The 5 Best Foodie Advent Calendars For This Christmas

The festive season is upon us and I’m kicking things off with a round-up of the best foodie advent calendars available this Christmas. For quality control purposes (let’s be honest, it’s actually just because I couldn’t wait until December to try them) I tried the first treat in each of the calendars. I’ll give you a little peek inside each calendar to give you an idea of what you can expect. I guess it’s a spoiler but it’s a fun one so I figured you’d let me off.

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Joe & Seph’s Classic Gourmet Popcorn Advent Calendar*

Joe & Seph’s is a family-run UK-based gourmet popcorn company that was founded back in 2010. The idea for the company first came about after the family took regular trips to the USA, and found themselves inspired by the amazing popcorn that they came across whilst there. Having noticed that there wasn’t anything quite like American popcorn in the UK, they decided to try making their own version at home.

Starting by air-popping their corn and then coating it with smooth caramel, they then began testing out different flavours and using 100% natural ingredients. After experimenting with different recipes, both sweet and savoury, they took their popcorn to a food show in 2010. After only two days they’d completely sold out! Which is how Joe & Seph’s was born. 10 years later, all of Joe & Seph’s popcorn is still handmade in their London kitchen by their small team of pastry chefs and they continue to use 100% natural ingredients. They now have over 40 different flavours available as well as plenty of new combinations on the way!

Advent calendars in my experience have always been strictly chocolate. And that’s not because I think that’s the best form of calendar but it’s more that I had no clue that alternative foodie calendars existed until recent years. Joe & Seph’s Classic Gourmet Popcorn Advent Calendar switches things up from your standard chocolate advent calendar and brings you 19 original flavours of festive popcorn behind 24 windows. The calendar itself opens like a storybook, and on the inside, there’s a little snowy story scene of Joe’s Popcorn Kitchens making up some festive gifts which is just the cutest thing. How can you not want that in your life?

A Peak Inside Joe & Seph’s Classic Gourmet Popcorn Advent Calendar: Day One

So what’s inside window one of the calendar? It’s a bag of their delicious Salted Caramel popcorn! The popcorn itself is crisp yet light which is exactly what you want in a piece of popcorn. And the salted caramel flavour makes it feel like a really luxurious treat. Something that I particularly love about not only this flavour but all of Joe & Seph’s popcorn is that they use a technique called ‘flavour-sequencing’. This means that as you eat their popcorn, the flavours are released at different intervals. It’s a proper tasting experience!

RRP £25.00, You can pre-order your Joe & Seph’s advent calendar from their website for shipping after 16th November 2020. The full Christmas range is also available in-store at Harvey Nichols, Selfridges, QVC, Harrods, Ocado and Boots.

Lindt Pick & Mix Advent Calendar*

Next up we’ve got a chocolatey treat in the form of Lindt’s Pick & Mix Advent Calendar. As a child, I was always absolutely desperate to get my hands on a Lindt advent calendar but they always seemed to be the most impossible advent calendars to get your hands on back in the day (did anyone else find that when they were younger too?). As a huge Lindt fan, I’m so excited to be sharing their 2020 calendar in my round-up, which is their Pick & Mix Advent Calendar.

I’m almost certain that Lindt is a brand that we’re all very much familiar with but, for anyone who is yet to discover the delicious chocolatey goodness that is Lindt, I’ll give a very quick intro to them. Lindt (Chocoladefabriken Lindt & Sprüngli AG) are a Swiss chocolatier and confectionary company founded in 1845 in Zurich, Switzerland. Known for its iconic chocolate truffles, bars and sweets, Lindt is a real household name in the world of chocolate. Beginning as a small family-run confectionary shop, Lindt has come a long way since their starting days that’s for sure!

If you want to read more about the history of Lindt then feel free to check out their full about page here.

RRP £12.00, you can pick up your own Pick & Mix Calendar at your local Lindt store and check out the full Lindt advent calendar range on their site here.

Onto the advent calendar…the Lindt Pick & Mix Advent Calendar is a 24-window calendar filled with silky-smooth Lindor chocolates. Each day you’re treated to one of their iconic 32-flavour range of Pick & Mix chocolates. It’s the perfect countdown to Christmas! There’s also a very special treat bar inside the Christmas Eve window of the calendar which Lindt says might just be big enough to share. But I for one will be keeping that all to myself! (anyone else?).

A Peak Inside Lindt’s Pick & Mix Advent Calendar: Day One

What’s inside day one? Oh boy, it’s a good one. It’s their incredibly moreish Stracciatella Truffle. Honestly, I could’ve eaten about 10 of them and it took ALL of my self-restraint to not just eat the entire calendar at once. But I’m powering through and waiting until the 2nd of December to carry on with the festivities.

