Cake or Death vegan dark chocolate and fondant eggs
£20 for 6, cakeordeath.co.uk
That’s very good. It doesn’t taste cheap like some plant-based chocolate. The sweet fondant yolk is balanced by the bitterness of the chocolate.
★★★★
Lidl deluxe layered caramelised biscuit egg
£8.99, 225g, lidl.co.uk
That molasses flavour is nice. Could do with some sea salt. The thickness reminds me of Easter eggs when I was a kid.
★★★
Exceptional by Asda hazelnut and blonde chocolate egg
£9.98, 200g, asda.com
Oh, that’s delicious. It looks the part, it’s distinctive, it’s malty and nutty. The caramelly chocolate doesn’t have an overriding sweetness. I could eat the whole lot.
★★★★★
Co-op Irresistible marbled millionaires egg
£7, 200g, coop.co.uk
It looks excellent – a real wow factor. The biscuit is like a grown-up Malteser, but I can’t tell that the other chewy bits are fudge.
★★★★
BEST BUY
Cox & Co mint crunch dark chocolate Easter egg
£12.50, 155g, coxandcocacao.com
Mint and chocolate is a hard thing to get right and that is absolutely spot on. The mint is balanced, the texture is fantastic.
★★★★★
Tesco Finest Cote D’Ivoire 48% dark milk chocolate egg
£12, 228g, tesco.com
An egg for a chocolate purist. The bronze spray is nice. If you’re after good quality chocolate with a cup of tea or a glass of wine, this is for you.
★★★★
Waitrose No 1 dark chocolate and nut flat florentine egg
£12, 204g, waitrose.com
The almonds should be roasted until golden. The caramelised nuts are overpowering. Too much going on and quite bitter. Not my bag.
★★
Cocoa Loco giant cherry and almond dark chocolate egg
£59.99, 1.25kg, cocoaloco.com
Visually stunning, but I’d bring this out if I wanted something healthier. Doesn’t say Easter to me.
★★★
Aldi Specially Selected double indulgence milk and hazelnut chocolate creme egg
£9.99, 300g, aldi.com
It’s OK, but it’s quite sickly. Feels mass-produced. Children would enjoy it, but be prepared for them to be bouncing afterwards.
★★
Morrisons the Best loaded milk chocolate half-topped egg
£7.50, 245g, morrisons.com
Sweet, but then you get the saltiness from the caramel, biscuit texture and bitterness from the cocoa nibs. Fun is always a good thing.
★★★★
Melt Chocolates blueberry and raspberry Breton egg
£69.99, 700g, meltchocolates.com
When the white chocolate warms up in your mouth, the flavours come through. Fun factor? Not so much.
★★★
Leone 40% milk chocolate pistachio cri cri Easter egg in tin
£56.99, 350g, souschef.co.uk
Oh, that’s pistachio. The aroma when you break it open is amazing. The chocolate has a lovely snap. Very impressed.
★★★★★
Cutter & Squidge jumbo marshmallow cookie egg
£37.99, 600g, cutterandsquidge.com
Top marks for presentation. Huge amount happening here. I like the idea of the biscuit round the edge. Really nice, just a bit full on. Definitely one for the kids.
★★★★
Hotel Chocolat nibbly egg – white
£22.95, 205g, hotelchocolat.com
Best white chocolate so far. The nuts and seeds balance the sugar. But I wish they came in an egg box rather than plastic.
★★★★
Fortnum & Mason dark and white chocolate coffee and vanilla Easter egg
£35, 230g, fortnumandmason.com
Very elegant. I like that yin and yang look. The coffee flavour is a slow burn. The texture feels like the coffee beans have been roasted and finely chopped. The right amount of vanilla.
★★★★
Paul Ainsworth is chef-patron of No 6, Padstow, and the Mariners in Rock, Cornwall. All products are blind-tested
