The end of the summer term brings the same small dilemma to a lot of households. You want to thank a teacher who has spent a year with your child, the budget is not endless, and you would rather not add to a staffroom already knee-deep in mugs and hand cream. A well-chosen box of chocolates avoids all three problems.

The office at Christmas is a difficult room to buy for. There are people you know well and people you have only met by email, dietary preferences you are not across, and a Secret Santa budget that does not stretch far. Individually wrapped chocolates answer most of that in one go.

None of this rules roses out entirely. If your partner loves flowers, buy the flowers. But if you want a gift that lasts past the week, suits their taste and does not look like everyone else's, a chocolate collection is the stronger choice, on its own or alongside a smaller bunch.

Read more from chocolate hampers.

Two practical notes. Do not speak for the recipient's dietary needs or allergens; let them check the product information if they need to. And for anyone who likes to know the background, the cocoa is sourced through Cocoa Horizons and the company is a member of Origin Green, with production held to BRC Grade A+ standard.

The wrapping is the point. A box of individually wrapped pieces can be opened and left on a shared desk or in the kitchen, and people take one as they pass. Nobody has to break into a communal slab or worry about who touched what. For a team that is half in the office and half at home on any given day, a wrapped piece also keeps until the person it was meant for is actually in.