The perfect milk chocolate Easter egg for non-connoisseurs has be made out of what I call “session chocolate“. Much of the chocolate that the supermarkets sell is either far too sweet or tastes as dull as dishwater. The standard milk chocolate couverture that Hotel Chocolat use is absolutely perfect if you want to eat a whole egg on Easter Sunday as it’s far from too sweet and has a lovely, soft, velvety texture.

Over the past five years I’ve munched on quite a few Hotel Chocolat Easter eggs and despite the price steadily increasing far more than inflation I still see their Easter range as the perfect selection of eggs for people that are determined for their other halves or children to be satisfied but either don’t want to take a punt on an independent chocolatier or can’t stomach cheap mass-produced Easter eggs from the likes of Nestle or Cadbury.

That milk chocolate is incredibly moreish. I don’t know how they’ve the texture as good as this, but it is hugely appreciated. That sweetness is well under the level that most Easter eggs seem to have, but it’s balanced with some secret addictive quality that I just can’t make out. It’s doubtful that you’ll find milk chocolate Easter egg on the High Street as good as this – even though it is £27.

I know the thickness of the Easter egg isn’t uniform around the entire shell, but still, the rest of it is still a darn site thicker than traditional eggs.

For that not inconsiderable sum you also get eight treats inside. You’ll have a choice of both “ordinary” and pink Champagne (I absolutely love these), some Amaretto Amour, Bison Grass Vodka, Mojito Cocktail and a Tawny Port – you see where the money goes now? The price may be steep, but if instead of every family member buying people many rubbish eggs, I recommend you buy one very good one and try one of these or one of these.

The last review was of something incredibly sweet. But to prove that very sweet can work we have a Paul A Young Hot Cross Bun brownie. This brownie also is a case in point that Easter is not only about milk chocolate Easter eggs bought for less than it takes to make it and put it on shelves, but also about delicious and imaginative treats.

I’ve always had a soft-spot for hot-cross buns. Sunday mornings at this time of year sat in front of one with lashings of butter and a cuppa are what life is all about. Having a brownie that manages to accurately deliver the smooth, fruity flavours as a hot-cross bun cannot be easy. Traditionally Paul’s brownies are again very much on the sweet, intense side. But not this one. Here Paul allows for the orange, lemon, cinnamon, port and brandy to jostle for prominence. The end result is a mellow and tangy flavour sensation. Of course, with sugar, golden syrup, eggs, butter and the like, it’s a very rich experience. But it’s this sort of over-indulgent feel that I don’t have a problem with. There’s no palm oil in sight and I doubt a tree has been felled in its creation. Ethical (to a degree) and tasty. What could go wrong?

The only problem with this brownie is that it’s a victim of its own success. It’s made with real ingredients so the shelf-life is very short. I doubt we’re close enough to Easter today for it to last – not least because anybody’s will-power will be able to resist such a delicious temptation.

So it’s fairly restrained by the measure of previous brownies and flavoursome by the same token. It’s a very good Easter offering for those people lucky enough to be a tube ride from one of Paul’s shops. So what’s stopping you?

It’s a strange fact of live that there are hoards of people that love insanely sweet chocolate. Occasionally I’m one of those, but the phase passes very quickly. A square inch of this Full ‘O’ Fudge Easter egg from Thorntons is enough to satisfy my sugar cravings for at least a month, possibly two.

I recently spoke to a journalist about the propensity of mass-market chocolatiers to create Easter eggs that were choc-a-block with sugar, saturated fat and palm oil. This egg is no different, even if it pains me to say that my beloved Easter egg could create an egg that even the faintest whiff makes me feel I’ve over-indulged. I am a unique breed though. There will be tens of thousands of people that will happily munch their way through an egg of this sweet intensity of the Easter weekend – and who am I to say they’re wrong?

Of course fudge-lovers will appreciate this egg greatly and will not feel short-changed. It’s laden with pieces of sweet and soft fudge pieces – not only in the front part of the egg which is clearly visible through the transparent packaging, but also very much as part of the rest of the egg. The buttery fudge can be found with virtually every bite of the rest of the shell. That shell has to be fairly thick to house the fudge and it is. The shell is much thicker than you’d get from a Cadbury or Nestle egg, and despite having a similar target audience, this one is much better. Of course it uses palm oil, but at least it has 30% cocoa solids. It also has about the same level of fats and sugars, but the texture is far superior.

A couple of small pieces are sufficient for me. But if its sweet milk chocolate you’re after at a reasonable price then do consider it.

