The best chocolate Easter eggs for 2016

The best chocolate Easter eggs for 2016

The best chocolate Easter eggs for 2016

by Great British Chefs8 March 2016

We taste test the cream of this year's chocolate egg crop, from supermarket own brands to works of art made by the UK's finest chocolatiers.

The best chocolate Easter eggs for 2016

We taste test the cream of this year's chocolate egg crop, from supermarket own brands to works of art made by the UK's finest chocolatiers.

Great British Chefs is a team of passionate food lovers dedicated to bringing you the latest food stories, news and reviews.

Great British Chefs is a team of passionate food lovers dedicated to bringing you the latest food stories, news and reviews as well as access to some of Britain’s greatest chefs. Our posts cover everything we are excited about from the latest openings and hottest food trends to brilliant new producers and exclusive chef interviews.

Great British Chefs is a team of passionate food lovers dedicated to bringing you the latest food stories, news and reviews.

Great British Chefs is a team of passionate food lovers dedicated to bringing you the latest food stories, news and reviews as well as access to some of Britain’s greatest chefs. Our posts cover everything we are excited about from the latest openings and hottest food trends to brilliant new producers and exclusive chef interviews.

Fancy pushing the boat out this Easter with your egg selection? If you’re not making your own, you can spend an awful lot of money on artisan chocolate, but is it worth it? We put ourselves through the tough task of taste testing this year’s most popular eggs for all budgets – here are our top fifteen.

On a budget: under £10

Category winner: Stas Milk Chocolate Sweetie Egg, £7.99

Milk chocolate Easter egg with a white chocolate and sweet design, handmade in Kent.

Our tasting panel said: ‘While it might look like it’s for kids, Stas have used the best quality chocolate for their egg, which is perfect for those with a sweet tooth. Every bite left us wanting another, and the simple, homemade look on the front might look messy, but is actually quite nice.’ Buy from Ocado.

Monty Bojangles Taste Adventures Easter Egg, £8

Made with creamy milk chocolate selected for its caramel notes, with eight wrapped truffles six different flavours.

Our tasting panel said: ‘While the egg itself isn’t anything special, the brightly coloured truffles tucked away in the bottom of the box are delicious and come in all sorts of flavours. Great for kids who are just discovering the joys of chocolate truffles – or those who are distracted by shiny colourful packaging.’ Buy from Ocado.

Don't be fooled by the Stas egg's childish appearance – the chocolate was top notch
The butterflies inside Chococo's offering were a nice surprise
Chococo Butterfly Studded Egg, £9.95

A hand decorated milk chocolate egg decorated with white and dark chocolate with chocolate butterflies studded on the inside.

Our tasting panel said: ‘The hidden butterflies inside the standard-looking egg give you all the more reason to smash it open and dig in. The chocolate’s good quality and the egg is nice and thick, so it won’t be all gone seconds after opening the box.’ Buy from Chococo.

Tesco Finest Dark Chocolate Square Egg, £8

Hand decorated Belgian chocolate with crunchy butterscotch, made in Wales.

Our tasting panel said: ‘The hand-decorated angular design gives this egg a funky modern look, and the butterscotch pieces on the front add a nice crunch. While the chocolate isn't as good quality as some of the other eggs on our list, it’s good value for money and certainly offers something different to the traditional fare.’ Buy from Tesco.

Everyone got stuck in with the judging
Sally, our technical food editor, was chief taster
Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Belgian Dark Chocolate Egg with Cocoa Nibs, £6

A blend of rich dark chocolate made with 70% cocoa solids and crunchy cocoa nibs.

Our tasting panel said: ‘If Jackson Pollack decided to become a chocolatier, he might create something like this. But look past the swirls of vibrant neon colour and you’ll find the chocolate itself is studded with cocoa nibs which, while doesn’t add any discernible flavour, gives the smooth chocolate a nice crunch every now and then.’ Buy from Sainsbury's.

Montezuma’s Dark Chocolate Cocoa Egg, £7.99

Organic dark chocolate with crunchy cocoa nibs packaged in foil wrapping and a biodegradable paper shell.

Our tasting panel said: ‘Definitely one for the environmentally-minded – Montezuma’s have managed to do away with all the gaudy packaging normally associated with Easter to minimise waste. It still looks pretty enough, and the simple dark chocolate egg within is sure to please those with simple tastes. This also has added cocoa nibs embedded in the chocolate for added texture.’ Buy from Ocado.

Rococo's egg (at the front) was by far the best looking one of the lot
It also contained salted caramel mini eggs, making it one of the best we tried

Splashing out: £10-£25

Category winner: Rococo Sea Salt Milk Artisan Egg, £24

A 40% cocoa milk chocolate shell flavoured with sea salt containing eight Fleur de Sel salted caramel eggs.

Our tasting panel said: ‘By far the most beautiful egg on the table, in terms of both packaging and the egg itself. At first glance it seems very small for the price, but crack it open and you’ll find a clutch of chocolate quail eggs filled with a beautifully gooey salted caramel. The large egg also has a lovely hint of salt, and the chocolate is incredibly good quality.’ Buy from Rococo.

