A SAVVY chocolate lover has revealed a hack to get a Hotel Chocolate gift reduced to just 95p, with shoppers claiming they’re “already on it”.
Joseph Stutter took to Facebook to share his bargain trick, which impressed many sweet treat fans.
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Joseph Stutter shared his hack in a Facebook postCredit: Facebook
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The savvy shopper’s hack reduces the price to just 95pCredit: PA
In the post, he shared a photo of a box of chocolates from the popular Hotel Chocolat brand, writing: “If you sign up to the Hotel Chocolat VIP scheme online, you get a £5 voucher near your birthday.
“There’s a £5.50 minimum spend, but the Everything Mini Selection is £5.95 — so these only cost me 95p.”
The Facebook post quickly racked up hundreds of likes and comments from shoppers keen to grab the discounted treat.
One user wrote: “Ooh lovely.”
“Thank you so much for this! It was my birthday last Monday, so this was handy,” commented another.
This savvy shopper added: “Sign up to Lindt as well, they send you a voucher for a box of chocolates on your birthday.”
“I’m already on it,” a fourth said.
It comes after chocolate fans scrambled to their major retailer after it dropped the price of Toblerone bags to just 50p – down from £4.
B&Mis behind the deal, with the Toblerone Tiny Bags (280g) spotted on sale at a branch in Bordon,Hampshire.
One eagle-eyed shopper posted the bargain to the Extreme Couponing and Bargains UK Facebook group and said it was in B&M Bordon, Hampshire.
Shopping discounts – How to make savings and find the best bargains
The post quickly caused a stir on social media, with shoppers eager to grab the deal.
One replied: “What a bargain!”
Another, tagging a sibling, wrote: “Dad would be wanting them.”
A third added: “Oh that’s good. My sister lives there lol.”
Remember to compare prices
It is important to always shop around as you might find a cheaper alternative.
Websites like Trolley and Price Spy let you compare thousands of products across different retailers to find the best price.
Price Spy even lets you see how much an item has cost over time, so you can see if the current price is a good deal.
A quick scan on the Google Shopping/Product tab will also bring up how much retailers are selling a certain item for too.
How to save money on chocolate
We all love a bit of chocolate from now and then, but you don’t have to break the bank buying your favourite bar.
Consumer reporter Sam Walker reveals how to cut costs…
Go own brand – if you’re not too fussed about flavour and just want to supplant your chocolate cravings, you’ll save by going for the supermarket’s own brand bars.
Shop around – if you’ve spotted your favourite variety at the supermarket, make sure you check if it’s cheaper elsewhere.
Websites like Trolley.co.uk let you compare prices on products across all the major chains to see if you’re getting the best deal.
Look out for yellow stickers – supermarket staff put yellow, and sometimes orange and red, stickers on to products to show they’ve been reduced.
They usually do this if the product is coming to the end of its best-before date or the packaging is slightly damaged.
Buy bigger bars – most of the time, but not always, chocolate is cheaper per 100g the larger the bar.
So if you’ve got the appetite, and you were going to buy a hefty amount of chocolate anyway, you might as well go bigger.
Laura Stott has tested all the supermarket pains au chocolatCredit: Damien McFadden
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Pains au chocolat are flying off the shelves in supermarketsCredit: Getty
Buttery, flaking and traditionally filled with two tunnels of dark cocoa, chocolate croissants have enjoyed an eight per cent rise in sales.
But whether you enjoy them for breakfast, brunch, or simply with a cup of coffee as a treat, which own-brand versions give you the best taste for your dough?
These are so good you might even fool yourself that you bought them at a bakery in FranceCredit: Damien McFadden
AN all-butter packet of pains au choc for this price means you are getting super quality for your money – and they did not disappoint on flavour.
The high-grade ingredients are similar to those in costlier packets.
Made in the traditional French style, these pastries look inviting, with thick wodges of dark chocolate running through the middle that ooze out of each end.
The outer layers are lovely, flaky and dark golden.
The dough crumbles as you bite in to enjoy the rich and yummy taste.
There is loads of choccie in every mouthful, which is incredibly satisfying.
Trying the largest and most expensive pain au chocolat in Paris
Good warmed up, or tasty munched cold.
You might even fool yourself that you bought them at a bakery in France.
Rating: 5/5
Pains Au Chocolat (6) Sainsbury’s, £1.60 (27p each)
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These are individually wrapped, which makes them ideal for eating on the goCredit: Damien McFadden
THE pastries in this multi-pack are individually wrapped, which makes them ideal for popping into bags to eat on the go.
Enjoy them for brekkie on your commute or just saving a bit of cash when you pop out for coffee.
The flavour is good, especially for the price.
Made with proper butter and 14 per cent chocolate, they looked a bit squashed and sad but tasted better than I expected.
The pastry is quite dense and very filling owing to a heavier texture.
