Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Lifestyle

Raymond Blanc's easter egg test

testing: eggs: Raymond Blanc and chocolate duck
Raymond Blanc had a smashing time testing Easter eggs (that glint on his teeth is 100% real by the way, he genuinely looks like this)
Photograph: Suki Dhanda
testing eggs: Godiva Beaded Egg with Petit Oeufs
Mini Eggs

The best: Godiva Beaded Egg with Petit Oeufs 250g, £30
These eggs have been filled with a truly lovely ganache. What a range of flavours and such a pretty box 4/5

The rest: Harvey Nichols Caffe Tasse £8.50 for 12
After such a high standard of presentation the praline eggs seem almost underwhelming 4/5

Waitrose Marzipan Eggs 100g, £2.99
Very impressively crafted, they actually look like quail eggs. If you like marzipan, then you’ll like these 4/5

Aldi Mini Eggs 90g, 59p
Standard-looking mini eggs. The shells are a soft, pretty, pastel colour but the chocolate is too sweet. I imagine children would go crazy for these 4/5
Photograph: Katherine Rose
testing: eggs: Chocolate bunny
Chocolate bunnies

The best: Harvey Nichols Rococo Bunny 230g, £36.95
I’m not sure about all the colourings that might be in the navy coat, but the chocolate itself is excellent 4/5

The rest: Aldi Bunny 150g, 99p
Sweet and very milky but lovingly packaged with a nice, strong chocolate smell. Again, one for the children 3/5

Tesco Bunny 250g, £2
This tastes of sugar and dairy and that’s about it, but it’s very Eastery so I suppose that’s something 3/5

Lindt Gold Bunny Egg 125g, £4.99, Morrisons
I can hear a little bell so I know what this one is. It’s made with lots of sugar so I can’t taste an ounce of cocoa 2/5
Photograph: Katherine Rose
testing: eggs: Luxury easter egg
Luxury

The best: Asda Extra Special 330g, £6

This is a well-made product. The nuts are an unusual addition, the chocolate is above average and I like the nougaty chunks embedded in the shell 4/5

The rest: CocoMaya Luxury Faceted 400g, £40
I find the bronze colour threatening - it looks like a grenade. However it smells delicious and tastes like bittersweet coffee 4/5

Hotel Chocolat Ostrich Egg 1.2kg, £60
Looks like a beetle that survived a nuclear war. Very big, very sweet and the shell is very thick 3/5

Thorntons Milk Chocolate 610g, £7.99, Morrisons
I find the chocolatier’s ability to create a universal thickness impressive. But perhaps this is because it’s factory made. Plus, it’s far too sweet for me 3/5
Photograph: Katherine Rose
testing: eggs: White chocolate egg
White chocolate

The best: Bettys By Post White Chocolate Egg 180g, £12.50 bettysbypost.com
What a delightful, shiny, dainty egg. Tremendous handiwork. For white, it’s not bad 5/5

The rest: Waitrose Fairtrade Belgian Chocolate 250g, £12.99
What a stunning creation. This smells of milk and cocoa butter and tastes pleasant. Very good effort 4/5

Chococo Jurassic Coast Egg 200g, £14.95, chococo.co.uk
What a nicely mottled egg. And look! There are dinosaurs inside for little archaeologists to discover! Children would love that 4/5

Sainsbury’s Belgian Chocolate 110g, £2
Foul and sweet, it tastes like it’s been on a supermarket shelf for a very long time 1/5
Photograph: Katherine Rose
testing: eggs: Milk chocolate egg
Milk chocolate

The best: Paul A Young Half-Caramelised weights vary, £19.95, paulayoung.co.uk

This looks like chocolate of an exceptional quality. It also tastes fresh and delicious. A lot of love has been poured into this 4/5

The rest: Harvey Nichols CocoaBlack, weights vary, £12.50
This has the most unusual taste. Hazelnuts and walnuts with perhaps a dash of almond essence? Slightly too nutty but a nice idea. 3/5

Marks & Spencer Milk in a box 50g, £2.99
This tastes of vanilla and my mouth feels like it’s covered in cocoa butter 2/5

Prestat Milk Chocolate 227g, £22
I love the box this comes in but I’m afraid it tastes a little stale. It’s nice enough, about OK for the mass market, but not for me 2/5
Photograph: Katherine Rose
testing: eggs: 70% cocoa solids mini eggs
70% cocoa

The best: Green & Black’s Praline Mini Eggs 100g, £2.99
You see? You cannot go wrong with a praline-filled egg. Not too sweet, a nice bite sized-piece and very good 5/5

The rest: Paul A Young Super Dark 70%, weights vary, £21.95
This looks beautiful. Classy, elegant and made with a very high-quality chocolate 5/5

Chococo Deliciously Dark 200g, £14.95
The fruit and nuts are a nice addition. I think the almonds are meant to look like cocoa nibs. Clever. Sadly, the cocoa butter has separated hence the whitening on the shell 4/5

Marks & Spencer Dark in a box 50g, £2.99
A good, manageable size. I like the flavour and smell, I’m just not crazy about the chocolate disc as decoration 4/5
Photograph: Katherine Rose
testing: eggs: Children's easter egg
Children's

The best: Hotel Chocolat Egg & Soldiers £6.50 for 6
Ah, such British humour. The praline is very nice although they could do with making the ‘soldiers’ look a little more realistic 4/5

The rest: Marks & Spencer Percy Pig 200g, £2.99
I understand Percy is an institution and I am sure this is good value. The chocolate is a little pedestrian, but children would still love it 3/5

Bettys By Post Milk Chocolate with Duck 180g, £12.50, bettysbypost.com
Very shiny. This must have been brushed with cocoa butter and buffed with a cloth. Fresh and milky tasting 3/5

Fortnum & Mason Children's White Chocolate 227g, £22.50
Very, very sweet and very pretty but it’s rich. Far too rich for children I think 2/5
Photograph: Katherine Rose
testing: eggs: Fairtrade easter eggs
Fairtrade

The best: Waitrose Dark Chocolate 250g, £12.99
The quality of the chocolate isn’t brilliant. As it’s fairtrade though, you mustn't grumble 4/5

The rest: Green & Black’s Maya Dark Chocolate 180g, £4.99, Waitrose
You can taste the cocoa nibs in here although it’s a little too sweet for my palate 3/5

Co-op Organic Milk Chocolate 210g, £7.50
Sweet, rich in cocoa butter and you can taste the cocoa. It's not brilliant but commendable 3/5

Thorntons Organic Milk Chocolate about 180g, £6.50
Sadly this smells a little old. A bit like oxidised chocolate and, dare I say it, it tastes a little cheap 2/5
Photograph: Katherine Rose
Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.