Valentine's Day is almost upon us (again), and in true fashion, chocolatiers and chocolate manufacturers alike have been busy putting the finishing touches to a range of (mostly) pink and red boxed delights.
From a retail perspective, heart-shaped boxes have limited appeal throughout the year, apart from in the run up to Valentine's Day. They also take up a shed load of shelf space. So you'll likely find them available from chocolatiers, chocolate shops, and some chocolate manufacturers, but you'll struggle to find larger heart-shaped boxes in most supermarkets. So planning is key if you want to surprise someone with a pretty box of tasty delights on 14th February.
To help, I've taken the leg work out of finding the best options, condensing it into this very short list for you to browse. I've ordered my list by weight, with the heaviest boxes first, as you're here for the biggest as well as the best. There's also a cracker of an idea - if a little gruesome - right at the end.
In this article:
- Rainbow Organic Chocolates Luxury Filled Chocolate Heart
- Fortnum & Mason Valentines Heart Box
- Artisan du Chocolat Made With Love Truffle Heart Box
- Thorntons Continental Heart Box
- Harrods Peanut Butter Cup Heart Gift Box
- Leonidas Luxury Red Velvet Silk Heart Box
- Hotel Chocolat Straight From the Heart Chocolate Box
- Chouchoute Classic Pink Heart Box
- Martin's Chocolatier Heart Shaped Chocolate Box
- Charbonnel et Walker Pink Marc de Champagne Chocolate Truffles Heart Box
- The Highland Chocolatier Romantic Selection
- Prestat Heart Assortment
- Chococo Filled Heart of Gold
- Love Cocoa Pink Heart Raspberry Champagne Truffle Box
- Bonus: The Edible Museum Chocolate Human Heart
Bear in mind, heart-shaped boxes usually come at a premium as the packaging typically costs more to design and produce. The fancier the packaging, the more you will likely be paying for that box or tin rather than the chocolates inside.
1 Rainbow Organic Chocolates Luxury Filled Chocolate Heart
This whopper of a heart-shaped chocolate box by Rainbow Organic Chocolates ditches the traditional cardboard box outer and replaces it with solid milk or dark organic chocolate. Upon request, it can be dusted with gold dust, but while this looks super cool, this ingredient isn't organic.
Inside, there's a selection of seasonal fresh chocolates, usually including salted caramel cocoa pods amongst others.
- How much? £39.99 for 600g
- Where? Available online
2 Fortnum & Mason Valentines Heart Box
Generous quantities of chocolate bonbons sit inside the Fortnum & Mason Valentines Heart Box. You'll find a mix of dark, milk, and ruby chocolates with tastes including cherry liqueur, hazelnut clusters, tea (yes, really, using Fortnum's Countess Grey tea°), salted caramel, Champagne truffles, pink gin, and blackcurrant cassis jelly.
- How much? £65 for 550g
- Where? Buy online or in store°
- Anything else? I'm really surprised by the lack of ruby cocoa products available this Valentine's Day. Pink chocolate and Valentine's Day should go hand in hand after all. Panic not as F&M has us covered, not only with a handful of ruby chocolate truffles in this box, but with a dedicated selection of ruby chocolate° products should you wish to give this colourful new breed of chocolate a try.
3 Artisan du Chocolat Made With Love Truffle Heart Box
I count 53 spectacular looking chocolate truffles in a myriad of colours and finishes in this gorgeous red heart box by Artisan du Chocolat. Made in Kent, there's plenty of hand-made delights to tickle your taste buds here. Expect everything from Marc de champagne truffles to nutty pralines and fruity truffles.
- How much? £40 for 530g (estimated)
- Where? Buy online or in store
- Anything else? A small metal tin of assorted chocolates is available here. A small heart-shaped box of Chocolate Pearls is available here, and a heart-shaped box of Caramel Ganache Hearts can be found here.
4 Thorntons Continental Heart Box
The biggest heart box I could find is from Thorntons, although it is a curious choice why they shunned the typical pink or red colours in favour of their trademark brown tones. Packaging design aside, this box crams in 46 milk, white and dark chocolates from the Continental product range. Expect to find favourites including Viennese Truffles and Alpini Pralines.
- How much? £30 for 517g
- Where? Buy online or in store
- Anything else? Thorntons is famous for its iced plaques so opt for the Milk Chocolate Lace Heart Model should you wish to include a personalised message.
5 Harrods Peanut Butter Cup Heart Gift Box
Perfect for peanut butter lovers, this red heart-shaped box is filled with chocolate peanut butter cups. The cups feature two different designs, with a milk chocolate cap on one and the Harrods logo on the other.
The cups are cast in milk chocolate and are filled with a thick peanut butter centre. The centres are crunchy in the logo-topped cups and smooth in the other ones.
- How much? £50 for 482g (estimated)
- Where? Available at Harrods°
6 Leonidas Luxury Red Velvet Silk Heart Box
Not only does this chocolate selection come inside a beautiful red velvet silk heart box, but it can contain just your favourite chocolate bonbons. That's because this is a pick-and-mix chocolate heart box where you can pick 30 of your favourite chocolates from Leonidas to sit inside this luxury gift box.
