Cool Advent Calendars

Yes its getting close to that time of year when your nan still buys you the usual advent calendar. Yep usually filled with cheap nasty chocolates. You know the score you open the first little door on your advent calendar and there it is, a sorry looking thing that is brownish in colour and has white edges. You pop it into your mouth and its all claggy on the palate and it takes an age to get it down. The poor taste is not down to the white bits it is just down to poor quality chocolate in the first place.   Do something different this year and get a Cool Advent Calendar, Strictly for adults.

Cool Advent Calendars The Alternatives

Cheese Advent Calendar

The first alternative advent calendar that peaked my interest was a Cheese Advent Calendar. These are going on sale at Asda from the 9th of November and for a RRP of £8.

 

The Cheese Advent Calendar costs £8 for 24 pieces of individually wrapped cheese. With 5 varieties available, the calendar includes:

· Jarlsberg® – Famous around the world for its distinctive sweet and nutty taste. Smooth, distinctive and rounded, it has a hint of sweetness and a unique flavour .

· Applewood® – A real English treasure. Applewood® is made from West Country cheddar with a delicate smoky flavour and a lovely smooth texture, all finished with a dusting of paprika for good measure.

· Ilchester® Mature Cheddar – Ilchester’s Cheddar comes from the West Country near where Cheddar originated in the Mendip Hills. Take a bite and let the creaminess melt into your mouth, with earthy tangy notes.

· Ilchester® Red Leicester Cheese – Smooth and Nutty! Add a splash of colour to your cheese board with this traditional English cheese based on a classic Cheddar recipe.

· Ilchester® Wensleydale with cranberries – Traditionally made with a smooth and creamy gold award winning Wensleydale. It is creamy and smooth and perfectly paired with juicy sweet festive cranberries.

Full details Asda

Fortnum & Masons Wooden Advent Calendar

If your feeling a little flushed this year you might want to go a little upmarket with their wooden advent calendar. Its filled with “sweets and chocolates” I am sure as its Fortnum & Mason they will be quality products. The price a mere £125 but if you would like it extra special they do also have a musical version. Full Details at F&M.

Coffee Advent Calendars

The smell and taste of a different coffee every day in December seems like a good idea. A change from the usual spoon in the big jar of sensible supermarket coffee to help you start the day with a skip.

Skandinavia Coffees

From KaffeBox which ship free world wide. Not cheap at approximately £128 so they need to be good. The final shipping date if you do decide to indulge in this luxury advent calendar is the 17th of December.

24 days of amazing coffee from 12 of the top Scandinavian specialty roasters.  We’re singling out the best beans each roaster has to offer and packaging them together in a beautiful specialty coffee advent Calendar. Each day of advent will feature a unique 50g sample of specialty coffee from one of Scandinavia’s top roasters.

Perk u Latte

A much more reasonably priced coffee advent calendar this time priced at £40 and may include coffee’s as Brazil Villa Borguesa, Colombio Excelso, El Salvadoe El Molinito, Costa Rica SHB, Malawi AB Phoka Coop, subject to availability.

 

 

Presented in a luxury gift box, our coffee advent calendar is packed full of coffee to keep you going throughout December, in the lead up to the big day!
Sealed for freshness in our foil bags, each bag is numbered and filled with approx. 20g of fresh artisan roasted coffee, just enough to make you that one special cup of coffee a day.

Amazon Coffee Advent Calendars

As always Amazon have a selection of just about everything at their disposal. Starting from £19 to just over £62.

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Tea Advent Calendars

Apparently there is another option to coffee, not for me but lets take a look at that very British tradition. Tea advent calendars.

Fortnum & Mason 

Yes they have another wooden advent calendar and this time its filled with tea. Not any ordinary tea at all but for £125 I would expect exotic, rare and quality.

