The shops are awash with unusual eggs this year and we taste-tested all of them: a hard job, but someone had to do it, says Sadhbh O’Sullivan
The Easter egg has always been a culinary playground. Ever since chocolate eggs were first made in 19th Century France and Germany, they have been a celebration of yes, renewal, but also of indulgence and whimsy.
They were the carrot dangling for children taken to church three times in one week; the release after an abstemious Lent; the tin foil joy hidden somewhere in an otherwise grey garden; the opportunity for, in a word, fun.
This year we are rolling in novelty Easter ‘eggs’ in flavours and shapes heretofore unknown, or simply piling things onto or into a chocolate shell. For your benefit, I have taste-tested 21 of the most fun novelty eggs that I could find in supermarkets and online and weren’t already sold out.
Here is my verdict – including a winner, second, and third place – as tasted alphabetically in one frenetic afternoon.
M&S Scrummy Bunny Munch Loaded Egg, £12
1/5
The “everything plus the kitchen sink” aspect of this is visually arresting but also overwhelming: speckled candy shell eggs, white chocolate popcorn, raspberry jelly pieces and pretzels which are, theoretically, covered in chocolate. In reality, a few pretzels had dodged the dip and were stale. A real teeth breaker but without any payoff.
M&S Dippy Whippy Loaded Egg, £12
1/5
The same is true for the Dippy Whippy Loaded Egg. This has mallow and orange mini whips, orange speckled eggs, and orange jelly pieces which would either fall off or smear your fingers with a white, gelatinous and orange goo. Not an enjoyable experience.
Exceptional by ASDA Ginger & Dark Chocolate Egg, £9.98
1/5
There was a very good snap on this and it had to be cracked on the table rather than in hands. But the combination tasted medicinal with an aftertaste of just sweetness. Disappointing.
Waitrose Toffee Ribbon Egg, £8
1/5
The chocolate was musty, almost stale-tasting, and the toffee so scattershot and concentrated at the front you’d be hard-pressed to actually taste some. Disappointing.
Waitrose Raspberry Ribbon Egg, £8
1.5/5
Nicer than the toffee egg but still unremarkable. My back teeth were left ringing like a tuning fork from the sweetness and there was no raspberry flavour at all.
Exceptional by ASDA Hazelnut & Blonde Chocolate egg, £9.98
2/5
Blonde chocolate is really one of the key novel flavours this year and it can be tricky to not end up sickly. This egg paired well with the hazelnut which had a mild crunch, but it was ultimately a bit bland.
Melt Chocolate Blueberry and Raspberry Breton egg, £69.95
2/5
This is the big dog: the most showy, most expensive, and ticks every novelty box; made of concentric circles in alternating flavours. But especially given the price this was disappointing. The light slab is a white chocolate and yoghurt blend that unfortunately doesn’t work: the berry flavour is sharp and tart, and almost savoury; exacerbated by the yoghurt tang. The chocolate that eventually follows is sweet and lacklustre in comparison. The dark chocolate is divine – naturally fruity and with a great cocoa density without being too rich. But whether they work together is hard to know – the slabs are so dense it would crack your teeth to bite both at once.
Tesco Pretzel and Salt egg, £10
2/5
Pretzels, like biscuits, add a delightful savoury and slightly malted crunch which, together with the salt, can make the chocolate pop. Unfortunately, this was unremarkable. My one-word review after eating was “bleh”.
Tesco Raisin and Biscuit egg, £10
2/5
I am a raisin apologist and I think it’s brave for Tesco to champion such a maligned dried fruit in their egg. But the raisin and biscuit is so scarce that the lovers will feel denied and the haters will avoid it nonetheless. Completely quotidian, even if you’re a raisinhead.
ASDA Patch the Bunny (milk chocolate) + Charli the chick (white chocolate), £4.74 each
2.5/5
A fun riff on a bunny shape, and charming. The white chocolate was especially sweet but both were thick and snappy. Nothing to write home about but great for kids who want to go mental for a bit.
Lidl’s Chirpie the Chick, £4.99
3/5
The cellophane wrapping of these bizarre egg-adjacent offerings was a little terrifying; the attempt at a hatchling emerging looked more like a sentient Humpty Dumpty. That said, the chocolate is not bad – it has more complexity to it than just “sweet”.
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M&S Shaggy the Shetland pony, £7
3.5/5
A fun blend of milk and white chocolate and perfect for the horse girls and boys. M&S chocolate is always reliably good and this Shetland pony is thick. Fun!
Lidl’s Mister Choc Popcorn Inclusion Egg, £5.99
4/5
Not everything that is embedded in a chocolate egg this year enhances the experience, but I was impressed with this. The textural contrast is almost obnoxiously chaotic (although the popcorn is only on one side) and the element of savouriness worked well.
Hotel Chocolat Caramayo Easter Sandwich, £11.95
3.5/5
Properly novel, and tongue-in-cheek: the textured surface of the “piece of bread” as well as the hollowed decorations are brilliantly done and it was really fun to eat. The caramel milk of the egg had a hint of fruitiness but none of that buttery toastiness you get with blonde chocolate. Sweet verging on sickening.
Waitrose No. 1 The Chocolate Croissant Easter Egg, £15
3.75/5
The talk of the town; this year’s Easter glamourpuss. Great shape, colour and decoration and the chocolate was thick. The blonde chocolate had a lovely snap and a lovely, toasty caramel flavour. The little feuilletine wafer pieces were delightful, if slightly sickly. A winner for any caramel fans.
Co-op Irresistible Marbled Millionaires Egg, £7
4/5
Marbled chocolate can be hit or miss and this one, which looks a bit like an alien’s egg, was a hit. The chocolate was pretty good and the dark and white blend meant it was not overwhelming. The fudge didn’t add anything remarkable but the pieces that are more biscuit-heavy were lush.
Chococo Milk Chocolate Nest Egg, £16.50
4.75/5
This was a delight. Really beautiful, flavourful chocolate, with blonde chocolate half eggs embedded in the shell. Lovely, lovely stuff.
THIRD PLACE
Hotel Chocolat Lamb and Mint Chocolate Easter Sandwich, £11.95
5/5
Mint chocolate can be quite hit and miss but this was spot on with 50 per cent chocolate that verged on the darker end, and a mint taste that was strong but not overpowering. This was a podium finisher.
SECOND PLACE
Waitrose No. 1 The Cracking Pistachio Easter Egg, £17
5/5
Despite being 20 eggs in by the time I get to this, I truly could not stop eating this pistachio interior – it was light and crunchy with a really strong pistachio flavour. The white chocolate complimented rather than dominated although I was not convinced by the blonde chocolate shell, as the toastiness feels sickly rather than complex. However, the centre shone enough for me to move past that. Worth the hype. This egg was centre stage last year and in my opinion should still be (almost) at the top.
THE OVERALL WINNER
Chococo Milk Chocolate Honeycombe Easter Egg, £16.50
5/5
The egg itself was beautiful and the chocolate delightful – the same as used in the nest egg. Great snap, wonderful, slightly fruity and nutty flavour, lined with hunks of crisp honeycomb. Novelty-wise I was delighted by the craterous interior; almost like the inside of a geode. This was one that I had my eye on and it didn’t disappoint.
