Students name Hotel Chocolat their golden Easter egg

In the run up to Easter Sunday, students shared tips on TSR on where to hunt down the best Easter egg. With many looking for a luxury treat without a premium price tag, TSR members once again demonstrated that living on a budget does not always mean compromising on quality.

‘I don’t care if I’m 23, I still need an egg.’

Rejecting any suggestion that Easter eggs are just for kids, TSR members were excited about the wide range of novelty confectionery adorning shop shelves this season. No longer receiving Easter eggs from family, friends, or the Easter Bunny, they were content to help themselves to a top quality treat.

‘You’ve inspired me… I don’t think I’ve had an easter egg since I was about 8, but I’m going to get myself one.’

Looking to expand the chocolate horizons of their youth to upmarket Easter offerings, the original post sought guidance on which gourmet egg to crack.

‘Hotel Chocolat totally own this game. However, I saw the most AMAZING Easter Egg in the Choccywoccydoodah shop in Brighton a couple of years back. It was humongous and decorated really intricately – a thing of pure beauty… Unfortunately it had a suitably ginormous price tag to go with it… it was £750!’

The leading luxury chocolate brands suggested were:

• Choccywoccydoodah;
• the Coco Bean Company; ‘is pretty good.’

• Charbonnel et Walker; ‘have prestige, but again, they are known for their champagne truffles more than anything else, and the egg itself is likely to be ordinary.’

• Godiva; ‘nothing special, wouldn’t bother going there if I was you.’

• Hotel Chocolate; ‘always delivers on quality’

• James’ Chocolate Cupcake eggs; ‘look nice, but I read quite a few foodie reviews last year which said they were a real let down.’ / ‘Their white choc is good though.’

• Lindt; ‘wonder if lindt makes non-hollow easter eggs with the soft bit inside’ / ‘Any lindt egg!’

• Montezuma – ‘good buy if you like purist, dark chocolate, but they tend to lack novelty easter factors- like additional flavours/individual chocolates, and focus on the egg alone.’

• Rococo; ‘pretty pricey but I think it’s worth it’.

‘hotel chocolat is the winner. best easter eggs. four times as thick as a regular one. the truffles are divine!’

Although all were acknowledged as being pricey, Hotel Chocolat was the clear favourite in the gourmet range, with the majority confessing to finding the brand hard to resist.

‘Hotel chocolat is too expensive in my opinion, doesn’t stop me from buying stuff off them though’

There were some, however, that couldn’t deny the charm of their old favourites at a fraction of the price.

‘Who needs luxury easter eggs when there’s Cadbury’s ??’ /  ’Has to be Maltesers.’

Cheaper alternatives included not just supermarket offerings, but Marks & Spencer’s packets of ‘Speckled Eggs’, which some argued offered more for less.

‘Tesco have some pretty awesome new Easter Eggs…’

‘I’d also add Marks & Spencer – their chocolate is amazing, particularly their speckled eggs. At £1.05, I’d be happy with 25 bags of Speckled Eggs.’

Nevertheless, those on the hunt for the best of both worlds, with expensive taste but an eye for a bargain, opted for a third option.

‘Hotel Chocolat are incredible. I know where I’ll be headed this Easter. The cheaper crap (nestle etc) is just not real chocolate, it tastes cheap and plasticky.’

By waiting until after Easter, they can enjoy their exquisite egg at a more palatable price!

‘Wait til after Easter and buy a few when theyre heavily discounted, thats what I now do. Thorntons and Hotel Chocolat both had crazy sales on after Christmas, im assuming it will be the same after Easter too…’

‘Last year, I got four [one for each of us at home] of the £26 Hotel Chocolat eggs for the price of one in the post-Easter sale.’

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