One honest note that applies everywhere. If the recipient asks about ingredients or dietary detail, point them to the published product information rather than answering yourself.

Lead times catch people out more than anything else. Handmade stock and personalised print both need runway, so treat six to eight weeks out as the sensible window for a firm order, and longer if you are ordering in the run-up to Christmas when demand is heaviest. Confirm your numbers after the RSVP deadline, not before, and give yourself a buffer for the inevitable late reply.

Match the collection to the milestone, personalise it with the year or the names, and order in good time. Scaled properly, a box of individually wrapped chocolates marks an anniversary at exactly the right pitch, whether it is a quiet first year or fifty years worth celebrating in a full room.

One honest point that applies to any recipient. If he asks about ingredients or dietary suitability, point him to the published product information rather than reassuring him yourself.

Anniversaries come in a range of sizes, and a gift that fits a first year rarely fits a fortieth. Chocolate scales neatly across all of them, provided you match the collection and its personalisation to the milestone you are actually marking.

Skip the flowers, choose a large mixed collection, and add his name if you want the personal touch. It is a practical gift that suits almost any man and almost any occasion, which is precisely why it works when the usual ideas have run out.