An oasis in a desert of shopping chain dross. Fantastic selection of Italian foodstuffs. Very…read morefriendly and helpful staff.

Not exactly where you would instantly think to go for sweets, most people associate Julian Graves…read morewith health foods. While they stock a great variety of health food, the usual nuts, seeds, pulses and oats, they also stock ironically, a great range of sweet treats. Looking a bit dull in clear plastic packaging, it is fair enough that people don't instantly pick them up. Get over the dull plain packet and the sweets taste great and are fairly cheap to. They do a great mix with pink shrimps, flying sauces, marshmallows etc, it is about £3 for 400g but a wicked treat for a friday afternoon. They often do 50% everything in store which is a good time to stock up. They also sell natural liquorice, and a good selecton of it to this is hard to find in Basingstoke!

I am a blatant and self confessed chocoholic, always keen to try anything chocolatey and especially…read moreif it looks pretty too! Having seen several of these Hotel Chocolat stores, i ventured into the Basingstoke store, as it felt less intimidating than some others, perhaps because it felt light and airy and yet I still had somewhere to hide behind a fixture while i viewed my potential puchases! The staff vary dramatically in how helpful they are, personallly i have found the younger staff more helpful (even though i feel rude interupting their conversations about what they did last night..) they are genuinely enthusiastic and don't try to push me into buying a box of chilli flavoured chocolate - instead they thrust caramel chocolate buttons into my hand in a cute mini paper cup style packaging decorated with spots, and i melt immediately adding them to my purchase. So what are Hotel Chocolat good for? Days when you need a pick me up, gifts (great new mum gift set which i think any new mum would love especially at 2am..) and even wedding favours! They seem to offer alot of corporate gifts, although i have had not experience of these! What to buy..they do a seasonal box which i think changes every month, it is fairly pricey but the quality of chocolate is divine! Worth a try if you like me fancy something a bit nicer than you average chocolate box once in a while! Other recommendations.. the chocolate buttons, caramel buttons, rocky road giant slab, and of course the chocolate labrador - cute toy and yummy chocolate bones!

Yum yum yum. This is my favourite chocolate shop. There and loads of different varieties of…read morechocolate here. The prices are fairly high, but worth it in my opinion as this is a real treat. The staff are pleasant and often give out free samples.

This is a traditional sweet shop, where you can find all your old childhood favourites which are…read moresold per 100g and are poured into white paper bags! Even things like rainbow crystals which i haven't seen anywhere in years! Everything is reasonably priced, and they do party bags aswell as sweet hampers made up to order. They have a great selection of fudge, but be warned it is highly addictive! Infact the whole shop is addictive! You can shop online if you can't make it to the store. The worst part is that the store is on an small industrial estate, and although there is a bus route which stops on the main road, it is really a bit of a trek on public transport, and a hike from the town centre!

From the owner: Classic Sweets, Homemade Fudge, Chocolates, Gift Boxes & Bags, Party Bags, Wedding Sweets, Gift…read moreVouchers, Corporate Sweets, Personalisation.

Amazing butchers , friendly family run and could get any cut of meat you needed, unfortunately it…read moreis now closed its business. :-(