Explore this further at Easter chocolate hamper.

More information is available at Easter chocolate hamper.

Gifts for men run into the same tired shortlist every year, and flowers rarely make it onto it. Chocolate does a better job than its reputation suggests, provided you pick the format with the recipient in mind. For most men and most occasions, a large mixed collection is the sensible answer.

Thank you is the most common thing a gift has to say and the easiest to get slightly wrong. Too small and it reads as an afterthought. Too large and it puts the recipient under a strange obligation. A mid-size chocolate collection or a share bag sits in the right register for almost every version of the occasion.

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.

Start with presentation. A favour that sits at each place setting is part of the table styling, so the box matters as much as what is inside. Lily O'Brien's has been handcrafting chocolates in Newbridge, Co. Kildare since Mary Ann O'Brien started the brand in 1992, and the small-format boxes suit a place setting without crowding the glassware. Neutral tones sit comfortably with most colour schemes, which spares you matching favours to napkins.