Quality Street or Roses: that is the question!

Don't you find Celebrations and Heroes better than Roses? My mother likes Roses so I always get a big tin of it for her shopping at Xmas, but we prefer Celebrations in this household for that quick burst of much-needed energy when flagging, due to three year olds waking up all night long.

We think of them as fuel only, the real luxury comes in the form of Fortnum & Masons hard-centred chocolates (the only people left who make all hard centres) for me, A large box of Christmas chocolates for DBH from Hotel Chocolat and a big bag of jelly beans for DS. DD likes the truffles from this lot best

www.chocolategourmet.co.uk/Default.aspx and although I prefer hard centres, they really are gorgeous.

Yes, * Scooter58 *, those little tubs of icing sugar covered lumps of Turkish pleasure were a real Christmas delight, as we're Batger's preserved figs, Clarnico Mint creams, and Meltis Fruit Jellies with the liquid centres. Thanks for the memory!

Turkish Delight is my all time favourite,a small bar gone in seconds,I am very fortunate as I have an Aldis and Lidls 5 mins from my house,haven't tried their chocolate though so maybe time to conduct a wee trial

Blooming greedy, anno, if you ask me, with your choice of 5 stores, three of which I envy you for. And not a Tesco in sight.....

An Aldi is planned for this small Cheshire town. We already have Waitrose, Asda and Morrisons plus a small Co-op convenience store. At least we shall know where to go for chocolate, then go up the road for the free coffee.

Thanks, Ana, I missed out the only.

I'm more than happy only getting what I pay for in Aldi. It saves me £30 a week.

The exact quote is "You only get what you pay for", merlot, and I must admit when I first read it I thought - well, did you really expect to get more than that...?

Teetime, your post has made me laugh. When Sainsbury opened up in our local town, a lot of people swore they'd stay true to Tesco. That was fine by me. As Stephen Fry says, 'Tesco keeps the riff-raff out of Sainsbury and Sainsbury keeps the riff-raff out of Waitrose' - only he used a stronger word than riff-raff.

Then Aldi opened up opposite Sainsbury. The Tesco lot were still pushing their way round overcrowded aisles loyally clutching their clubcards, Sainsbury was a haven of peace because everyone was over the road in Aldi and Waitrose??? It's now full of riff-raff getting their free coffee.

I only go to Sainsbury once a month for things I can't get in Aldi.

What on earth is, 'You get what you pay for' supposed to mean??

Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without DH having a large Toblerone. (Have I spelt that right?). My late DM loved Turkish Delight and I always used to buy her some. DS2 loves that chocolate in the purple wrapper, Milka I think. I don't have a very discerning palate and will happily eat all any of it.

A Lidl is being built in MM- the town is en fete with excitement I shall stick to Sainsbury you only get what you pay for.

Blooming heck, I've just double-checked. Within 3 miles we have 5 Tescos and 5 Coops. And nothing else!

My daughter bought me some Charbonnel and Walker violet and rose creams online one Christmas, and said she was very disappointed that for the price she paid they weren't delivered on a silver platter by a butler in full fig.

This thread has reinforced my view that desirable areas will soon have to contain an Aldi or a Lidl. It used to be that the best postcodes contained a Waitrose. I'm very badly off - all I have within 3 miles are 5 Tescos and 2 Coops. We've just learned that we're getting a new store down the road - another Coop!

This is the first year in living memory I have bought neither QS or Roses as its usually only me that eats them, gives half away and then spends January dieting them off so no more!! However I have a confession. As we are going to DD2 for Christmas I said I would bring some luxury chocs for after dinner. DH suggested the Charbonnel and walker champagne truffles from JL. So I went in picked up the £20 box (well there will be 8 of us) took the till where hn they were rung up they were £38!!! too embarrassed to say 'No thank you', so now we have this mega expensive box so I am definitely not buying any other sweeties.

There is a residual advantage to tins of sweets at Christmas. The tins are very useful for transporting cupcakes to school bake sales. They seem to be phasing tins out in favour of plastic, which is even better as they are easier to clean and stack nicely.

DH loves After Eights and I buy a few boxes when they are on offer in the supermarket. Trouble is so does DDiL. When eldest DGD goes rooting around in my pantry she always manages to find the stash and says "Oh mummy loves these, can I take them for her?"
What can you do, except buy some more and hide them better next time.

Ooh yes!

Bendicks mints.

Marzipan...I remember from last year that Lidl did a bar of liqueur chocolate covered marzipan in different flavours. The rum and raisin was particularly fine...

.....and adore marzipan

I love liquorice allsorts and coconut mushrooms and dolly mixtures and expensive chocolates, and fruit jellies and nougat .....................

Dad always used to give my mother a box of Black Magic for her birthday. They were a luxury in the early fifties and if I was good I was allowed my favourite coffee cream. A box of chocolates used to last a long time as nobody would have dreamed of just passing them round and scoffing the lot.

The first time DH gave me a box of BM I tried to re-create the glamour (and restraint) but they were all gone the next morning.

I agree, they're not the same now.

I love liquorice allsorts, but only Bassett's. All others are pale imitations. They still make them here in Sheffield, but they are now Cadbury Schweppes Trebor Bassett! Is there anything that hasn't been swallowed up by something else?

Ah yes, the purple ones are the only ones I like - no allowed in the house though, as grandson allergic to ... nuts!

I prefer Cadbury's chocolate to Belgian chocolate and I hate dark chocolate.

I like the gungy sweetness.

shysal I have just seen your post which says the purple ones are available separately; despite my principles I may just have to buy some ...... (it is Christmas)