Paul Wayne Gregory has not only created the most difficult to photograph Easter egg in the history of chocolate, but perhaps also the most simply decadent. The vast majority of Easter eggs I see shout at me. They’re bright and brash. The packaging craves and pleads for your attention. You open the packaging and find yourself a dull, lifeless, unexciting, mass-produced, dour and unimpressive ovum of chocolate. More energy seems to go into the packaging and marketing of chocolate than its experimentation and refinement. Not so with Paul Wayne Gregory’s beautiful mango Easter egg.

The design of the egg is minimalist. The ripe mango colour is mimicked in hues of red and orange that are visible from all angles through the clear plastic packaging. You initially judge this Easter egg on its appearance and not its packaging. You ultimately judge it on flavour and texture, and on both counts it’s a triumph.

Breaking a piece of the egg off I noticed flakes and established they were small pieces of dried mango. Whenever a chocolatier adds dried fruits it can so easily dominate the flavour and texture of the chocolate. Perhaps dried fruits are often used to mask poor quality couverture. But not here. The couverture used is marvellous and is expertly balanced with the  38% cocoa solids that it becomes an incredibly enjoyable Easter egg. Those flavours are focused initially on the soft fruit but then the background tone of the fine chocolate picks up and the mango subsides. The tangy nature of the couverture builds up and brings the sweetness with it to give you that dominant, sophisticated sweetness that all fine milk chocolate Easter eggs should possess.

There’s certainly no razzmatazz. For that you’d go to Fortnum’s, pay twice the price and get half as good an Easter egg. This Easter egg oozes refinement, sophistication and above all: talent. And despite costing £24.95, it’s very much worth it and serves as a perfect example of why you should venture off the beaten track this Easter and try a chocolatier that you possibly have never heard of. Many people this Easter will pay £2 more and buy an egg from Hotel Chocolate that certainly doesn’t have the same mouth-feel or refined and precise flavour. That’s the power of marketing. This egg from Paul Wayne Gregory is far superior.

You had me at dried cherries. Last year Thorntons stepped their Easter egg game up quite a few notches with the Banoffee Pie and Lemon Meringue Easter eggs. Then I thought it’d be difficult to improve upon the “puddings” theme, however, I’ve been proven wrong. This year I have before me what could be Thorntons‘ finest Easter egg: a Black Forest Gateau ovum. And I’m going to cut straight to the chase on this one. Not only is it wonderful, but you’ll get a large (468g) for just £9.99 or three for £20. Normally I bring price in at the end after I’ve discussed the chocolate, but Thorntons this year are as keenly priced as I’ve ever seen them. But that’s not to say that their chocolate has any less value. Conversely, I feel their chocolate is as good now as it has ever been.

Take this dark chocolate Easter egg. It uses a 53% couverture which in itself obviously can’t compete with flavour European, and now American, bean-to-bar makers offer, but its absolutely perfect for  Thorntons‘ market. It has the bitterness that dark chocolate fans will enjoy, but so laden with cherryesque sweetness that it is almost bordering on addictive. At the very edge of the mouth-feel there is a touch of coarseness and the flavour profile misses a part of the spectrum, but for a £9.99 egg from a volume maker its perhaps the best you’ll find.

As has become voque in recent years the front part is studded with fruit and pressed into a splash of chocolate of a different hue. If it works, why change it? They certainly do stand out in the aisles of Tesco. Against the bombastic visuals that the likes of Nestle, Cadbury and Kinnerton dominate those aisles, its great that Thorntons offer a fresh-alternative. They look light, summery and inviting. For the last twenty-odd years those “down-market” companies have plodded out almost the same designs each season. But at £1 an egg can you really blame parents for buying them?

Yes. Your children deserve better. Even though Thornton‘s eggs are still made with significant levels of sugar, the quality of ingredients, to my mind at least, are far superior. And that can be established very quickly by tasting the chocolate. The balance of the slight bitterness offered by the chocolate is perfectly balanced by directness of the sweet cherries. There may be no swirling, ever-changing flavours present in the finest chocolate. There may only be two dominant flavours. But those two flavours play off against each other so expertly.

We always have to look at chocolate in context and what the market the maker is aiming at. Parents with older children, boyfriends on a bit of a budget, wives wanting to move their husbands away from crap chocolate – they’ll all buy these eggs. And they most certainly won’t be wrong for doing so.