I counted a selection of 56 Leonidas bonbons in various combinations of milk, white and dark Belgian chocolate with different fillings and flavours, so there's bound to be something to delight here.
If picking your own bonbons feels like hard work, you can skip this and opt for a selection based on your preferences, be that a random selection from the range or a selection based on specific dietary preferences (no alcohol, just the nutty ones, etc.).
- How much? £39.99 for 30 pieces (around 450g depending on your selections)
- Where? Available at Chocolate Express
- Anything else? 30 pieces a bit too much? There's a 15-piece heart box also available here.
7 Hotel Chocolat Straight From the Heart Chocolate Box
This pink heart box from Hotel Chocolat is one of the prettiest on my list. Inside, you'll find 35 chocolates covering the genres of caramels, cocktails, fruits, and pralines. Expect to find the likes of Pink Champagne, Gin Truffle, Caramel Espresso Martini, and Praline Oysters to name but a few!
- How much? £42 for 400g
- Where? Buy online or in store°
- Anything else? Not fussed by the heart? Switch to one of many chocolate selection boxes° to suit all tastes and budgets.
VIP.ME members get a free Selector when you spend £30+. Sign up for free. No code necessary. Shop at Hotel Chocolat°
Ends on Sunday 17th December 2023. Terms and exclusions may apply. See website for details.
8 Chouchoute Classic Pink Heart Box
Here's a nice selection of 24 chocolates nestled inside a rose-decorated heart-shaped chocolate box. Chouchoute's chocolates are handmade and the selection inside the box depends on what the freshest chocolates are when you order. You can, however, choose various combinations of milk, dark, and/or white chocolate to suit your preferences.
- How much? £34 for 240g (estimated)
- Where? Buy online
- Anything else? Too big? There's a Small Heart Box (9 chocolates) available too.
9 Martin's Chocolatier Heart Shaped Chocolate Box
This small heart-shaped box of Belgian chocolates by Martin's Chocolatier boasts a classic assortment of flavours in milk, white and dark chocolate.
Expect to find the likes of hazelnut praline, chocolate mousse, raspberry cheesecake, and strawberry fondant inside this box.
- How much? £14.49 for 209g
- Where? Available at Amazon°
10 Charbonnel et Walker Pink Marc de Champagne Chocolate Truffles Heart Box
Is there a better time of year to indulge in a box of pink Marc de Champagne truffles from Charbonnel et Walker? No, I didn't think so. Here you get a helping of pink truffles served inside a beautifully decorated pink and gold box.
- How much? £25 for 200g
- Where? Buy online
11 The Highland Chocolatier Romantic Selection
This heart box from Iain Burnett (a.k.a The Highland Chocolatier) features a variety of 20 fruit and spice infused truffles, smooth pralines, and German marzipans, all smothered in milk or dark chocolate. Flavours depend on what's freshest at the time you order, but all recipes are alcohol-free and free from preservatives.
- How much? £44.95 for 195g
- Where? Buy online
12 Prestat Heart Assortment
Inside this sturdy pink card heart box, you should find 14 milk, white, and dark chocolates and truffles by Prestat.
There's a small assortment of pralines, fondants, marzipans, chocolate covered nuts, fudges, jellies and truffles.
- How much? £27.30 for 185g
- Where? Buy online
13 Chococo Filled Heart of Gold
Chococo has launched its own chocolates-in-a-chocolate-heart box for Valentine's Day. The 11.5cm heart is cast in 45% caramelised 'gold' white chocolate while inside, there's five fresh chocolate bonbons to devour. Called Dorset Sea Salt Caramel Gems, these chocolates are the winner of two-star Gold Great Taste Award 2020 and are made using local salt from The Dorset Sea Salt Co. The heart is nestled in tissue inside a recyclable kraft box.
Other options include hazelnut praline, sea salt caramel, and chilli caramel.
- How much? £17.50 for 150g (combined)
- Where? Available online
14 Love Cocoa Pink Heart Raspberry Champagne Truffle Box
Small but perfectly formed, this tiny gift box by Love Cocoa is ideal as a token gift. Perhaps the love of your life doesn't like great big boxes of chocolates, or perhaps you're looking for a small box of chocolates to pair with a bottle of bubbly?
Either way, this box features six handmade chocolate truffles, with a fresh cream ganache infused with Marc de Champagne. It's paired with a smooth raspberry puree and sealed inside a white chocolate shell, decorated with flecks of raspberry pieces.
- How much? £8.50 for 70g
- Where? Buy online
Bonus: The Edible Museum Chocolate Human Heart
This Valentine's Day, give them your heart. Literally.
Well, not quite literally, but pretty darn close. More Halloween gift than Valentine's Day gift, this chocolate replica cardiac muscle is a little creepy to look at, perhaps thanks to the incredible detailing. But, apparently, it's a huge hit amongst medical doctors, horror fans, and romantics reckons Sarah Hardy of The Edible Museum.
This life-sized chocolate heart is a novel alternative to the traditional heart-shaped box of chocolates. While it won't suit everyone, the fact that it's available in your choice of milk, dark, or white chocolate may just seal the deal!
- How much? £25 for 180g
- Where? Buy online
In case you're curious, there's plenty of other chocolate body parts available on the interweb too, so if you fancy a cheeky nibble on some other areas of the body, you're covered!
