Proof that you’re never too old for an advent calendar, these beauties deliver a food or drink delicacy every day throughout December

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Bird & Blend Tea Co. Advent Calendar, £38, birdandblendtea.com

About the brand: Producing truly top-notch tea while being kind to both people and planet - already carbon-neutral, the operation is en route to net-zero and B-Corp certification, plus, via its ChariTEA programme, it’s donated more than £50,000 to 30 good causes to date - Bird & Blend is the definition of a feelgood brand.

On the outside: It’s housed in a brightly coloured, jauntily illustrated cardboard box which opens via front doors to reveal your 24 dinky daily boxes. It’s plastic-free and fully recyclable, right down to the tea bags themselves which, made from a cornstarch-based material called soilon, can go in the compost bin.

On the inside: The Bird & Blend team describe themselves as ‘tea mixologists’ and have won numerous gongs for their innovative flavours. Spanning black, green, rooibos and herbal teas, the advent calendar takes you on a mystery tour of their signature blends - of which they’ve clocked up more than 100 since launching in 2012 - with an emphasis on cockle-warming wintry infusions. Highlights include the perfectly spiced Gingerbread Chai, juicily fruity Jasmine Poached Pears and wickedly moreish Chocolate Digestive (which really does taste like a choccy biccy - weird but wonderful). Brilliantly, you get two bags in each daily box, perfect for sharesies.

Best for: Tea drinkers and conscious consumers.

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Bettys Advent Calendar, £60, bettys.co.uk

About the brand: Founded in 1919 by a Swiss chocolatier - one Fritz Bützer, who came to Britain to make his fortune from confectionery despite not knowing a word of English - Bettys is famous for its hand-crafted chocolates, cakes, bakes and hampers and a small string of tea rooms in the north of England. Everything at Bettys, from its signature Fat Rascals (a Yorkshire riff on the scone, decorated with cherry eyes and an almond smile) to the silver service in its tea rooms, is best in class.

On the outside: Folded into a neat bundle is a red, green and gold cloth calendar, sewn with 24 little numbered pockets and a pair of hanging loops. Tucked in the middle is a pouch of chocolates, one for each pocket, including a larger gold-foiled one for Christmas Eve. The calendar itself is just lovely: the palette and pattern are simple yet singularly festive and the fabric and construction robust, all of which lend it to re-use year after year.

On the inside: As you’d expect, coming from a company founded by a Swiss chocolatier, the chocolates are melt-in-the-mouth smooth and dangerously delicious: the temptation to sneak an extra one out of tomorrow’s pocket is real. . . Cast in the cutest 3D shapes, from polar bears to carol singers, they come in a mix of solid milk and white. If you’re a lover of white chocolate, the latter is a particular (rich, creamy) treat. In total, you get a whopping 260g of chocs.

Best for: Little ones will love this calendar - the chocolate is palate-friendly and the pocket concept very cute - but any adult would too.

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Biscuiteers Advent 24 Luxe Biscuit Tin, £60, biscuiteers.com

About the brand: Producing painstakingly hand-iced biscuits which, designed by artists and made by bakers, look every bit as good as they taste, the Biscuiteers concept was a hit from the moment the business launched in 2006. Two cookbooks, two cafes, innumerable icing workshops and an ever-expanding, seasonally changing webshop have followed.

On the outside: Because Biscuiteers products are designed with gifting uppermost in mind, the packaging is notoriously pretty. The advent tin is decorated with illustrated stickers, depicting numbered doors and teasing some of the iced characters found inside. Biscuiteers also sells a refillable cloth calendar, designed by Sophie Conran, should you want to decant your biscuits.

On the inside: Carefully cushioned with layers of corrugated card, the tin contains 24 of the most beautiful iced biscuits you’ve ever seen. There’s an animal theme to this year’s advent box, so expect everything from elephants and polar bears to sheep, ducks and dogs, all of them sporting something festive - a hat, a scarf, a parcel, a holly sprig. The flawless icing is crisp and sugary, the vanilla biscuit melting and buttery. It’s a winning combination.

Best for: As long as they’re willing to share, it would make a lovely gift for a whole family: who doesn’t like a biscuit?