The 2020 Advent calendars you won't want to miss!

2020 will have been a special year for everyone, and the end of the year is well worth treating yourself or others to something to look forward to at Christmas. Here's a selection of the calendars that stood out this year.

The chocolate classics...

Mazet, Living Heritage Company

The house made famous by its pralines, classified Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant (Living Heritage Company) since 2016, remains a must in Montargis. It presents a beautifully designed calendar featuring a snow-covered landscape where little children on skis or skates happily glide, surrounded by mountains with sprinkled peaks. The box opens like a book onto a bucolic seasonal landscape. This book of gourmet treats is full of freshness, to be enjoyed according to the traditional "every day has its own special treat". Almonds and hazelnuts coated with chocolates and pralines, chocolate bonbons, ganache and nougats of equal quality, will cheerfully fill every day leading up to Christmas.

Retail price: €22.40

Store 43 rue du Général Leclerc, 45200 Montargis

The tropics at Christmas with Chapon

In its usual vintage style, Chapon is offering us this year a flowery calendar featuring tropical fauna. The concept of interlocking boxes featuring colorful birds, squirrels and butterflies is clever and easy to open. This assortment of chocolates gives a fine overview of the talent of the master chocolatier, one of the few in France still to make his own chocolate from cocoa beans, and of his world.

List of stores (Paris, Chelles, Saint-Mandé, Meaux) and online store

Winter delights with Michel Cluizel

This beautiful moonlit winter night design conceals 24 chocolate treats of great variety. Each window opens neatly to keep the calendar in good condition until the 24th. We'll be looking forward to Advent all the more, as the last gourmandises lives up to the day with its chocolate bar (dark chocolate, hazelnut, orange), which definitely has a taste of Christmas thanks to its flavors as well as its large size and generosity.

Retail price: €39.90

Available late October 2020 in all CLUIZEL "Petite Manufacture" stores, Comptoirs and eshop.

Hugo & Victor, dreaming of a starry night

It's a house full of chocolates that every little child dreams of. The packaging is meticulous: a piece of the Eiffel Tower on a starry evening decorates the enchanted box. The 24 little windows open out to reveal a collection of chocolate bonbons, pralines, coated almonds and hazelnuts, and chocolate subjects by Hugues Pouget, former head pastry chef at Guy Savoy. The box closes with a pretty bow and is stored in the bookcase, waiting for a new day.

Retail price: €35

BOUTIQUE RIVE GAUCHE : 40, Boulevard Raspail 75007 Paris / online store

Pierre Hermé in the stars

An original design inspired by space, galaxies and constellations, this calendar easily stands out from the rest. Aesthetically pleasing, you won't hesitate to use it as a centerpiece, for example, or at least to display it for all to see. Each delicious creation is stored in a small drawer, ideal for DIY enthusiasts who'd like to reuse it next year by slipping in a few little surprises of their own.

Retail price: €62

Available until November 30, 2020 on the online boutique

photo credit : Laurent Fau

...and other delicacies

Elegance from Sébastien Gaudard

Original, delicate and well thought-out, this calendar makes a wonderful gift. A pretty red ribbon closes the box, which opens like a game box. A tidy room lined with colorful little boxes with designs from another century, each containing a sweet surprise. Salted butter caramels, melting pralines, gingerbread, pavés des Martyrs, croustillant praliné, confectionery from yesteryear, calissons d'Aix, pavés des Tuileries.... this is your chance to sample Sébastien Gaudard's palette of flavors. This box, which will remain intact until the 24th day, can even be reused as a treasure box for little boys and girls.

Reservations from November 1, 2020 Available from mid-November 2020

Retail price: €49

Postal delivery in mainland France

Boutiques: 22, rue des Martyrs Paris 9 1 rue des Pyramides Paris 2

A little foam?

A Beery Christmas from Saveur Bière

With this calendar, discover a selection of 24 original beers throughout December. Aimed more at beer lovers, this 15 kg calendar is sure to delight. Each beer has an original design and sometimes unusual aromas. This calendar also has an original and entertaining design, as you have to follow the different paths to find the box of the day. And when you open each window inside, you'll discover tips on food and beer, as well as the ideal temperature for tasting.

Retail price: €69.90

Online store

Care for a glass?

Served by Domaine du Goût

The Domaine du Goût offers a tour of France's spirits through its various calendars. In the classic size, you'll taste 24 vignottes featuring a fine variety of spirits (rum, whisky, armagnac, gin...) with tasting advice for the dark wine-colored model. The bottle-sized, snow-covered model contains 24 AOC wines, or you can opt for the XXL size with its 24 bottles of wine, including 2 champagnes, to create a very interesting cellar.

Retail price: €69 (spirits calendar)

Store on line

And why not cheese...

The Cheese Box for a Cheesy Christmas

What if the perfect idea was a cheese calendar? La Box Fromage offers its version of the calendar under the direction of Bernard Mure-Ravaud, World Champion Cheesemaker and Meilleur Ouvrier de France, no less. And this is reflected in the selection of cheeses: from the classic, but always of the highest quality, to the more original. There's something for every taste, and it can be shared with two or more people. For reasons of conservation, the calendar is divided in two, and delivery by chronofresh guarantees arrival on time and in good condition. This large cheese box can also be transformed into a cheese platter, or offered under the Christmas tree.

Retail price: €59.95

Boutique en ligne

You can also check out our Gault&Millau digital Advent calendar, where you can try your hand at winning a whole host of surprises. Don't forget to follow us on social networks. Visit us on Instagram.