A behind-the-scenes journey into our chocolate imaginarium

Let the festive magic unfold as you step into our chocolate imaginarium — an imaginary place where creativity, cacao, and the joy of Christmas come together to form a world of wonder…

You’re invited to join us in a behind-the-scenes tour of our chocolate imaginarium. Our talented chocolatiers and creative team dreamed up the imaginarium as a way to give you a peek behind the curtain here at Hotel Chocolat as we continue bringing imaginative festive chocolate creations to you and your loved ones.

Using innovative virtual production techniques, we developed captivating imagery and videos that embody the expertise, passion and inspiration that goes into each and every Hotel Chocolat creation. From the initial hand-drawn sketches in the inventing room to the final ribbon-tied flourishes, step inside and experience the magic behind our Christmas Chocolate collection.

The details of the Hotel Chocolat chocolate imaginarium

From the moment you first encounter our fantastical imaginarium, it invokes a sense of nostalgia and festive warmth. Inviting you in with a soft glow, it promises comfort and decadence – and hints at something magical inside. Look closely at the Hotel Chocolat logo. Each letter was meticulously hand-piped by a talented calligrapher, before being scanned and given pride of place above our imaginarium door.

Gaze upon the window ledges crafted from our smooth chocolate Batons (we’ll leave it to your imagination to decide if it’s Mint, Orange Wafer, or one of our other carefully crafted recipes). And don’t miss the decorative piping woven throughout. It was inspired by the design atop our Cinnamon Bun Selector.

Before you push open the door and peek inside, you’ll encounter our Grand Wreath Box, positively brimming with festive chocolates. We won’t blame you if you take one to savour as you explore our chocolate imaginarium…. Will it be the Simple Dark Bauble, Winter Sidecar, or Hazelnut Supernova?

The inventing room

The first stop on your journey into our chocolate imaginarium is the inventing room — the place the cacao magic begins. It’s here that our chocolatiers first imagine and craft innovative recipes, from classic desserts reimagined in chocolate form (like our Treacle Tart) to our festive — and positively charming — Caramel Penguin Selector.

No matter the recipe, the team embraces nature-positive cacao — just take a look at the cacao plant garlands and hessian sacks of cacao pods. Each chocolate creation developed in this room is packed with ethically sourced cacao and the finest ingredients.

No matter the recipe, every chocolate is made according to our mantra: more cacao, less sugar, with ethically sourced cacao, grown in a way that’s positive both for nature and for farming families too. We’ve paid homage to our number one ingredient by adorning our inventing room table and windows with cacao plant garlands.

Before we even begin crafting, every element is first carefully planned. Look closely and you’ll see this journey come to life. Take a peek inside the mind of our Chocolate Sculptress and senior chocolatier, Rhona, through her hand-drawn penguin sketches. Packed with personality, these little characters will go on to form our charming Jolly Penguins, complete with their colourful welly boots – one for each recipe. You might also spot a sketch of our celestial-inspired Salted Caramel Supernova . Notice how each point is slightly asymmetrical, just like the real thing.

As for the apron hung upon the wall — that’s a miniature version of those worn by our wonderful retail team members in your local Hotel Chocolat shop and café.

The Velvetiser™ library

There’s nothing quite like spending a winter’s evening curled up in your favourite spot with a hot chocolate. The Velvetiser library is every drinking chocolate devotee’s dream, adorned with shelves brimful of imaginative hot chocolate single-serve sachets, all filled with flakes of real chocolate.

Peruse the sculpted chocolate shelves (with a ladder for any that are just out of reach) and choose your favourite Christmas hot chocolate recipe or try something new. From the astonishing creaminess of our Vanilla-White Hot Chocolate to the satisfying cacao depth of our 85% Dark Hot Chocolate, there’s something for every taste persuasion. Perhaps you’ll try one of our seasonal exclusives, like the warming autumn notes of our Pumpkin Spice Hot Chocolate or the nostalgic profile of our Peppermint-White Hot Chocolate, reminiscent of festive candy canes.

Of course, none of this would be possible without the Velvetiser™, our revolutionary at home, barista-grade drinking chocolate system. Add your chocolate flakes and choice of milk, then simply press the button. As the Velvetiser starts to spin, feel the world slow down. Super silky, incredibly velvety drinking chocolate is just moments away.

Pour your elixir into a Podcup, sink into your seat, and get ready to take that first velvet-smooth sip.. Savour the moment. The Velvetiser library isn’t going anywhere any time soon…

The theatre of reimagination

Next, we invite you to take a seat in our theatre of reimagination for the grand finale. Notice the hand-piped flourishes adorning the stage — the magic is all in the detail…

Sink into a velvet-lined seat, take a look around, but be sure to keep an eye at the edge of the curtains – our first act will be taking the stage any moment. Everywhere you look, there’s a feast for the senses. From the ethereal glow cast from the cacao pod stage lights to the chocolate Macaron balconies. The evening’s entertainment? Our festive centrepieces.

As stage lights go down, marvel as festive traditions and chocolatier imagination intertwine. The humble Christmas cracker becomes colossal and bursts with chocolate, ready to enchant your festive guests in the form of our Rather Large Christmas Cracker.

With our reimagined traditions, even the decorations become edible. Christmas wreaths are no longer confined to foliage made for admiring but not to be nibbled. The Large Dark Festive Wreath is a generous centrepiece, sculpted from cacao-rich 70% dark chocolate and studded with hazelnuts, almonds and raisins — perfect for slicing and sharing. For those who favour the mellow notes of milk chocolate, look to our Large Milk Festive Wreath, decorated with miniature shortbread baubles and the bite of caramelised florentine.

From decking the halls to exploring a box of chocolates, moments for sharing intertwine in our Chocolate Wreath Box — a showcase of 40 chocolates worthy of any table (or mantelpiece). It’s just the thing to finish your Christmas meal or pass around on festive film nights.

Bring a piece of the magic home

We hope you’ve enjoyed this moment of festive enchantment exploring the Hotel Chocolat chocolate imaginarium. We’ve poured as much passion, craft and imagination into bringing it to life as we would any of our creations. As you journey through our imagination, you’ll find everything is rooted in the three pillars of our ethos: originality, authenticity, and nature-positive cacao and ethics. We strive to honour these in everything we do, as we continue to share our love of chocolate with you. After all, what’s Christmas without a little chocolate magic?

And with that, we invite you to bring a piece of the magic home or share it with those who mean the most this festive season. Visit us in-store, or explore the uniquely imagined, carefully crafted creations in our Hotel Chocolat Christmas collection online. From chocolate boxes, to stocking fillers, and our bountiful, ready-to-gift hampers, there’s something to enchant one and all this festive season.

By Nicky Green