Over the past few years I’ve always been impressed with the Easter eggs and chocolate gifts that Betty’s have created. Whether it’s the Saddleback Pig, badger egg or one flavoured with Lily of the Valley, they’ve always hit the mark. Given the opportunity to review another of their Easter eggs this year I just had to review one of their milk chocolate eggs as in terms of flavour and intrinsic quality, they’re very much the best for the price range.

All of Betty’s milk chocolate Easter eggs all seem to have a very velvety and creamy texture. As they melt in the mouth they just have a superb mouth-feel that I don’t recall any other chocolatier surpassing. I still don’t know why parents buy their children or each other for that matter, very cheap Easter eggs from the supermarkets as the cocoa quality is woeful and the vegetable oil used gives them such a dull, almost cardboard-like quality. Spending a tenner more just has such a greater impact. Nothing says “I love you” at Easter than top quality, and nothing says “I’m a cheapskate” like a Nestle or Tesco’s own Easter egg. Eggs of this quality are still exceptional value for money as you just have to buy the one, reasonably sized Easter egg than a massive one made with poor couverture.

Of course Betty’s Easter eggs are handmade. Not only do you get a wonderful marble effect but expert tempering to give it a great texture and perfect shine. You also have a very cute pig “iced” onto the front with a flower – you don’t get this sort of attention to detail from a supermarket Easter egg. Of course being milk chocolate its sweet – despite being at a very decent 38% cocoa level. But that sweetness is well-balanced against the luscious creaminess and certainly does provide a very pleasant experience.

If you are looking for a luxury Easter egg at a decent price then I would have no problem recognising this one. What’s more they eggs are robustly packaged. It was almost like a pass-the-parcel game as there was layer after layer of packaging. Other retailers have suffered in the past with Easter eggs arriving damaged, but I can’t see any reason why one of Betty’s should arrive in less than perfect condition.

At this time of year the internet and the high street are awash with companies piling Easter eggs up high and selling them cheap. Quality has become as insignificant to Easter as religion. There are countless families that prefer to shun big brands and focus on “buying British”, and to my mind: rightly so. Tucked away on the ironically named Commercial Street in one typically British seaside resort is a unique chocolatier that goes by the name Chococo. Every year this small company creates wonderful chocolates and sets their own trends. They’re too distant from London and its pretence, they’re just have their own sense of what people want and they always create chocolates that I’ve not seen elsewhere.

Last year we had the Dorset Dinosaur Egg and this year I’m reviewing something a bit more uncomplicated – a Dark Chocolate Ginger Egg, although part of does wish I was reviewing Sybil the Splatted Easter Hen! But whichever egg I would have chosen I know it would have been incredibly moreish and made with fine quality ingredients. The dark chocolate used here is made with a 70% Grenadian Trinitario couverture which has a very mellow flavour profile – and rightly so. Although many Easter eggs use woeful couverture, often made with very poor cacao from Ivory Coast Chococo correctly use a fine couverture, but one without the intensity or subtlety of some Criollo couvertures. Here we have a very good, consistent and lengthy melt that allows the ginger inclusions to take a slight prominence.

As a child I would crave candied ginger, and even now I’d happily munch my way through a bag in an evening. And it’s that interesting sweetness which combines so well with the dark chocolate which makes this a most satisfying Easter egg and well worth the £12.95 you’re being asked to pay for it. Of course the egg isn’t cheap. But if you think about it you’re not getting an egg made with environmentally damaging vegetable oil from the large brands and you’re not buying chocolate made with cocoa that could potentially be supporting less than savoury people in Ivory Coast. And you’re one that wishes to support family-owned business, the price is similar to that of some of the self-styled “luxury chocolatiers” that market intensely. What’s more, these eggs are presented in just an attractive fashion of those with companies with fully-staffed graphic design departments.

On a balance of flavour, appearance, provenance, ethos I’d very happily spend my own money with Chococo. To be honest, there’s a very strong possibility I’ll be buying my wife’s Easter egg from here.

2013 Update: If you need any evidence for the intense competition between supermarkets then you just have to look at the prices for the big brand Easter eggs. Here we have the Mars Medium Easter egg which hasn’t changed in price for the second year running. Asda is peddling it for just £1 each whilst Tesco and Sainsbury’s are selling it for £1.50 and somehow Ocado are selling them for a crazy £3.05 each or two for £5.00. I’m sure that Asda can’t be making any money on them, but just hope you’ll switch from a rival supermarket and buy your groceries from them too.

