Advent calendars first started appearing in British homes around 150 years ago, but it’s only in recent years that they’ve evolved and offered something more than the standard mass-produced chocolate behind each door. Instead of a slightly different shaped piece of (somewhat uninspiring) chocolate for each day, we’ve been scouring the web for some of the most innovative and outright delicious Advent calendars in existence.
While a few cost more than what many of us would spend on actual presents and others are most certainly not for kids, the calendars we’ve picked out are perfect if you’re looking for a bit more excitement during the run-up to the big day. If you like cheese, beer, wine, gin, proper chocolate or even pork scratchings, there’s an Advent calendar out there for you. Take a look at the ones we’ve picked below and leave the chalky supermarket chocs for the children.