According to the French magazine Madame Figaro, chocolate, you will be glad to hear, is recession-proof! Confectionary companies have been reporting business as usual and some even booming during this time of hardship, thus it seems that even though we have to scrimp on our gas bills, chocolate takes precedence above all!

Chocolate makes you rich

Nutritionists claim that as well as providing the necessary comfort food, chocolate stimulates the same region in the brain as gaining money does, thus making us feel richer. Nutritionist Anita Bean said: “Chocolate has a unique blend of qualities — sweetness, texture and aroma — which activate our money pleasure centres So while times are tough, eating chocolate can make us feel well-off and happy again, even though we may have no money.”

Sin stocks

Chocolate and confectionary fall into the category of 'sin stocks' which also include gambling, drinking and smoking. Economists cite stocks in such items as safe bets, even in times of recession or economic depression. In September 2008, the UK chocolatier Thorntons boasted that their shares had risen by an astonishing 20% in the past year, bucking the trend of economic doom and gloom.

The world's largest confectioner, Cadbury, reported a 7.3% rise in sales in the first-half of 2008 and Hershey reaffirmed that its predicted sales growth for 2008 would be 3% - 4%, based on high second-quarter sales and profit.

Louise Hill, 33, from London sums it up nicely: "The odd bar of chocolate is not going to break the bank. I always have a piece a day and I can't see that changing."