Easter is nearly upon us. It's another Easter in a form of lockdown and many of us turn to supermarkets for the same old selection, or to the Internet to source beautiful and amazing Easter eggs.
But Easter eggs are fickle, fragile beasts. They need to be gingerly handled with care to arrive in one piece, and couriers are not known for their light touch.
So, that's where Easter-egg shaped chocolate slabs (flat-packed Easter eggs if you will) come in. This week I received a surprise delivery of such slabs from Hutton-le-Hole and Thornton-le-Dale's The Chocolate Factory.
Packaging
Similar to their loaded slabs I reviewed last year, these egg-shaped chocolate slabs are packaged simply inside sealed clear plastic bags, finished with a branded label.
There's no other information on the wrappers nor the website, so I can't tell you the ingredients of these bars, although I'm sure if you get in touch with The Chocolate Factory, they'll happily furnish you with that information.
I do know that one is 55% dark chocolate, another is in white chocolate, and the remaining two are made from milk chocolate.
The Chocolate Factory Easter Egg Slab Reviews
Each of the flat-packed eggs weigh in at 100g. Each one measures around 14cm in height and around 9cm in width, and are chunky at around 1cm in depth. It features a geometric pattern and together with the depth, they give Tony's Chocolonely's bars a run for their money!
You can specify whichever eggs you'd like in the box, from a choice of milk chocolate, 55% dark chocolate and white chocolate. All three types of chocolate are gluten-free and the dark chocolate is dairy-free, although the dark chocolate products are made in a kitchen that handles dairy products.
Each of the slabs has a nice mirror-like sheen to it and a satisfying crisp snap. The mould used to cast these egg-shaped bars appears to have a slight dotty texture over it and this pattern is seen on the face of the slabs.
The dark chocolate bar exhibits quite a tame aroma, but there's a dash of rich cocoa notes in the mix along with hints of red berries. It's a sweet flavour on the palate, with cocoa and brownie notes that comes through at the start. These develop alongside a gentle creaminess, with a heavy helping of sweetness to keep the bitterness at bay. The flavours fade slightly into the aftertaste but still manage to linger for a while.
The milk chocolate bar draws on similar cocoa notes but has a creamier lactic aroma with hints of caramel and butterscotch. These caramel vibes comes through with force in the flavour of the sweet chocolate, toying with the creaminess to create something you'll chomp through in a heartbeat. The aftertaste is mild by contrast, with a sweet creamy cocoa flavour punctuated by a slight astringency. It's so easy to eat this one that you'll do it rapidly without realising.
The white chocolate bar is a sweet and creamy combination with notes of vanilla. Quick to melt, it yields sweet and creamy vanilla flavours in droves. It's a classic white chocolate flavour that kids will adore as will adults with a sweet tooth.
Overall, I think the milk chocolate base hits the sweet spot, balancing flavour with sweetness. The caramel top notes make it devilishly easy to eat, and it's one you'll polish off in front of the telly.
I love the playful, whimsical nature of a flat Easter egg bar, and i like the chunkiness of the bar. It's not too chunky, so you don't need thumbs of steel like you need with a Tony's Chocolonely bar. Perhaps the more regimented grooves of the geometric pattern on the face of the bar help with this?
I like the product and think it's perfect for sending as a last-minute Easter gift through the post. The chunky nature of the bars make them more likely to arrive in one piece compare to an actual egg (three of mine did but the white bar broke in a couple of places during transit).
My only criticism is that they are cast in plain white, dark and milk chocolates so there's not much excitement here. A sprinkling of Easter-themed toppings, such as Mini Eggs, or even a selection of staple toppings, such as mini marshmallows or crunchy chocolate-coated balls, would add a textural difference and something extra to entice you in. That said, these are still chunky chocolate bars and will undoubtedly be wolfed down by kids and kids at heart.
The Chocolate Factory Easter Egg Slabs Review
RRP: £20.95 | The Chocolate Factory Hutton-le-Hole and Thornton-le-Dale | Shop now
Four simple assorted slabs of chocolate shaped as Easter eggs make this an ideal gift to send through to the post during lockdown whatever-number-we-are-on this Easter. Cast in your choice of milk, dark and white chocolate, these are safe bets if you want to send an Easter gift to distant friends and family but don't want or need the bells and whistles.
Where to Buy Online
The four-pack selection is available on The Chocolate Factory's website here (£20.95 including delivery). You can choose your own combination of milk, dark and white chocolate eggs to suit your preferences.
Tell The Chocolate Factory You Saw It On Chocolatier.co.uk!
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Flat Easter eggs or traditional Easter eggs - which is best? Let me know in the comments below.
