Choose an assorted dark-chocolate box if varied flavours are part of the wedding-buffet display and guests can identify the fillings and allergens. Individually portioned bars are easier to distribute and identify when straightforward portions matter; a vegan assortment can serve plant-based guests, but vegan labelling does not establish allergy suitability. Check the exact packs before putting any chocolates out.
An assorted box gives guests a choice of pieces within one display. Check whether its fillings and cocoa style suit the people you expect to serve, rather than relying on the word “dark” to describe every chocolate inside.
A plant-based selection may help you offer a vegan option, but each included chocolate still needs an ingredient and allergen check. Keep that information available when guests choose from the buffet.
Separately packaged bars can be easier to set out, replenish and identify than loose pieces from a shared assortment. Check the packaging format and decide how many items you intend to offer per guest before calculating quantities.
Start with how guests will take the chocolate, then check the exact flavours, ingredients and labelling of the products you plan to serve.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Portion format | Compare the stated piece count or bar quantity with your portion plan. Check whether pieces are individually packaged and how a shared box will be replenished. | I want guests to take a clearly identifiable portion without having to sort through a shared tray. If the box is chiefly for display, I need to plan how its pieces will be served. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Read the exact pack for ingredients, highlighted allergens and any “may contain” statement. For an assortment, check the included pieces rather than relying on the outer description alone. | Guests need to know what is in the chocolate before choosing a piece, particularly when different fillings sit together on the buffet. |
| Flavour and cocoa style | Distinguish a stated cocoa percentage for a shell or bar from the flavours of its fillings. Check for inclusions such as nuts, fruit or alcohol. | I would like dark chocolate on the table, but I also need to know whether a varied assortment or a uniform bar better suits the guests being served. |
| Plant-based option | Check the vegan description and the ingredient and allergen information for every item in a mixed box. Vegan wording is not an allergy-safety statement. | If I offer a plant-based choice, I want to label that choice accurately without presenting it as suitable for guests with allergies. |
Filled dark chocolates can contain ingredients guests need to avoid. M&S lists milk, hazelnuts and soya in its Dark Chocolate Selection; Lindt lists milk-based ingredients, soya and barley malt extract in LINDOR Dark 70% truffles.
Choose the products first, then prepare buffet information from their exact packs. Identify a separate option where a guest’s stated dietary needs call for one.
Divine’s vegan 70% dark-bar multipack carries a “may contain” warning for milk, gluten and nuts. Montezuma’s asks buyers of its Plant Power Gift Box to check the individual products for allergens.
Read both the outer packaging and the information for each included item before describing a selection to guests.
Variety can introduce flavours or ingredients that need identifying. Hotel Chocolat describes rum and hazelnut among the contents of its 29-piece Serious Dark Fix box.
Check each flavour before planning the display, and clearly identify chocolates containing alcohol or nuts rather than mixing unidentified pieces together.
M&S advises shoppers that ingredient and allergen information can change. A card prepared before the chocolates arrive may not match the packs served.
Read the delivered packs before the wedding, retain their labels during service and correct any buffet card that differs from them.
These examples illustrate different formats and labelling checks; a brand name alone does not establish the ingredients of a particular box.
Hotel Chocolat describes two dark assortments with different stated piece counts for a shared display.
Divine lists dark gift boxes and a pack of 30 separate 35 g, 70% dark bars, giving hosts a choice between a gift-box format and uniform bars.
Lindt’s LINDOR Dark 70% truffles offer a filled format, while its Excellence Dark 85% is a bar; check the product rather than applying one label to both.
Montezuma’s describes its Plant Power Gift Box as a vegan collection of bars, truffles and buttons.
M&S lists a Dark Chocolate Selection with filled chocolates, including orange, espresso and hazelnut-praline varieties.
This boxed assortment is an option for a dark-chocolate wedding-buffet display. Check its pack and plan portions before serving it loose or describing it to guests.
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The 348 g assorted box fits a shared display rather than a plan based on separately identified bars. Its listed allergens include almonds, hazelnuts, eggs and milk, with precautionary warnings for peanuts, other tree nuts and soya. Check the exact pack, piece count and wrapping before preparing portions and buffet information.
No. Lindt lists milk-based ingredients in LINDOR Dark 70% truffles and says its Excellence Dark 85% bar, although made to a vegan recipe, is unsuitable for people with milk allergy. Check the exact purchased pack for ingredients and precautionary warnings.
No. Vegan wording does not cover every allergen risk. Montezuma’s directs buyers to the individual items in its Plant Power Gift Box for allergen information, while Divine’s vegan 70% dark-bar multipack says it may contain milk, gluten and nuts.
Ask how guests will receive allergen information for the chocolates actually served, particularly if pieces are removed from their packs. The Food Standards Agency says retail and catering food businesses must provide allergen information for both prepacked and non-prepacked food and drink; confirm with the business how it will handle the buffet.
Only plan a loose display if accurate ingredient and allergen information will remain available for the pieces served. Keep the exact product labels or ingredient information to hand and check the delivered packs before making buffet cards, as M&S warns that product information can change.