Chocolate is, it's fair to say, everywhere. Whether we prefer bars, boxes, desserts or drinks, we truly are a nation of chocolate-lovers, consuming, experts say, a whopping 11kg per person, per year (that's about three bars a week). And though it might be more obvious at certain times of year, such as Easter and Christmas, our love for the sweet treat is a truly year-round affair. Within such a huge category, there is, of course, endless choice – whether you prefer white or dark, savour a nutty crunch or can't beat fruity flavours, there's a bar for everyone.

As with everything we eat and drink, our choices are often shaped by nostalgia – what we eat as children, whether that's wolfing down a Mars bar in the playground or squabbling over a Twix with siblings, influences our tastes and preferences throughout the rest of our lives. And we'd be willing to bet chocolate is a regular buy for most households in the UK. Here, we've asked some of our brilliant chefs to pick their favourite chocolate bar and explain why it has taken the top spot.

'My favourite chocolate bar would have to be a Japanese Kit Kat. In Japan there are hundreds of different flavours and strawberry is my favourite. There is a specific strawberry flavour called tochiotome which you can only find in the Tochigi prefecture. Tochigi is renowned for its seasonal strawberries and it's a flavour profile that transports me back to my childhood. It's pretty rare, but when I get my hands on one it transports me back to childhood.'

'My favourite chocolate bar is undoubtedly a Snickers – one of the all-time greats. The reason I love it so much is definitely in part for nostalgic reasons. When I was younger my nan and grandad would come and see us every Sunday and would always bring my sister and I a Snickers bar and a bag of sweets. After they left, we would sit down and watch the Antiques Roadshow and my mum would take a steak knife and slice the Snickers into small pieces for herself, my sister and I to share in front of the telly. It was such a treat.'

'For me, it’s a Caramac. I don't have the biggest sweet tooth in the world and I would choose a savoury snack over a sweet snack on most occasions. So when I do have that occasional hankering for a chocolate bar, it's quite a sickly sweet one – but I love that. So, for me it's nothing fancy, it's actually more of a childhood memory I like to indulge in. I used to love a Caramac when I was in primary school, it was my favourite. It's got a certain childlike vanilla, malty flavour that I adore. Again, it's not refined but it's something that gives me huge pleasure, and aren't all of our favourite treats linked back to childhood? It's my comfort bar.'

'My favourite chocolate bar would be Green and Black’s Butterscotch Milk Chocolate. The chocolate tastes delicious and creamy and the sweet crunchy bits of butterscotch are heavenly. Definitely the kind of sweet treat I would take a square off when getting home after a busy service.'

'I like a Lion bar. It's the texture – it's got so many different textures going on, you've got the caramel and the crunch. I'm really trying not to eat chocolate, but if I did it would be the sort of thing that I'd grab on the way home from the pub.'

'My favourite chocolate bar is a Flake. Although it might seem quite plain, I’m not a fan of sticky caramel or peanut pieces in chocolate so I’ve always enjoyed a Flake for its crumbly texture. It was the chocolate bar that I always reached for as a kid, followed closely by a Kit Kat. It’s also not overly sweet which I prefer.'

'My favourite chocolate bar is the strawberry-flavoured Kit Kat bar. Every time I have it, it reminds me of my sweet childhood.'

'I really enjoy a Picnic. I just love the crispy, fruity, nutty texture to it. If you put chewy fruits with nuts and chocolate, it just works so well together as a combination. When I was growing up, on my school summer holidays I used to go to Italy. There used to always be these festivals with stands of people selling nuts – chocolate-coated nuts, sugar-coated nuts, things like that, and I would love the sugar-coated, caramelised hazelnuts.'

'My favourite chocolate bar is a Kinder Bueno, the original one. I love the nutty chocolate and crispy texture coupled with the creamy interior. A close second is Happy Hippo!'

'My favourite chocolate bar is a Double Decker. I love it and have done since I was young, so much so that my mum would buy them for me for Easter instead of chocolate eggs. Something about the soft nougat centre with the crunchy cereal brings me so much joy. I also find that they aren’t too sickly compared to other chocolate bars and I'll happily fight anyone for them in a box of Heroes too.'

'When it comes to chocolate bars, I do make a conscious effort to opt for healthier alternatives, such as high-quality 70% dark chocolate. But there is one guilty pleasure that I simply cannot resist – a good old Twix, which I usually pick up from the petrol station. With its combination of crunchy shortbread, chewy caramel and smooth milk chocolate, its perfect balance of flavours and textures always hits the spot.'