With so many Easter treats out there, Laura Cartledge and Charlotte Pearson decided to put a selection to the test.
With help from a panel of five blind taste testers, here is a go to guide for everything from local chocolatiers to budget supermarkets and high profile brands.
Product: Rocky Road to Caramel
Retailer: Hotel Chocolat (www.hotelchocolat.com)
Price: £27
Weight: 500g
Charlotte: It would be something you would buy as a present, as it has the egg and a selection of the chocolates which are really popular. It tastes like a good milk chocolate and is extra thick.
Laura: Entry level milk chocolate, puffed rice gives a fun factor to an otherwise grown up and sophisticated looking product.
For me the egg was overshadowed by the individual chocolates inside which were packed with flavour.
Blind taste test: Reviewers noted that it was a ‘sweet chocolate’ with a ‘low cocoa’ content, one even correctly identified it at 40 per cent.
Shelf value: Packaging looks great, almost like a hat box, high impact.
Good for: Gifts
Product: Deluxe white chocolate Eton Mess easter egg
Retailer: Lidl (www.lidl.co.uk)
Price: £2.99
Weight: 200g
Charlotte: Creamy chocolate with a really strong flavour of strawberry which worked really well together, and the strawberry cut through the sweetness of the white chocolate perfectly.
Laura: Delicious mix of flavours with the smooth chocolate, crisp of the meringue and fruity punch creating a perfect balance.
Blind taste test: All the reviewers said that is ‘did exactly what is said on the tin’ and tasted as a Eton Mess should.
Shelf value: Simple but stylish packaging, allows the Eton Mess front to take centre stage.
Good for: Something different
Product: Milk chocolate rabbit
Retailer: Lidl
Price: 79p
Weight: 150g
Charlotte: As far as milk chocolates go it was quite thin, and would be one you wouldn’t necessarily save but devour in one afternoon.
Laura: Reminded me of advent calendar chocolate, ideal for younger tastes but not enough to satisfy cocoa fans.
Blind taste test: One pitched it as a mid-range while the other recognised it was children friendly.
Shelf value: Golden coat made it sure to be something children would grab for.
Good for: Kids/ Easter hunts
Product: Frozen white chocolate Arendelle Castle
Retailer: Marks and Spencer (www.marksandspencer.com)
Price: £8
Weight: 220g
Charlotte: Reminds me of the chocolate I had when I was younger, creamy white chocolate that isn’t too sweet but very moreish.
Laura: Good thickness, lovely classic white chocolate flavour – think Milky Bar. Impressed as it proved to be more than just a novelty.
Blind taste test: Many noted that the chocolate was very sweet, and was complimented on its creaminess.
Shelf value: Fans of the film will love the look of the castle, and some big kids will too.
Good for: Winning parent points.
Product: Sculptured column egg
Retailer: Marks and Spencer
Price: £12
Weight: 355g
Charlotte: The milk chocolate ticked all the right boxes, it is the egg that you would keep coming back to over the Easter weekend, rather than eating in one go.
Laura: Love the look, like modern art. Praline could have been nuttier, in my opinion, so for me it was about style more than substance.
Blind taste test: The reviewers noted that it was a definitely a ‘high quality chocolate’, the praline mini eggs went down really well – a surprise for our self confessed nut-hater – with many complementing the dark chocolate coating.
Shelf value: Impressive twist on the classic form, makes it stand out.
Good for: Wow factor
Product: Milk chocolate egg with peanut butter mini eggs
Retailer: Montezuma’s (www.montezumas.co.uk)
Price: £19.99
Weight: 350g
Charlotte: The mini eggs stole the show for me, as a big fan of peanut butter it had the right amount of salt and sweet.
Laura: The salty edge from the peanuts made this a moreish offering, generous quantity makes it a family sized feast.
Blind taste test: The peanut butter mini eggs proved really popular, it packed a flavoursome punch said it would be one to savour.
Shelf value: Cheerful and playful.
Good for: Peanut nutters
Product: Dark chocolate with cocoa nibs eco egg
Retailer: Montezuma’s
Price: £7.99
Weight: 150g
Charlotte: It has the richness of dark chocolate but not all the bitterness, but not sure what the cocoa nibs add.
Laura: Really cool packaging, the eco element is sure to be a big draw while the chocolate would be a great introduction for newbies to the dark side.
Blind taste test: Mixed bag, those that preferred milk chocolate said that it was bitter, while dark chocolate fans said it was a little tame.
Shelf value: Futuristic and uncomplicated, a novelty for not being novel.
Good for: Thinking outside the box
Product: Finest Madagascan chocolate craft kit
Retailer: Pachanka (www.pachanka.co.uk)
Price: £22
Weight: Makes 400g of chocolate
Charlotte: I found the taste very strong, and wasn’t completely sure if I liked it. It will appeal to people who like to know what has gone into their food.
Laura: This changed the way I looked at chocolate, the fruity flavour was indulgent and felt like a treat. My only negative is I would have liked more.
Blind taste test: Described by Pachanka as ‘having the Marmite effect’ it certainly divided the crowd, some identified a fruity flavour while others compared it to balsamic vinegar.
Shelf value: Striking, eye catching and a good use of colours.
Good for: Chocolate education
Product: Finest Colombian chocolate craft kit
Retailer: Pachanka
Price: £20
Weight: Makes 400g of chocolate
Charlotte: I really enjoyed making the chocolate, and found it relatively simple. The taste was very intense and I think would work perfectly after dinner with an espresso.
Laura: More of a traditional dark chocolate, ideal for people who like their treats but don’t have a sweet tooth.
Blind taste test: Reviewers noted that it had a very strong taste, and was picked out by one as the best of the bunch.
Shelf value: Striking, eye catching and a good use of colours.
Good for: Getting hands on.
Overall results…
Charlotte: My favourite was the Frozen castle regardless of the novelty factor I think it delivered on taste, saying that if I could just have a bag of the peanut butter mini eggs from Montezuma’s I would.
Laura: In terms of favourites my vote has to go to the Eton Mess from Lidl and the Madagascan craft kit from Pachanka which couldn’t be more different in taste. Pushed to pick one, the latter would get the crown thanks to the fruity, raw, qualities and fun factor of being able to shape your own bars.
Blind taste testers: This test proved really interesting, stripping away the packaging and knowledge of price turned some results on their heads. Way ahead of any of the others was the Eton Mess, which all the reviewers noted on the high quality of the chocolate and strawberries, this was the biggest surprise when we revealed it to be Lidl.
With the M&S sculptured column egg coming in a close second as the reviewers loved the praline filled mini eggs.
Meet the locals:
Worthing based Pachanka’s story starts in a tiny home kitchen, from there came the award-winning company Raw Goodies – one of the first companies in the UK to work extensively with raw and roasted ingredients.
Wanting to share the joy and journey of making chocolate, cocoa loving couple Suzanne James and Carlos Mendez launched Pachanka craft kits.
With recipes ranging from bars to drinks, it allows individuals to get hands on and learn about countries’ different flavour profiles in their own kitchens – just like they did.
Montezuma’s was founded in Brighton in 2000 by husband and wife Simon and Helen Pattinson.
Lawyers turned self-taught chocolate makers the business started with ‘a kitchen sink sized machine, huge enthusiasm, spades of naivety and most importantly, a broad ideal to bring chocolate innovation to a boring and staid British chocolate market’.
Its chocolates are stocked in the likes of Sainsbury’s, John Lewis and Liberty.
The post The hunt for the best Easter eggs ends here appeared first on Brighton & Hove Independent..