When it comes to Easter eggs, we’re spoilt for choice. The rise of artisan chocolatiers and quality chocolate companies mean that the range of Easter treats on offer is larger than ever. Not only that but standards are high, with a lot of care and attention going into these seasonal creations. Chocolatier.co.uk have picked five of our favourite Easter eggs – the criteria being eggs that not only looked fantastic but tasted great too.
UTTERLY ADORABLE
Betty’s Milk Chocolate Gloucester Old Spot Pig Easter Egg
Appearance: Attractive, glossy dark brown egg, stippled with dark chocolate and hand-decorated on one side with a content-looking brown-and-white pig among three little flowers.
Texture: Hollow inside with a good snap and a nicely substantial, thick shell (0.5mm)
Flavour: Good, full-flavoured milk chocolate , not too sweet and with a pleasant clean finish.
VERDICT: Too appealing to eat, but we managed!
Betty’s White Chocolate Swaledale Sheep Easter Egg
Appearance: Milk chocolate stippling on top of cream-coloured white chocolate gives a pleasant rustic, brushed effect. One side is hand-decorated with an curly-fleeced, white sheep with a dark chocolate face standing peacefully among three little white flowers.
Texture: Hollow inside, with a good snap and a nicely substantial, thick shell (0.5mm)
Flavour: good quality, Swiss white chocolate (35% cocoa butter), sweet with a pleasant vanilla aftertaste
VERDICT: A very charming egg indeed. Hats off to Betty for their on-trend incorporation of British rare breeds into their Easter eggs.
ELEGANTLY APPEALING
Demarquette’s Half Dozen Harlequin Chocolate Eggs Pink Box (also available in Yellow Box)
Appearance: A pastel pink egg box, tied with a ribbon. Open it up and nestled inside are six, shiny, bi-coloured eggs, with colours ranging from a subtle pale blue to a deep rich crimson.
Texture: Hollow inside, these had a good snap and an appealing variable thickness to the shell.
Flavour: Each box contains 3 milk and 3 dark chocolate eggs. The milk chocolate (a blend of Venezuela, Madagascar and Java cocoa) is mild, sweet with vanilla notes and a slightly nutty finish. The smooth-textured dark chocolate (71% cocoa blend from Madagasca, Ecuador and the Dominican Republic)is pleasant, on the mild side with a nice bright tingle at the finish.
VERDICT: Lovely to look at and very easy to eat.
A REAL TREAT
Paul A. Young Sea Salted Caramel Egg
Appearance: a hen’s egg-sized chocolate egg sitting in a plain white china egg cup with a little white ceramic spoon. The shiny dark brown shell is decorated with Jackson Pollock-esque squiggles and splatters of green, orange, yellow, white and gold.
Texture: a noticeably thick-textured shell crunches satisfyingly to reveal that it’s filled to the brim with a soft, rich, thick, slightly granular salted caramel filling. The crispness of the dark chocolate, followed by its smooth melt, contrasts very well with the soft, sticky filling.
Flavour: The dark chocolate shell (64% Madagascan) has a full chocolate flavour with a lovely, bright acidic aftertaste. The salted caramel filling, flavoured with Maldon sea salt, has a flavourful buttery sweetness cut through by the salt. Eating both together makes for a delicious experience as flavour notes from each come to the fore. An excellent combination
VERDICT: A winner!
WITTY AND INVENTIVE
Rococo: Salt and Pepper Solid Chocolate Eggs
Appearance: Presented in a small box decorated with Rococo’s elegant, trademark blue-and-white chocolate mould packaging, the clear top reveals two eggs – one wrapped in silver foil, the other in black foil nestling inside.
Texture: Each egg is divided into two, foil-wrapped halves, which as they are solid chocolate, sensibly makes eating them much easier. The silver-wrapped ‘salt’ chocolate consists of milk chocolate with a good shine, satisfying to bite into with a nice melt and the odd little crisp fleck of sea salt. The black-wrapped ‘pepper’, again appealingly shiny, with a firmer, slightly crisper texture than the milk chocolate, again melting well and creamily.
Flavour: The salt milk chocolate, (37% cocoa solids flavoured with Halen Mon sea salt), begins with a sweet, mild chocolate flavour, moving through into a fuller sweetness with caramel notes and a nicely salty finish. Biting into the dark chocolate (65% cocoa mass flavoured with chilli pepper oil)one gets a spicy, peppery flavour at once, which becomes more pronounced alongside dark chocolate notes, with a lingering piquant finish.
VERDICT: Looks elegant, tastes elegant
