Shelling out for Easter eggs

Tesco Finest Caramelised Hazelenut €8 for 300g, €26.66 per kg

The first thing our eagle-eyed team of crack egg reviewers noticed about this Easter egg was that it was not – in fact – an egg at all. It is, to use Tesco’s own words “a square egg” which is patently absurd. The second thing we noticed was the absence of any additional treats apart from the “egg” and some caramelised hazelnuts which dusted the front. Apart from these glaring problems, everything else about this product is amazing. The chocolate was excellent and – we have to admit – we ate a whole lot more of it than was strictly speaking necessary. The hazelnuts were delightful and the price was right too. We were sad when it was gone.

Verdict: Eggsellent.

ExpandAutoplay

Image 1 of 3

Lindt: more than twice the price of the cheapest egg we tried and doesn’t taste as nice.

Star rating: * * * * *

Lily O’Brien’s Nuts About Fruit €9.99 for 253g, 39.48 per kg

Imagine a Fruit and Nut bar flattened out and moulded into an egg and you will have a pretty good idea what you are going to get from this product. It is perfectly nice although, when divested of its packaging, the egg does look a bit less impressive than we expected – it looked even less impressive when we cracked it open and splinters of chocolate went everywhere. It comes with five individually wrapped milk-and-white chocolate treats with a hazelnut in the centre. It is, we reckon, the kind of egg that would do well as a present as it looks more expensive than it actually is. We also like the fact that it is an Irish product – and a special mention must go to the chocolate, which is lovely.

Egg hunts, fairies and films: cheap days out for children at Easter

---

Brand loyalty under threat as consumers get busy switching

---

Irish family gets stuck in airport limbo in Barcelona

---

Verdict: They’ve cracked it

Star rating: * * * *

Black Magic €14.99 for 374g, €40.08 per kg

This is a very old-school egg made of dark chocolate which once had a place at the very top table in the chocolate castle. Time has moved on, however, and there are a whole lot more high-end dark chocolates available now than when Black Magic was king. This is made with 47 per cent cocoa solids which is on the low side when compared with the likes of Valrhona or even Green & Blacks. Having said that, it is perfectly nice and slightly better for you than a regular Easter egg, although we wouldn’t want to overstate its wholesomeness. As well as the egg, you will get a little box of chocolates which are kind of cute. It is pricey mind you.

Verdict: Old-fashioned

Star rating: * * *

Lindt Gold Bunny Family €18.99 for 340g, €55.86 per kg

This looks very high-end and once you get over the fact that Lindt expects you to celebrate eating not just one bunny but an entire family of them alongside your egg it is pleasant enough. The chocolate is okay – although we do not think it as good as the makers do – and the individual components are mildly interesting. We struggled to work out who this is for as it seems neither child-friendly or appealing to an adult market. Our biggest concern was the price. It is more than twice the price of the cheapest egg we tried and doesn’t taste as nice.

Verdict: Too dear

Star rating: * *