Martha Collison's hot chocolate on sticks

1. Choose a flavour combination. Place the chocolate of your choice in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water (making sure the bowl isn’t touching the water). Gently stir the chocolate with a spatula until completely melted and smooth, then remove from the heat.

2. If making the white chocolate gingerbread option, stir in three-quarters of the crushed Lotus biscuits (keep the rest for the topping) and the ground ginger. Spoon the melted chocolate mix into a piping bag and divide between 12 holes of an ice cube tray or mini-muffin tin, right to the top.

3. Sprinkle any topping ingredients onto the top of each block, then leave at room temperature for 30 minutes until partially set. When the chocolate is almost set, stick a lolly stick, skewer or spoon into each one. It should stay upright, but if the sticks start to lean, prop the tray up against a wall or a tall container.

4. Allow to set completely at room temperature (around 2 hours), then use a knife to loosen the blocks and remove them from the tray. Wrap in cellophane and attach a label with the instructions below.

5. To finish: heat 250ml whole milk in a small saucepan until steaming, then pour into a small mug. Add the hot chocolate stick and stir until the chocolate has completely melted into the milk and enjoy!