When youngster Eileen Elmes received the Little Red Riding Hood Pascall’s Chocolate Novelties as a Christmas present she deemed them too special to try.

Instead she kept them untouched until she died aged 99 in 2007.

They have now been put up for sale by Eileen’s niece, who did not want to be named, who hopes they will be put on display in a chocolate museum.

She said: “My aunt told me she couldn’t eat the chocolates because they were so pretty and beautifully wrapped, even though she loved chocolate.

“The chocolates were so special to her she wanted other people to see them and asked me if I could do anything about it.”

The cherished confectionery will go under the hammer at Hansons Auctioneers in Derby on December 19, with an estimated value of between £70 and £100.

The box features Little Red Riding Hood in her red cloak on the front and inside are four chocolate figures on shredded paper.

It is estimated the chocolates date back to between 1910 and 1914 when Eileen would have been aged between three and seven.

Auctioneer Charles Hanson said: “I am sure chocoholics everywhere will be fascinated by this discovery – though they may shy away from the thought of eating one.

“To think that this little girl loved her special box of chocolates so much she couldn’t bear to eat them – or part with them.

“This is a humble reminder that in days gone by, people appreciated and valued things far more than some of us do today.”