Personalised chocolate has quietly become one of the easier ways to give a gift that feels specific to the person receiving it. Two formats do most of the work: the photo box, which prints an image onto the lid or sleeve, and the message box, which carries a short line of text. Knowing how each behaves helps you pick the right one.

A quick word on dietary needs. Guests will ask, so check the ingredient information published for each product and pass people to that detail rather than making assurances yourself. It is the honest way to handle it and it saves awkward conversations on the day.

For clients, a hamper reads as considered. It arrives as an occasion in itself, it shares around an office, and it carries a professional message without tipping into extravagance. Choose one with a neutral presentation rather than anything overtly seasonal, so it works whether it lands in March or in the week before Christmas. A restrained box travels better across industries and personalities than a novelty one.

A retirement gift has to carry more than most. It marks the end of a career rather than a single occasion, Lily O'Brien's Chocolates it usually comes from a group rather than one person, and it tends to be opened in front of the very colleagues chipping in for it. A full chocolate hamper handles all of that with a generosity the moment deserves.

Timing is easy compared with weddings or corporate orders, but if you want personalisation, a new address or a short message for instance, allow a few extra days rather than ordering the night before.

One honest note. If the couple ask about ingredients or dietary suitability, point them to the published product information rather than answering yourself.