmas Chocolate Choice
This detailed analysis provides valuable insight for consumers facing the annual Christmas chocolate dilemma. While personal preference will always be the ultimate deciding factor, understanding the exact composition of each tub can help ensure you select the assortment that best matches your family's tastes.
Whether you prioritise quantity, specific flavour distributions, or classic festive nostalgia, this Christmas you can make your chocolate selection with confidence, knowing exactly what lies beneath that colourful plastic lid.