In terms of quality, and I had to eat a mass-produced egg then I’d choose Mars eggs over those from Nestle. Both have vegetable fat in and that’s something I’m certainly no fan of. And both have crazy amounts of sugar in them – this one is a whopping 59.4% sugars. But if you’re giving your child a treat at Easter and budget is the primary factor then there’s nothing massively wrong with this egg. I’d much prefer my child to have something from Hotel Chocolat, but their prices have been steadily rising over the years. If your budget does allow I’d suggest something from Betty’s or Chococo.

2012 update: This is a very old review. I’ll try and get another one to do a more up-to-date one. In the meantime  you can get these eggs from:

* 173g medium egg: Asda – £1; Tesco £2.50; Waitrose: £3.05
*  372g egg with three bars – Asda: £5 each or 3 for £10; Sainsbury’s: £6 each or 2 for £8 until 13th March; Tesco: £6 each
* or a crate of 45 Mixed Mars eggs for £129.40.

A Mars a day helps you work, rest and play…or so the old saying goes. So, what better way to review this easter egg than by having it for breakfast (I don’t usually eat chocolate for breakfast but overslept and had no time so a Mars bar seemed like the perfect option! It certainly kept me filled up until lunch).

It’s hard to complain about this classic Easter egg, despite being small it’s most definitely filling! Along with an Easter egg, you receive TWO full size mars bar yum yum.

The Easter egg is wrapped in shiny gold paper and is of average consistency  It isn’t thick but then it isn’t too thin, just about right and completely inline with the price.

The chocolate is OK. Definitely not the best and a little too sweet but it is edible and doesn’t leave that cheap after taste like some Easter eggs do. Tastes just like the chocolate on the outside of a mars so if you like that, you’ll love this egg!

The packaging is bold – like a mars bar but in the shape of a box. And there’s a note to say that it is made from 100% recycled cardboard showing that Mars are doing something for the environment as well as chocolate lovers!

Overall a good Easter egg – it does what it says on the tin ‘Mars the egg + 2 bars’. Can’t really grumble at that.

Easter Eggs Rating: 7/10

If we back track a few steps you should know that this 100g egg costs £3 each or two for a fiver. For one of the “finest” range I suppose it’s not too mad. But I still do feel a touch short-changed. It just doesn’t look large enough. But if the person you’re buying it for is, rightly, more interested in flavour and quality over size and price then I doubt they’ll be too disappointed.

The aroma is very intense and reminiscent of the old Walls Vienetta that was popular in the 1980′s. Those indulgent memories are still as strong as ever and trying to compare the two experiences I’d have to definitely say that I preferred the ice cream version. But that’s not to say that this egg is disappointing. The peppermint flavour is prominent and clear whilst the 53% cocoa solids chocolate just does manage to be noticeable behind the mint. But at the fairly low 53% level it just isn’t strong enough. There’s just no roundness below the sharp mint. I’d want more of an experience than this.

It’s certainly not a bad Easter egg. It most definitely is enjoyable. It manages neither to satisfy the mint-lover in me nor the dark chocolate fan. It’s an egg that tries too many things to too many people, and fails, I believe, to hit the mark for either.

I’ll just have to give this an average, but bordering on ‘above average’.

Easter chocolate bunnies never seem great value for money. You could say I’m prejudiced against them. Lindt bunnies are just dreadful. They taste sweet and oily. So I sat here with this Ferrero Rocher milk chocolate bunny and looked at my Tesco receipt and saw that I paid £2.99 for it and my heart sank. It really couldn’t be any worse than Lindt bunnies could it?

Visually I couldn’t fault it as it sat on my desk looking all sophisticated and regal. What’s more, it’s an impressive size. It stands proud at around 10cm tall (I’ve eaten its head now and have to guess). Despite having munched its cranium in no time at all I’m left in two minds. The aroma should have given an indication of how sweet it was going to be. That sweet Rocher aroma is certainly intense, bordering on pungent. But by the same token, it’s incredibly moreish. At first I just went for the scalp but wasn’t satisfied. I wanted more. That dastardly sugar, chocolate and almond combination was just too much to resist.

The problem with this bunny is that even after just 10% of it I had just had enough. It’s’ far too sweet. A Ferrero Rocher is just 12.5g and that’s about as much as I could manage with this 100g bunny. Although 20g of that are almonds, the excessive quantity of sugar used just overpowers the rest of the chocolate – even if that is offered at the 33.5% cocoa level.

If you’re looking for an Easter chocolate gift for somebody that loves Ferrero Rocher then it’s a no-brainer, you just have to get one of these. But keep some pain killers handy. After just a small part of the bunny gave me a sugar headache.