The high streets are becoming a stampede, every pub has a cauldron of mulled wine on the bar, there’s gingerbread in seemingly everything, yes, the 2025 festive season is finally kicking into gear. Without sounding like our parents, it does feel like it gets earlier every year, and while we’re not suggesting pre-ordering turkeys or getting the tree up just yet (the official About Time standpoint is that you’re weird if decorations are up in the house before 1st December, FYI), it can’t hurt to get the little things sorted.

Thankfully, we’ve got you covered when it comes to maybe the best part of the festivities and rounded up the best advent calendars for 2025, from supermarket classics to pure luxury. Get those fingers ready to push through some cardboard doors and step inside.

Food Advent Calendars: For the Adventurous

1. For the Condiment Fiend: Tracklements

The Lowdown: We have a confession: we’re addicted to condiments. Give us something fancy in a jar, and god damn it, we will find a way to spread it onto a cracker. Needless to say, we were overjoyed when condiment legends Tracklements announced its own take on an advent calendar. Yes, it’s only 12 days rather than 24 (however, our fridge thanks us for that), but expect chutneys, mustards, marmalades, horseradish cream and everything in between. No Christmas buffet is safe for what you’re about to unleash.

Where: Available on the Tracklements website here (£25)

2. For the Cheese Lover:  The Crafty Herd

The Lowdown: What’s Christmas without cheese? Thankfully Somerset legends The Crafty Herd aren’t making us live that nightmare, and are giving us 25 days of cheese (it doesn’t get better than this). From accesible cheddars to panettone-flavoured Wensleydales, this calendar has everything a cheese-lover needs, whether you’re slowly building up the cheese board or looking for a daily treat. Cleverly, it even comes in a fridge-door-friendly pack to not take up valuable shelf space.

Where: Available at Sainsburys, Morrisons and Ocado (£15)

3. For the Jam fans: Bonne Maman 

The Lowdown: On crumpets, in pastry, for a tart, inside a roly poly, we’re so into The Jam you can call us Paul Weller. There’s no question that the best of the bunch is Bonne Maman, they really know what they’re doing when it comes to preserves. Although the classics like strawberry and raspberry are mainstays in our fridge, this advent calendar takes things to new heights with flavours exclusively developed for the festive season and not usually available in the UK, such as Blueberry and lychee with rose, Cherry with pink berries, Fig with cardamom, and Damson plum and pear with star anise.

Where: Available at Waitrose and Ocado (£28)

4. For the Dark Chocoholics: Cox & Co

The Lowdown: Although the concept of the advent calendar is pretty much perfect, we can’t help but feel that dark chocolate gets left behind; it’s all milk milk milk. Thankfully, luxury dark choc connoisseurs Cox & Co have delivered with their offering this year. Featuring 24 squares made from single-origin 60% Colombian Cacao, this indulgent dark chocolate features a slightly bitter and caramel taste, all wrapped in recycled Kraft card, making the whole package 100% plastic-free. Combined with the unique hand-crafted art from Dawn Ogden-White, it’s the perfect gift to get you off the Bourneville into something more high-end.

Where: Available at Cox & Co online (£15)

Food Advent Calendars: For the Purists

As much as we love a boujee calendar, sometimes you just need a supermarket special, a hark back to childhood and some festive cheer at a reasonable price. With that in mind, we’d be remiss not to include the best of the classics, get that Clubcard/Nectar card out and add these to the weekly shop.

5. For Ethical Chocolate: Tony’s Chocolonely

The Lowdown: Now a full-on Christmas staple, Tony’s have really taken the chocolate world by storm in recent years. Bringing the chunkiest, most flavoursome and ethical chocolate on the market, the Dutch legends bring the magic of their bars to the festive season. Bringing 10 different flavours over 24 days, with each window, you contribute to Tony’s Chocolonely’s commitment to end exploitation in cocoa.

Where: Online here (£12)

6. For a Traditional Calendar: Malteasers

The Lowdown: We don’t know the science behind it, but Malteasers just taste better in reindeer form. It’s pure wizardry. What’s better than one Malteaser-shaped Reindeer? 25 of them. Because let’s be honest, we’re never one to turn down a daily dose of crunchy, malty magic.

Where: Online (£12)

7. For a Calendar Collab: Cadbury x Biscoff

The Lowdown: Biscoff has infiltrated every aspect of our lives, but we’d be lying if we didn’t say we loved it. Now it’s come for our advent calendars, and partnered with the true OG’s Cadburys for a fresh take on a Christmas staple. Those iconic Dairy Milk chunks are now packed with the caramel biscuit crunch we all know and love. We didn’t think the classics could get better, and we’ve been proved wrong.

Where: Available at Morrisons, Iceland, Sainsburys, Tesco and online (£7.50)

8. For a Classic Calendar: Lindt

The Lowdown: Nothing says Christmas quite like tucking into one a box of Lindor. Passing it around the family mere minutes after saying you were too full to eat another bite, one chocolate becomes 10, you’re living the dream. A new classic of the genre, Lindt has brought back their Lindor advent calendar for another year. 24 legendary milk chocolate truffles bringing a smooth, indulgent start to your December mornings, what’s not to love?

Where: Available at Tesco and online (£14)

9. For a Nostalgic Calendar: Terry’s

The Lowdown: Orange-flavoured chocolate is everywhere now, but you’ve got to put respect on the original, and his name is Terry. Dawn French didn’t want to share, it was the only chocolate shaped like an orange (and brilliantly, served in segments), yet Terry’s doesn’t feel like a nostalgia trip – it’s just as relevant in 2025. Whether you’ve grown up with the brand or just like a bit of orange in your chocolate, Terry’s 2025 advent calendar is a must. Get involved.

Where: Available at Tesco, Sainsburys, Morrisons, and Iceland (£3)

Food Advent Calendars: Honourable Mention

10. For Dips Ahoy: Domino’s

The Lowdown: Look, when we heard Domino’s were creating a limited-edition advent calendar, our first thought was…how? Was it going to be vouchers behind each door? Maybe pizza-flavoured chocolate? When it arrived, it was even better than we could have imagined. Let us talk to you about 24 garlic and herb dips. Simple, understated, perfect. Our fridge and heart is full with enough legendary dip to last us at least until February.

Where: Sign up for one here