How do you eat yours? It’s the marketing slogan for Creme Eggs, but I expect psychologists would be able to tell a lot about you by applying the question to a chocolate Santa. Do you bite his head off (the method I adopted), or bash him against a hard surface until he breaks into small pieces? There’s no avoiding some form of torture for the poor bloke, and what’s he ever done to you apart from bring you some nice presents? The most important things to consider when buying a chocolate Santa are price, appearance and, of course, taste. Given how many sweet treats most of us are likely to consume over the festive period, I think it’s highly unlikely that anybody is going to choose one chocolate Santa over another based on it being slightly less unhealthy. So scores in these three areas will determine the chocolate Santa league table.

Sugar, vegetable fats (palm, shea), skimmed MILK powder (19,5%), WHEAT flour, fat reduced cocoa powder (3,5%), WHEAT starch, cocoa mass, powdered BARLEY malt extract, emuldifier: lecithins ( SOYA), sunflower oil, whey ( MILK) protein concentrate, cocoa butter, flavourings, raising agents (ammonium bicarbonate, sodium bicarbonate), salt. He gets a bonus point for having the bell and ribbon typical of Lindt as his belt. But he was the least colourful Santa and, thanks to his face and all the stars, he looked more like one of the Three Wise Men than Santa. The face on the chocolate itself was very stern. Better suited to older children. It’s been a little while since I ate a bar of Dairy Milk, but this didn’t taste how I remember Dairy Milk tasting. Perhaps it was just in comparison to the others, but it wasn’t as sweet. He wasn’t as robust as he looked like he was going to be – he gave way easily. He was slightly crumbly but not as much as the Lidl Santa. The proportions didn’t look quite right – his head, body and legs each made up around one third of his height. His face was kind but not jolly, although the face on the chocolate itself was identical to the Aldi Santa. He had the least rosy cheeks of the five Santas which contributed to him looking a bit too young for Santa. And being the same shape as the Aldi Santa, he was too tall and slim. He seemed like a man in a grotto wearing a costume and pretending to be Santa, rather than the real deal. For over 50 years, we have been committed to providing our UK consumers with high quality products such as Kinder Surprise, Ferrero Rocher, Tic Tac, Nutella and Thorntons. We are driven by our pursuit for quality and excellence, whilst staying true to our values as a family-owned business.This was the thinnest chocolate and pretty crumbly. If I had been doing the taste test blindfolded, I would have said this was white chocolate, as I couldn’t detect the milk chocolate. It’s fine – as long as you like white chocolate. Fine MILK chocolate 47% (sugar, MILK powder, cocoa butter, cocoa mass, emulsifier: lecithins (SOYA), vanillin), skimmed MILK powder, sugar, vegetable fats (palm, shea), concentrated BUTTER, emulsifier: lecithins ( S OYA), vanillin. Fine Milk Chocolate 45% (Sugar, Milk Powder, Cocoa Butter, Cocoa Mass, Emulsifier: Lecithins ( Soya), Vanillin), Skimmed Milk Powder, Sugar, Vegetable Fats (Palm, Shea), Concentrated Butter, Emulsifier: Lecithins ( Soya), Vanillin, Total Milk constituents: 32% total Cocoa Constituents: 14.5% Milk Chocolate contains Cocoa Solids 32% min., Milk Solids 22.5% min Fine MILK chocolate 45% (sugar, MILK powder, cocoa butter, cocoa mass, emulsifier: lecithins ( SOYA), vanillin), skimmed MILK powder, sugar, vegetable fats (palm, shea), concentrated BUTTER, emulsifier: lecithins ( SOYA), vanillin. Aldi is the clear winner in the battle of the chocolate Santas, after it was best for price and second-best for both appearance and taste.

INGREDIENTS: Sugar, Vegetable Oils (Palm, Sheanut and Sunflower), Skim Milk Powder, Wheat Flour, Cocoa, Wheat Starch, Cocoa Mass, Malt Extract, Lecithin as Emulsifier, Whey Proteins, Cocoa Butter, Artificial Flavors, Ammonium Bicarbonate and Sodium Bicarbonate as Leavening Agents, Salt.This was the only blue-eyed Santa, and his round eyes gave him a somewhat surprised expression. His nose and cheeks were also round, giving him a plump face, but he was quite tall and slim for a Santa. Ingredients: fine MILK chocolate 45% (sugar, MILK powder, cocoa butter, cocoa mass, emulsifier: lecithins ( SOYA), vanillin), skimmed MILK powder, sugar, vegetable fats (palm, shea), concentrated BUTTER, emulsifier: lecithins ( SOYA), vanillin. Total milk constituents: 32% - total cocoa constituents: 14.5%. Milk chocolate contains cocoa solids 32% min., milk solids 22.5% min.

I know, I know, I’m overanalysing. But if I’m going to try to rank five chocolate Santas to help readers understand the differences between them and which is the best one to buy, some very close attention to detail is required. Kinder's advent calendar is a delicious way to start your countdown to Christmas and features 24 delicious individually wrapped Kinder treats.