It’s not long now till Easter weekend! So I thought it wise to suggest a few Easter goodies that will suit youngsters, foodies and even the more sophisticated gourmands among you.
Let’s start with what must be one of the most iconic names in British chocolate history: Cadbury. The company has really gone to town this year, with lots of great new products, all reasonably priced too. There’s a Cadbury Dairy Milk Hot Cross Bun Bar (that’s very moreish). This new cinnamon crunch flavoured chocolate is just £1.40 for a 110g bar and it’s widely available nationally. The famous creme egg has been joined by Oreo White Filled Eggs,(Asda exclusive) and Orange mini filled eggs. (Tesco exclusive). If you’ve a Peter Rabbit fan to buy for, then head to Waitrose for a gift tin or Sainsbury’s for a Dairy Milk egg with Peter Rabbit mug – both for around £6.
Vegan and free-from chocolate brand NOMO has announced a new edition to its Easter range, the Creamy Choc Egg and Monster Lolly, the latest iteration of NOMO’s Kids Nomsters range. Last year, the UK’s number one free from chocolate brand sold a mammoth 297.9 tonnes of chocolate, the equivalent weight of 24 double decker busses! NOMO’s Creamy Choc Egg and Monster Lolly is available from Holland & Barrett, Sainsbury’s and Tesco with an RRP of £3.
A vegan favourite of mine for gifts for the little folk is the PLAYin CHOC range. The Rabbit ToyChoc Box is perfect for Easter and just £2.50. This ethical gift is vegan, allergen free, organic, and each box comes with 2 mini chocolates, a rabbit puzzle and a fun facts card. These are just great for Easter hunts and there’s a host of other animals – 66 in fact – to collect! I was delighted to see that Ocado is now stocking PLAYin CHOC, but the full range of products and other stockists is on the PLAYin CHOC website.
Another ethical brand is Tony’s Chocolonely (every purchase supports Tony’s mission to make all chocolate production 100% slave free) New for 2022: the Egg-stra Special Chocolate Egg Mixed Flavour Pouch, Egg-stra Special Chocolate Egg Sea Salt Caramel Pouch, and Egg-stra Special Milk Chocolate Egg Pouch, available from their online Choco Shop and a range of independents, as well as Waitrose, Sainsbury’s, Ocado and Booths.
Marzipan isn’t just for Simnel cakes at Easter! The delicious marzipan eggs from top German marzipan company Niederegger are classics, and just perfect for Easter gifts, egg hunts or a table gift at Easter Sunday lunch. John Lewis has a great range starting from £8 for a 100g box of six eggs, and this lovely ‘nostalgia’ egg at £10, also available online and from Lakeland.
Moving up the ‘sophistication ladder’ you could give an assortment of chocolate praline eggs. There is a lovely gift tin of Milk Chocolate Praline Mini Eggs is £9 from farhi.co.uk (there are lots of other unusual gifts on the website). If you’re looking for a show stopping Easter gift, how about pushing the boat out with this fabulous selection box of chocolate covered and filled Medjool dates stuffed with unique fillings like zesty orange peel, marzipan, as well as a selection of nuts – they are egg shaped after all! £35 from Farhi. The company also has products such as jellied fried eggs – a fun gift for someone who can’t eat chocolate.
If you’re up in Regent Street, Harrods or Westfield Shepherd’s Bush before Easter do check out the luxury Easter products from Läderach, the premium Swiss chocolate company with the reigning World Chocolate Master at its helm. It has some of the freshest, highest quality, responsibly sourced artisanal chocolates in the world. Läderach launched into the UK in 2019 and expanded through lockdown with a flagship store on Regent Street, plus the other outlets, and online. This stunning, limited-edition, 3D FrischSchoggi Egg comprises the most popular FrischSchoggi (fresh chocolate) varieties, including hazelnut milk chocolate, almonds in dark chocolate, white chocolate raspberry-blackberry, and fruit mix in white chocolate. It’s a real Easter showstopper, and may well change the way you taste chocolate.It’s £39.90, available in-store only. Every purchase of our 3D FrischSchoggi Egg allows customers to win a host of exclusive prizes including a trip to the Läderach factory in Switzerland and a year’s supply of FrischSchoggi
How about chocolate in your favourite tipple? I’ve discovered a very unusual – and rather delicious – chocolate flavoured gin. It’s not a liqueur – it can be used for a subtly chocolatey G&T or the perfect Easter Martini! From Zymurgorium – the Manchester-based distillery – Choc-O-Bloc gin is a blend of Madagascan chocolate, vanilla, rounded all spices, pink pepper and light citrus tone. The Choc-O-Bloc gin is made using Grand Cru de Sambirano chocolate from Chocolat Madagascar which has previously won the prestigious Golden Bean award from the Academy of Chocolate. This highly innovative gift for gin lovers is £25 (50cl) online from Zymurgorium and also available from the Co-op.
