From eggs to hot cross buns – what brands top Easter taste test
From luxury chocolate eggs to hot cross buns and treats for the little ones, Katy McGuinness reviews what’s on offer in Irish supermarkets
IRISH-MADE LUXURY EGG (ADULT) Butler’s Dark Chocolate Easter Egg with 70pc Gold Dusted Truffles, 225g, €15, 9/10 Foil-wrapped in a black and gold decorated cardboard cylinder, this classy-looking egg is made with 58pc dark chocolate and comes with even darker truffles. The one to buy for the person who thinks they are too grown up for an Easter egg. 486 calories per 100g.
Tesco Finest Caramelised Hazelnut Egg, 240g, €6.99, 8/10
This hollow Belgian milk chocolate, gianduja and hazelnut egg is half-coated with caramelised hazelnuts. It’s creamy and nutty and looks a whole lot more expensive than it is. Made by Lir Chocolates. 568 calories per 100g.
M&S Fruit & Nut Milk Chocolate Lattice Egg, 290g, €18, 8/10
This hollow milk chocolate egg with pistachios, hazelnuts, almonds, golden raisins and sour cherries is hand-made by Lir Chocolates for M&S. Beautiful to behold, delightful to consume — and all those nuts mean it must be good for you, right? 559 calories per 100g.
Roisin’s Cookie Cluster Easter Egg, 270g, €8.99, 7/10
This comes with five millionaire shortcake sweets and is made by Irish chocolatiers for Aldi. (It looks very like the Lily O’Brien’s egg.) It’s rich and rather delicious — definitely one for the sweet of tooth. 525 calories per 100g.
Lidl Deluxe Milk Chocolate Easter Egg, 300g, €7.99, 7/10
Made for Lidl by Aine Chocolates in Cavan, this also comes in a white chocolate version. It’s substantial and without frills, so good for those who want to focus on the chocolate. Contains 566 calories per 100g.
Lily O’Brien’s Marshmallow & Cookie Milk Chocolate Egg with Cookie Clusters, 230g, €10, 7/10
The egg itself is made with marshmallow and cookies, and if that wasn’t enough, there are five cookie clusters as well. Very sweet, which is either a good or a bad thing, depending on how one views such matters. 533 calories per 100g.
HOT CROSS BUNS Aldi Specially Selected Spiced Mixed Fruit Hot Cross Buns, 4 x 75g, 99c, 8/10
Our testers loved these hot cross buns from Aldi, praising the light texture (“an ideal vehicle for melting butter”), flavour and spicing, and were impressed by the price too. The buns contain apricots, two types of raisins and plenty of mixed fruit, but lose a mark for containing palm oil. 213 calories per bun.
Tesco Finest Extra Fruity Hot Cross Buns, 4 x 80g, €2 (two packets for €3), 7/10
Containing orange juice-soaked raisins and sultanas, and honey, the Tesco buns met with approval from our testers, who liked the subtle spicing. These also contain palm oil. 218 calories per bun. M&S Luxury Hot Cross Buns, 4 x 78g, €2.70 (two packets for €3.50), 7/10 Good spicing and a nice balance of sultanas, currants, orange and lemon peel contribute to the enduring popularity of the M&S hot cross bun. Contain palm oil. 209 calories per bun.
Dunnes Stores Simply Better All Butter Hot Cross Buns, 4 x 90g, €2.59 (two packets for €4), 7/10
These buns are produced by VF Bakery in Dublin using Irish butter and Irish free-range eggs. The ingredients are better than any of the other buns that we tested (they do not contain palm oil), and the flavour is good, but the buns fell down when it came to texture — our testers found them too dense and heavy. 282 calories per bun. SuperValu Bakery Hot Cross Buns, 4 buns, no weight given, €2, 4/10 These buns were too bready and dough-like. Our testers also complained about the paucity of fruit. No ingredients listed or calorie count given. CHOCOLATE ANIMALS Butler’s Bunny, 250g, €8.95, 9/10 This cute bunny will put a smile on the face of just about anyone, and is a generous size for the price. Suitable for adults and children alike. 536 calories per 100g. Lily O’Brien’s Easter Bunny, 210g, €7.99, 9/10 This cheerful goofy, buck-toothed bunny is utterly charming to look at and tastes great too. 537 calories per 100g.
Lindt Gold Bunny, 100g, €3.50, 8/10
The appearance of the Lindt bunny, in its distinctive gold foil wrapper and red ribbon collar with tinkling bell, is a true harbinger of spring. The ears are solid, while the body is hollow, and the milk chocolate is good quality. Also available in a giant version costing €20. 550 calories per
100g.
M&S Chick-A-Boo, 200g, €12, 8/10
This M&S egg offers the best of both worlds — a milk chocolate hollow egg holding a cute spherical yellow chick that’s also edible. The milk chocolate egg has 30pc cocoa solids and does actually taste of chocolate. 545 calories per 100g.
Aldi Choceur Chocolate Bunny, 100g, 99c, 7/10
This chocolate bunny is a good choice for anyone in the market for multiple purchases, as the price is keen and the chocolate quality reasonable, with 32pc cocoa solids. Available in either white or milk chocolate versions, and containing 542 calories per 100g.
CHILDREN’S EGG/TREAT Butler’s Milk Chocolate Truffle Eggs, 88g, €6, 8/10
Containing just seven mini truffle eggs in a pretty bunny tin, this is ideal as a token gift for a child or teen who thinks they may have outgrown chocolate at Easter, but hasn’t. 472 calories per 100g.
Aldi Dairyfine Milk Buttons Egg, 128g, 79c, 7/10
The chocolate in this egg is nothing to write home about (the percentage of cocoa solids is only 25pc), but the price is hard to argue with. A fine choice for anyone — perhaps teachers and grandparents? — who has to buy a lot of eggs without breaking the bank. 538 calories per 100g.
M&S Globetrotting Percy, 250g (1 x 150g egg, 1 x 100g jellies), €12, 7/10
Percy Pig’s popularity shows no sign of abating, and this new ‘Globetrotting’ egg comes with a pair of cardboard sunglasses for selfies (along with a warning that they aren’t to be used as actual sunglasses). The hollow white chocolate figure is flavoured with raspberry and strawberry concentrates and comes with a bag of soft fruit gums flavoured with fruit juice. Our adult testers found this toothshatteringly sweet; children will love it. 331 calories per 100g (egg), 335 (sweets).