A CUP of cocoa a day can keep dementia away, according to a new study.
Scientists in the US found over-65s who took daily cocoa extract supplements performed better in cognitive tests.
And hot chocolate tastes good too, especially at this time of year when we could all do with warming up.
Lynsey Hope tests the best jars to warm your cockles and marks them out of ten.
39p per 100g
SADLY this was quite unpleasant. It was lumpy when mixed with hot water and tasted oily – the chocolate flavour doesn’t come through.
In fact, there is none.
You need to use 4-5 teaspoons so while it seems good value, you’ll get through it quickly.
3/10
39p per 100g
ONE of the few own-brands to contain both cocoa and milk chocolate, you simply add hot water instead of milk.
It mixed well into a velvety drink and was delicious.
It oozed with flavour and felt luxurious.
A great alternative to Cadbury’s and better for you.
9/10
93p per 100g
A LOVELY cup of hot chocolate. If I’d been blindfolded, this is the one I would have thought was Cadbury’s.
It was smooth and delicious with velvety chocolate.
It contains more cocoa powder than the others – 26 per cent compared to 25 per cent in Cadbury’s. A hit.
10/10
50p per 100g
I FOUND this quite watery and weak even when you add the recommended three teaspoonfuls to milk.
It’s high in sugar too, with 24g per cup.
However, it is a good price from Asda and the kids didn’t complain too much about it, but it’s not one for me.
5/10
60p per 100g
VERY sweet, but not very chocolately, probably because it has no chocolate in the ingredients at all.
It was easy to mix and smooth to drink. It was also good value per 100g.
If you want a sweet drink to warm you, but aren’t bothered about a chocolate flavour, this might do.
6/10
60p per 100g
RICH and yet light and easy to drink at the same time, my Tesco hot choccie was enjoyable.
It had a lovely velvety chocolate flavour and mixed well – no lumps.
And, true to the image on the pack, it had a slightly frothy finish. A great value option.
8/10
£1.20 per 100g
A LOVELY silky and rich chocolate drink.
It’s made with Fairtrade cocoa beans and it felt luxurious to drink with a delicious chocolatey flavour.
There were a few lumps, which took a bit of stirring to get rid of.
It was good though, other than the price.
8/10
£1 per 100g
EASY to mix, I’ve always been a fan of Cadbury, but I’m not sure it’s as good as it used to be.
It was overly sweet with less chocolate flavour, and it’s double the price of many own brands.
It was velvety smooth, but I couldn’t finish it as I found it too sickly.
6/10