Ceylon Uva St James Pekoe
Kenya Kangaita OP1
Assam Hattialli GTGFOP
Ceylon New Vithanakande FBOPFI
Daokrajai Tea With Lemongrass
Menghai Ripe Puer Mini Tuo Cha
Imperial Jasmine Green Tea
Fuding White Peony King
Jasmine Fairy
Double Dragon Pearl
Margaret’s Hope Second Flush FTGFOP1
Dong Ding Oolong

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bluebird Tea

Promised to be filled with 24 award winning gifts behind each door and for only £36, If tea is your thing then this could be the advent calendar for you. All the teas are hand blended in the UK and some even come in a silk pyramid bag!

 

16 of our silk pyramid tea bags, including your favourite, award-winning blends such as Snowball, Christmas Cake, Strawberry Lemonade, Earl Grey Creme +  Gingerbread Chai.
Also, discover brand new, exclusive Christmas blends not available to purchase individually in tea bags this year… Mrs Claus’ Raspberry Prosecco, Mince Pie + Spiced Clementine to name just a few!

Amazon Tea Advent Calendars

Ranging from a very reasonable £10.90 with organic teas up to £69 there truly is something for everyones taste and budget.

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Alcohol Base Advent Calendars

Now we are talking proper grown up advent calendars, what better excuse to indulge in something a little different and you never know you might just discover the next best thing you never had. Oh  perhaps you should be buying these for someone else unless you just buy two advent calendars.

Honest Brew 

Craft beers 24 unique beers, IPA’s, stouts porters and sours. A wide range of beers to tickle those tase buds. starting from around £65 up to a whopping £115 which could equate to a good night out. It is a special occasion so it may well be worth splashing out for a special christening advent calendar.

What to expect

 

• 24 hand-picked craft beers from the best breweries around the world.
• Beers range between 2.5-6.5% ABV.
• Beers come in glass bottles & craft cans.
• All beer is made from mighty fine ingredients (water, malt, hops and yeast) and some love.
• Packaged in recyclable cardboard box with protective packaging.

 

 

 

 

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Gin Advent Calendars

I must confess that Gin is not one of my favourite spirits, in fact in my adolescence I had a rather bad experience with gin and a tin of pilchards but after 30 years I can now at least appreciate the aromas of a good gin. Perhaps in another 30 years I may be able to even taste one. Enough of my sob story, the wife loves a good gin on the odd occasions.

GinVent The Original Gin Advent Calendar

Ginvent began one cold, dark winter night when we realised that no one made a gin-filled Advent calendar. To resolve the deplorable absence of our precious juniper spirit during the season of festivities, we designed, crafted and installed a 2 x 2 metre calendar in a central London bar and each day opened a new door. We celebrated the gin inside by serving up G&Ts and cocktails, as well as hosting tastings and generally sharing the gin love.

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Whisky Advent Calendars

Whisky, a different flavour for everybody’s taste. Some say that the best whisky comes from Scotland, the Irish would certainly disagree and then came along another challenger to the title. Japan, yes its quite a shock but the Japanese whiskies have been beating the Scottish whiskies. This year alone 2017 they won 3 awards for the best whiskies in the world.

Firebox

• It’s ‘Whisky’ not ‘Whiskey’ because whisky originates in Scotland for £149.99

Behind each of the twenty-four windows you’ll find a different 3cl sample of high quality Whisky; ranging from artisanal brands, popular market leaders, award winners and a number of choice new releases. Everything from single grain to a rare Scotch worth up to £600 a bottle! Each sample is individually labelled in a wax-sealed dram.

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Angels Share

Now if your in the market for something really special then this may be just the whisky advent calendar  for you. Coming in at a whopping £650 but it does come in a very impressive rosewood case which you could refill yourself every year because you have just blown the budget.

The Scotch Whisky Advent Calendar Collectors Edition contains 25 miniature bottles of scotch whisky from Wemyss Malts, A.D. Rattray, Samaroli, The Malt Whisky Co., Shetland Reel, Ainneamh, Adelphi Distillery, The Lost Distillery Company, Secret Spirits and Single Cask Nation. The calendar features a selection of single malts, blended malts, single grain and blended scotch whisky.

