Create an elegant gift for your loved one with this luxurious twist on the classic chocolate bouquet

If you’re looking for an alternative gift for a cacao-loving recipient — be it a Mother’s Day present, romantic treat for your partner, or cheer-up gift for a friend — a chocolate bouquet is a fun option. Traditionally, chocolate bouquets are made up of a collection of wrapped chocolate bars. However, if you’re looking to make a real statement, here are our tips on adding a touch of luxury to your chocolate bouquet.

How to make a chocolate bouquet with a luxury twist

A chocolate bouquet, as the name suggests, is a collection of chocolate bars or packs arranged into a bouquet-like shape. It offers an imaginative and visually-impressive way to display your loved one’s favourite chocolate treats.

The basic concept of a chocolate bouquet is to create your structure using skewers stuck into a polystyrene box, which is then presented in a gift bag. However, the type of chocolate you use will decide how the final bouquet comes together. So keep reading to discover how to make two variations.

A sophisticated Selector chocolate bouquet

Our range of Selectors features every type of chocolate we make, so finding a diverse range that your bouquet’s recipient will love will be easy. We recommend choosing your selection and then trying out a few different ways of arranging them before sticking them down to find the best combination.

It’s easy to construct your Selector bouquet, even if you’re no expert at crafts or DIY.

1. Start by getting hold of a polystyrene block to form the base of your bouquet. These are available in a range of sizes, so you can arrange your bouquet according to how generous you’re feeling.
2. Place the block in the bottom of a gift box or bag, then get some wooden skewers (ideally with flat ends) and push one for each Selector or Slab into the block. For an attractive staggered effect, try pushing the skewers at the front further into the polystyrene than the ones at the back.
3. Once your skewers are in, cover the polystyrene block with tissue paper to disguise it and to help support the skewers. Stick one Selector packet to each skewer with a small piece of tape or some glue.
4. Add some finishing touches like shredded tissue paper, confetti or even some dried flowers or petals.

How many Selectors or Slabs you choose will depend on the size you want your bouquet to be. Five or six Selectors will make a beautiful petite bouquet. Alternatively, you could go all out for a larger display of affection.

An adorable chocolate truffle bouquet

If you love crafting and want to make something completely original, a chocolate truffle bouquet makes for an impressive and thoughtful gift. Instead of using chocolate stuck to skewers, to create a truffle bouquet, you make paper flowers using chocolate truffles as the centres. You will need some equipment for this, including:

• A hot glue gun
• Scissors
• A glue stick or tape pen
• Crepe paper or good quality craft paper

If you have bought luxury truffles that didn’t come individually wrapped, your first step is to wrap the individual chocolates in some foil – you can buy wrappers from independent online sellers. Chocolate truffles from our Patisserie range work particularly well — they’re ideal for lovers of cakes, bakes, and desserts. Once you’ve wrapped your chocolates, use your hot glue gun to stick a cardboard straw to each truffle.

Next, cut a strip of crepe paper about 90cm long and 5cm wide, and cut a wavy line along one long side (you can do this quickly by folding the strip up in a concertina and cutting the edge of that). Apply glue or another adhesive all along the uncut long side and begin sticking it to the truffle, with the wavy edge facing upwards. Rotate the truffle as you stick, so the result is that the chocolate ends up wrapped in layers of crepe paper resembling flower petals.

Finally, cut some leaves out of green crepe paper and stick them to your flower, and wrap the straw in green crepe paper, too, so it looks like a stem. Do this for all of your truffles, then arrange them in a polystyrene block in a gift bag as above, or in a mason jar or vase to really bring the floral effect to life.

Top tips for the perfect luxury chocolate bouquet

Choose a colour scheme

If you are using pre-wrapped chocolates or truffles for your bouquet, try to choose your other materials in colours that complement their wrapping for an impactful overall effect. If you have chosen truffles which aren’t individually wrapped, you can get creative and develop a colour scheme from the wrappers, gift bag and ribbon that you choose. Think of your bouquet’s recipient’s favourite colour or a colour scheme with a special meaning to you or them.

Make it eco-friendly

Craft projects can create waste, so keep the environment in mind when choosing materials for your chocolate bouquet. Look out for recycled, and preferably recyclable, materials such as tissue paper and gift bags. You can usually find these from independent sellers online, and support a small business in the process.

Choosing our indulgent Selectors and truffles helps you to minimise plastic when you give a chocolate bouquet, too. Our commitment to sustainable packaging means that 96% of our packaging is recyclable or reusable, having totally removed black plastic from our range, and we are proud to be a part of the UK’s first local circular economy for turning plastic waste into a manufacturing resource.

Choose complementary flavours

The beauty of curating a chocolate bouquet is that you can create a full tasting experience for your recipient. Choose a theme, like dark chocolate, liqueur chocolates or fruity chocolates, and create a selection around that theme. If you’re unsure about which flavours go together, let our range of Gift Collections and hampers give you inspiration on flavours which perfectly complement each other.

Build an elegant chocolate bouquet using Hotel Chocolat treats

For an extra-special chocolate gift, it must be luxury chocolate from Hotel Chocolat. Our flavours are thoughtfully devised by our chocolatiers. Each chocolate features the highest-quality ingredients and ethically sourced cacao to bring our recipes to life. Discover our full range of Selectors and our collection of truffles to curate the perfect selection for your luxury chocolate bouquet.