Popcorn Shed Advent Calendars*

We’re back on the popcorn hype with the next two calendars and I for one am completely here for it. Give me all the popcorn this Christmas!! This time we’ve got two delicious calendars from Popcorn Shed. Founded back in 2016 by cousins Sam and Laura, Popcorn Shed is a UK-based gourmet popcorn company that focuses on creating the most delicious popcorn with a deep and rich flavour. Why the name Popcorn ‘Shed’ you ask? Well, it’s because the business was actually built from their garden shed! While they were in the experimentation phase of the company, Sam and Laura were working out of Laura’s mum’s kitchen. They ended up being banished to the garden shed because of all the mess they were making and that’s how the name ‘Popcorn Shed’ came about. Pretty cute right?

Popcorn Shed Gourmet Popcorn Advent Calendar*

The first of the TWO advent calendars that Popcorn Shed has released this Christmas is their Gourmet Popcorn Advent Calendar. Filled with 24 bags of 6 of their gourmet popcorn flavours, Popcorn Shed’s Gourmet Calendar sounds like the ideal sweet treat for this December.

A Peak Inside Popcorn Shed’s Gourmet Popcorn Advent Calendar: Day One

Inside window number one is their Pecan Pie flavoured popcorn! Coated in delicious caramel and topped with roasted pecan pieces this flavour is the perfect chewy texture with a lovely sweet flavour. A proper decadent treat.

Popcorn Shed Free From VEGAN Mini Pop! Popcorn Advent Calendar*

How exciting is this? A completely VEGAN popcorn advent calendar! Not only that but Popcorn Shed’s Vegan Mini Pop is free from dairy and gluten too. It’s also a low-calorie option for anyone looking for a lighter treat this December. If you’re on the lookout for a completely vegan alternative to your usual chocolate advent calendar then this is a must-try this season.

RRP £18.00 (for both), you can purchase both calendars directly from Popcorn Shed here, as well as at Amazon, John Lewis, Harrods and Harvey Nichols.

A Peak Inside Popcorn Shed’s VEGAN Mini Pop! Popcorn Advent Calendar: Day One

Just like the Gourmet Popcorn Advent Calendar, their vegan calendar has 6 different flavours inside the 24 windows. I won’t spoil what they all are but…here’s what’s inside day one of the calendar. It’s a bag of their Sea Salted popcorn! I loved how light and crunchy this flavour was. Yet it was totally packed with sea salt flavours. Salted popcorn can often feel a bit light on the salt to me but Popcorn Shed’s Sea Salted popcorn was deliciously salty.

Reese’s Peanut Butter Miniatures Advent Calendar*

Finishing off the 2020 advent calendar round up we’ve got Reese’s new Peanut Butter Miniatures Advent Calendar. As with Lindt, Reese’s is a company that I’m sure you’re all familiar with. But again, if not, I’ll give you a super quick little intro to them. Owned by American chocolate company Hershey’s (The Hershey Company), Reese’s is an American chocolate and sweet company founded in 1928. They’re known for their unique pairing of peanut butter and chocolate, and iconic products including Reese’s Pieces and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.

Their latest festive product, the Peanut Butter Miniatures Advent Calendar, comes as a part of their new Naughty and Nice 2020 Christmas collection and it’s filled with 23 windows of mini Reese’s PB cups. PLUS a bonus two full-sized cups behind window number 24. Despite not being a fan of Hershey’s chocolate myself, I’ve always really loved Reese’s and their insanely delicious peanut butter cups. So an advent calendar full of Reese’s is this foodie’s dream come true.

RRP £5.00, you can purchase the calendar at Tesco, Sainsbury’s, ASDA and Morrison’s.

A Peak Inside Reese’s Peanut Butter Miniatures Advent Calendar: Day One

Before I tell you what’s behind window number one I think we all just need to take a second to appreciate how cool DJ Santa looks on the front of the calendar. He’s honestly my new favourite thing. I love the light-hearted fun he brings to the calendar. I think we could all do with a bit of fun and silliness especially under the current circumstances. Anyway, what can you expect inside window number one? A classic Reese’s milk chocolate mini peanut butter cup. Each mini PB cup comes wrapped in foil and they’re the perfect little treat sized snack. If you’re a fan of a sweet/savoury combo then this is the calendar for you.

Are you treating yourself to an advent calendar this Christmas? If you haven’t decided on what calendar to spoil yourself with then why not try one of these out? You won’t regret it I promise! Which one are you adding to your wishlist this festive season?