This is one of my all time favourite gifts

I know I'm a chocolate lover, some would describe me as a chocoholic. I really adore chocolate. But why does it make the most wonderful gift?

Chocolate is packed with the most amazing chemicals in the world. They're naturally occuring in theobromine and phenethylamine which are alkaloids that have physiological effects in us. Chocolate has been linked to serotonin levels in the brain, with some people self-medicating for depression with a daily chocolate dose.

Some wonderful Scientists claim that chocolate, when eaten in moderation, can lower blood pressure.

Dark chocolate has recently been promoted for its health benefits, as it seems to possess substantial amount of antioxidants that reduce the formation of free radicals.

Something healthy and delicious? Well I don't mind if I do!

Chocolate melts at body temperature which means the correct way of eating it is to let it melt on your tongue so you can enjoy the full taste of it.

There are single estate chocolates now available allowing the chocolate purists amongst us to dedicate our lives to eating our way through the world's chocolate estates.

Chocolate makes you feel better. It is a comfort food for virtually every human on the planet. Show me someone who doesn't like chocolate and I'll show you an alien masquerading as a human. No, cancel that, even aliens would like chocolate.

So which chocolate company sells the best chocolate?

I think Hotel Chocolat sell some of the world's most delicious chocolates and different ways of eating chocolate. I've nearly cried over their delicious mango ienrobed in chocolate and whooped with delight over the champagne truffles and the Rock Road bar made my day!

Their range of chocolate is enormous and they're not stuck in the muds (Or should that be melted chocolate?) - as they bring out new chocolates each season and make new and interesting gifts available.

Hotel chocolat is divine. Their website is full of amazing chocolate pictures that make me drool and pray for scratch and sniff websites!
I suggest you try a couple of things from there to give you an idea of the full range of items.

They do mini chocolate slabs and this is something I'd recommend you start with - and seriously good champagne truffles are also a must on my shopping list. You can buy mini sets of the slabs which means you can try a few.

Their purist range is absolutely excellent. They have chocolate from their very own estate - the Rabot Estate in St Lucia - there are a range of ways of buying the purist range to give you a different mix of estates. Look for the Extreme Collection for a range of dark chocolates and then the Chocolate Immersion range.

The chocolate enrobed fruit is one of the nicest ways of eating fruit I've ever found!

Their gift range starts with some delightful Discovery Boxes which I think are an excellent introduction for getting completely hooked on Hotel Chocolat's range of supber products. They're available with an without alcohol and as a baby gift!

The next step up from these are called the Room Service Hampers and these are the most amazing gifts possible. If you're planning on having a very special celebration then one of these chocolate hampers are just the thing to make the day very special. You could of course lock yourself away in a hotel room with one and enjoy all the delights yourself (OK, your own bedroom would do just as well!)

The hampers range in price and size and the wooden cased Room Service range starts at £50 and goes up to £200. I think I would burst with happiness if I was presented with one of the £200 Room Service Hampers. Seriously. It's a risk I'm prepared to take though.

One of the nice things about hotel chocolat is the way there's a gift for everyone. When you're sending gifts through the post you can find that some gifts require you to be in for delivery - not the Sleekster as this is designed to fit through letterboxes.

All their gifts look fantastic, are well packaged and are made from only the very best ingredients.