Waitrose Heston Golden Chocolate Egg, £20

A dark chocolate shell covered in edible gold dust containing six chocolate eggs filled with mandarin ganache and vanilla flavoured rice paper.

Our tasting panel said: ‘This huge, shimmering offering from Heston holds one of the most interesting surprises of the bunch – orange flavoured mini eggs (that taste a bit like Jaffa Cakes) and edible straw made from rice paper. Everything in there smells absolutely delicious and while the straw might seem a bit gimmicky, it made every single person on the tasting panel smile. Like something out of Charlie and The Chocolate Factory.’ Buy from Waitrose.

Godiva Small Milk Chocolate Easter Egg, £18

A decorated milk chocolate egg with two milk chocolate and two white chocolate mini eggs.

Our tasting panel said: ‘While it might come across as a bit basic – one large egg and four smaller egg-shaped truffles – the beauty of Godiva’s chocolate is in its simplicity. From the minimal design on the egg itself to the pastel colours on the packaging, this would be the perfect egg for someone wanting to spoil their grandmother.’ Buy from Godiva.

Prestat's packaging oozed luxury
Both appearance and taste were taken into account by everyone on our tasting panel
Prestat Dark Chocolate Easter Egg, £16

A 70% dark chocolate egg filled with dark, milk and white chocolate truffles.

Our tasting panel said: ‘There’s no denying Prestat knows how to make an egg look special – the iconic packaging is even more beautiful in real life, from the gilded lettering to the elegant red ribbon within. The chocolate itself is great quality, too, with a burst of red fruits the second a piece hits your tongue. The flavour lingers, and you can instantly tell you’re eating the highest quality cocoa.’ Buy from Prestat.

Artisan du Chocolat Geode Chocolate Rocks, £19.99

An unsweetened 100% dark chocolate and white chocolate shell filled with coloured natural sugar crystals.

Our tasting panel said: ‘Major brownie points for thinking out of the box on this one – we imagine this is what Easter eggs look like on Mars. The little ‘rocks’ inside are actually sugar crystals, making this perfect for those with a sweet tooth, and the relatively chunky size means this is quite a substantial piece of chocolate for the price.’ Buy from Artisan du Chocolat.

Hotel Chocolat's extra thick egg certainly offered a hefty amount of chocolate
The Paul A Young egg towered above the rest in both taste and stature

Blow the budget: £25+

Category winner: Paul A Young Milk Chocolate Egg, £29.95

A milk chocolate shell filled with foiled mini chocolate eggs.

Our tasting panel said: ‘We shouldn’t really be surprised that the UK’s best chocolatier is responsible for one of the UK’s best chocolate eggs, but we really were blown away at how amazing Paul’s chocolate tasted. Wrapped in golden foil with his iconic purple ribbon, once opened it gives off a wonderful waft of caramel. Break it open for a few little truffles inside, but the egg itself is so incredibly sweet, smooth and creamy, it was quickly devoured by the tasting team (despite its large size). Probably the best egg on the table.’ Buy from Paul A Young.

Bettys Brazilian Single Origin Dark Chocolate Egg, £27.50

An egg made with 72% dark chocolate made with beans from sustainable family businesses in southeast Brazil.

Our tasting panel said: ‘Definitely one for the grown-ups who appreciate good quality dark chocolate, Bettys' futuristic looking egg looks like something out of Blade Runner. The geometric design is lightly sprayed with gold, and the chocolate itself lingers on the palate long after eating it, meaning you only need a little piece at a time. Definitely a good choice if you want an egg that’ll last more than a day.’ Buy from Bettys.

Hotel Chocolat Rocky Road v Caramel, £27

An extra-thick Easter egg with cookie-textured milk and caramel eggshells, filled with chocolates.

Our tasting panel said: ‘Hotel Chocolat are very proud of their ‘extra thick’ eggs, and we can see why – they really are dense, heavy blocks of chocolate (which is always a good thing). This is an egg of two halves – one sweet caramel, the other chunky rocky road. Inside is a nice selection of the chocolatier’s famous truffles, which results in a box absolutely bursting with chocolaty goodness.’ Buy from Hotel Chocolat.

Fortnum & Mason Hand Decorated White Chocolate Egg, £39.95

Made from Fortnum’s exclusive blend of white chocolate, this egg is decorated by hand with intricate sugar flowers and an array of chocolate shapes inside.

Our tasting panel said: ‘We knew going in that any egg from Fortnum would be the pinnacle of elegance and luxury, and this was probably one of the most beautifully packaged eggs of the lot. The hand decoration is particularly pretty, and while white chocolate lacks the complexity and flavour profile of dark, it was still a hit with everyone. If you’re buying this egg you’re doing it to make a statement (or looking to impress, at the very least), and you won’t be disappointed with the results.’ Buy from Fortnum and Mason.