But it’s not too stodgy, and on the plus side this did make them more substantial.
A nice soft dough means these also tasted good even when eaten cold.
Ideal for tucking into with a cup of coffee while sitting in the sunshine.
Rating: 3/5
Finest Pains Au Chocolat (4) Tesco, £2.40 (60p each)
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These treats from Tesco have the best dark chocolate insideCredit: Damien McFadden
These tasty treats had the best dark chocolate inside of all those I tried.
With 18 per cent per pastry, it’s a decadent and delicious dark filling that would be good enough to eat on its own if it came as a bar.
Encase it in crumbling, flaky, all-butter pastry and it tastes even better.
Nice, fluffy dough with lots of pastry layers and not dry at all.
These are so moist and rich they taste fine if munched straight from the packet.
But I’d still warm them for a few minutes in the oven or air fryer to get the gorgeous aroma and golden crispiness.
Very generous pastries.
Divine with a cup of coffee, and the perfect way to start a lazy weekend.
Rating: 4/5
Bon Appetit Pains Au Chocolat (8) Aldi, £1.49 (19p each)
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The chocolate is very good in these considering what great value for money they areCredit: Damien McFadden
THE packet says these were baked in France – and while they might have lost a bit of their je ne sais quoi on the journey across the Channel, they don’t taste bad at all for a supermarket effort.
The chocolate is very good, considering what great value for money they offer with eight per pack.
You get 12 per cent cocoa, which has an intense flavour.
The two smooth runs of dark choc are evenly distributed through each croissant, so there is plenty to keep you happy.
Lovely once warmed up, and the aroma is very appetising.
The pastry, while golden and crumbly, tasted extremely sweet, and there is no butter listed in the ingredients, which does affect the texture.
Rather oily when heated, too.
Perfect for snacking, or as an anytime treat, and super value for money.
Rating: 4/5
Pains Au Chocolat (4) M&S or ocado.com, £3 (75p each)
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Marks and Spencers’ offering are the biggest but also the priciestCredit: Damien McFadden
WITH only four in the packet, they might be a bit pricier per croissant.
But these are absolute whoppers, easily the biggest and bounciest pastries of those I tried.
They are delicious, made with all-butter pastry that gives them a flaking, rich outer.
It crumbles all over your chin when you bite in.
The genuine French dark chocolate inside is top notch.
It is thick and chunky and there is plenty of it packed into the middle, so you get the taste on every bite and don’t feel short-changed.
Warm these up and they taste so good you could have bought them from a Paris boulangerie. A shame they are so expensive.
Rating: 3/5
Rowan Hill Pains Au Chocolat (8) Lidl, £1.29 (16p each)
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These are cheap but you don’t get much for your moneyCredit: Damien McFadden
WHILE unbeatable on price, these were not the most enjoyable pastries I tried.
The ingredients say each one contains 12 per cent chocolate, but the filling seems very mean.
You do get two strips layered though the pastry but these were very thin.
I found the pastry dry, chewy and unpleasantly soft, with an odd vanilla scent and flavour.
Tasted more like a soft bread roll than a traditional French treat.
They are a bargain, and being individually wrapped makes them useful for a grab-and-go eat.
But I’d rather spend a few pence more for a better pain, or just have a piece of chocolate with my cuppa.
Rating: 1/5
Bakery Pains Au Chocolat (4) Co-Op, £2.35 (59p each)
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Co-op’s offerings are better eaten warmed upCredit: Damien McFadden
THESE are somewhat smaller croissants and their ratios overall seem rather unbalanced.
Despite being more compact, they were generous on the chocolate filling, with double portions of tasty cocoa that’s bitter and authentically French tasting, not overly sweet.
Very thick pieces, too, which were satisfying to scoff.
The chocolate adds good moisture to the pastry, which is needed as, despite containing 17 per cent butter, the dough outers were pale and tasted rather dry.
Also, the bottoms were thick and bread-like.
Better once warmed up but be careful not to burn your mouth as there’s so much liquid filling inside they get oozy.
Rating: 2/5
Bakery Pains Au Chocolat (8) Asda, £1.98 (25p each)
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These have a nice hint of sweetness that’s not overdoneCredit: Damien McFadden
SUPER value for money, and the pains au choc in this packet looked and smelled deliciously fresh.
Like the Sainsbury’s croissants, these offerings from Asda have a denser-tasting pastry outer, probably due to the inclusion of some rye flour, which also gives them a darker colour.
Made with butter so they taste nice and rich, this also gives the flakes a lovely softness when you bite in, which I really enjoyed.
A nice hint of sweetness that’s not overdone. Lovely chocolate, and plenty of it.
A little flat to look at and not the biggest pains on the block, but they puffed up beautifully in the oven, so you don’t feel disappointed.
Very tasty and a super price. Would pair well with a hot chocolate.
Rating: 4/5
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