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Proseco Advent Calendars

The ultimate party girls tipple. What was once considered the poor persons Champagne is now the bottle to bring to any millennial’s party. Proseco now outsells champagne every day of the week. Produced in the Veneto region of Italy with over 39 million litres sold per year, Full Story

Lakeland 

This proseco advent calendar is a little different as it starts from the 25th of December and takes you over the 12 days of Christmas  to the 5th of January. Just in case you haven’t already had enough over the season. It comes very reasonable priced at £29.99. This is not actually Preseco but rather flavour enhancements for your Preseco.

If you haven’t tried PopaBall Bursting Bubbles or Prosecco Shimmer yet… where have you been? These fun bubbles are a unique way to liven up your fizzy party drinks, so it’s no surprise that they’ve been flying off the Lakeland shelves. This gorgeous Advent calendar gift is a fabulous way to indulge a prosecco or sparkling wine fan, and they’ll have a bubbly old time as they get to try out all of the flavours. The gift behind each door serves three champagne flutes, except for door number 7, to be opened on New Year’s Eve, which serves 14 – perfect for raising a toast as the clock strikes midnight.

 

The Pit Stop

Now this is the real deal for Proseco lovers and filled with 20cl bottle full of fizz priced at £125 the Pit Stop Superstar Sparkling Advent Calendar.

 

 

 

 

Amazon Preseco Advent Calendars

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Food Filled Advent Calendars

Pork Scratching Advent Calendars

This one you will either immediately smile very broadly or snort in disgust. Yes a pork scratching advent calendar which would of course complement one of the craft beer advent calendars. A match made in heaven some would say.

As you may have guessed, behind each of the windows you’ll find a mini bag of awesome flavoured pork crackling. Sadly, none of them will be in the shape of a bell or a Santa. Even SP isn’t that clever. But we’d like to think that what they lack in festive shape, they make up in crisp, crunchy loveliness.

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Carluccio Limited Edition Advent Calendar 

For an Italian-inspired countdown to Christmas, this limited edition luxe advent calendar features Italian products from Carluccio’s core collection. Treats behind the doors include limoncello chocolates, truffle butter, aged balsamic vinegar, torrone pieces and porcini oil priced at £75

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Big Chilli Advent Calendar 

yes something to blow your families heads off during the festive period. Included in this fiery deal is one of the worlds hottest chilli in the world so make sure your wearing you new Christmas gloves before opening that little door. Priced at £35 to sear your taste buds over the season.

The Big Chilli Advent Calendar is your shortcut to a deliciously spicy December! Embark on a world tour with the smoky Mexican chipotle, fiery Indian bhut jolokhia, and sweet prik chee fah from Thailand – without even leaving your kitchen. Will you be brave enough to try Carolina Reaper, the world’s hottest chilli?

Beauty Advent Calendars

The biggest rise in trend over the last few years is Beauty product advent calendars. Surprisingly the mens Beauty advent calendars are catching up with the girls. All the major department stores have their very own versions and some are great value for money

Holland & Barrat

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cow ShedAdvent Calendar Exclusive To John Lewis

The ultimate Christmas countdown with 24 of Cowshed’s best-loved products. This deluxe advent calendar includes a wide selection of natural skincare, hand care and bath and body treats for pampering throughout the holiday season.

Cowshed is a British spa brand from Soho House & Co with its very own range of bath, body and skincare products that are used in our professional treatments. Proudly made in England, they are committed to using botanical extracts and pure essential oils to nourish mind and body while always remaining honest and natural.

Beauty Advent Calendars By Amazon

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There is more cool advent calendar ideas out there and you may just to look a little harder but do not settle for the poor tacky chocolate filled advent calendar this year just indulge its Christmas.