Home-grown artisan chocolatier that championed single varieties, varying strengths of cocoa content, and spice-flavoured chocolates and bars such as cardamom, black pepper, and, at Christmas, the headily scented, exotically speckled gold, frankincense and myrrh The artisan bars are £3 each. A box of mixed chocolates with more traditional English fillings is £9 for 16, going up to £32 for a box of 64. Prices for truffles start at £11.50 for 16, and they come flavoured with saffron and cardamom, coffee, orange and Cointreau.The Chocolate Society (mail order 01423 322230; ); 36 Elizabeth Street, London SW1 (020-7259 9222). Dedicated to promoting and selling Valrhona, some of the finest, darkest chocolate in the world. Life membership of the Society is £55, which includes a 1kg box of Valrhona chocolates and a 5 per cent discount on mail orders. Truffles start at £9.50 for 200g, chocolates at £10.50 for 200g.Prestat, 14 Princes Arcade, Piccadilly, London SW1 (020-7629 4838; ).

The Queen’s chocolatier, famous for truffles, which cost from £8.50 a box or £9.50 for the Napoleon III ones.. These truffles, a world apart from the majority of chocs that do the rounds at Christmas, are one of the few dainties I take on at home. These are messily coaxed into spheres and rolled in cocoa rather than anything fancier. An imperfect art, as homemade truffles should be.
180ml double cream280g high-percentage cocoa darkchocolate, broken into pieces90g soft unsalted butter1 tbsp Calvados, or other eau-de-viegood quality cocoa powderPlace the cream in a small saucepan, bring to the boil and simmer for two minutes, then cool to room temperature. Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water, and gently melt, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and beat the cream into the chocolate in two goes.

Whisk the butter in a food processor, then add the chocolate cream and the Calvados. Transfer to a bowl, cover with clingfilm and chill overnight.Take a teaspoon of the mixture at a time, nudge it into a sphere using your fingertips, then give it a quick, firm roll between the palms to smooth. (Rolling the truffle in cocoa and giving it another go between the palms can help.) Finally, roll each truffle in cocoa, and set aside on a plate or tray Wash your hands frequently during this process. Transfer the truffles to a bowl, cover and chill until required. These will soften in a warm room; I eat them more or less straight from the fridge.. A deconstructed Jane Grigson recipe here. The addition of a little finely chopped, smoked ham to the dish is certainly to be recommended for the non-vegetarians among you.