The Easter Bunny is just around the corner and it's safe to say we're loooking forward to spending four days stuffing our gills with chocolate. While there will always be a place in our hearts (and stomachs) for Cadbury's Mini Eggs, we've rounded up a few of our other favourite Easter treats to indulge this weekend.
Betty's cafe and tea rooms in York and Harrogate are - without a doubt - legendary. Their Easter range is perfection, from their plum, juicy hot cross buns to their traditional simnel cake and chocolate bunnies; we could devour the lot. Their Caramel Crunch Blonde Easter Egg (£29.95) is our diamond of the season; made from caramelised white chocolate with notes of brown butter, dulce de leche and butter toffee, this indulgent egg is spun and moulded by hand in small batches. Encased inside the silky smooth chocolate you’ll discover a surprise crunch of golden caramel pieces. It's sensational. If you're picking one other thing from the range, their Fondant Fancies (from £21.50 for a box of six) are divine. Perfectly tender, delicately sweet Genoese sponge, rich, creamy buttercream, proper authentic marzipan, tart raspberry jame and the perfect layer of semi-soft fondant icing. Perfection. www.bettys.co.uk
Cutter & Squidge's filled eggs are not for the fainthearted. The best-selling Half Billionaire Easter Egg is bigger and better than ever before; a milk chocolate half shell is filled with gooey salted caramel, layered with soft shortbread crumbs and whipped salted caramel ganache before being finished with chunks of fudge and mini chocolate eggs, each stuffe with caramel chocolate ganache. The benefit of it being so insanely rich is that it will last a while; it's definitely one to indulge in small doses! £32.99 at www.cutterandsquidge.com
British chocolatier Russell & Atwell specialises in handmade chocolates made with french British dairy cream. With 40 years of experience on world famous chocolate brands, they now make ridiculously rich, smooth & creamy proper chocolates; their marbled Easter eggs - available in milk and blond and milk and dark - each come with five packets of their utterly delectable truffles. We tried the milk and blond egg, fantastically creamy and dangerously moreish. We challenge you not to eat it in one sitting! www.russellandatwell.com
Yorkshire bakery Lottie Shaw's has a host of Easter gifts and hampers ready to tickle your tastebuds. Their giant Millionaire Shortbreade (£9.95) can be hand piped with a message of your choice and the new Hot Cross Tarts (£5.25) are made with a crisp shortcrust pastry case, deep filled with golden treacle and sticky spiced fruit. It's their Milk Chocolate Caramel Hearts (£9.95) however that we're still lusting after; smooth Belgian chocolate, full of indulgent luxury caramel. Delicious. www.lottieshaws.co.uk
Independent brand Wickedly Welsh Chocolate has a rather delicious sounding Hot Cross Bun Bar (£4.99, www.wickedlywelsh.co.uk) pairs moreish milk chocolate with delicious, fragrant spices and subtle fruits. It's packed with cinnamon, coriander, allspice, clove, ginger, and nutmeg to provide that instantly recognisable fragrant flavour which is perfectly counteracted with a fruity tang. Who said Hot Cross Buns were just for Easter?
You wouldn't necessarily think a tea brand would be a go-to for an Easter Egg, but Bird & Blend isn't your average tea brand. The Strawberries & Cream Matcha Infused Easter Egg (£25 at www.birdandblendtea.com) combines Bird & Blend’s Strawberries & Cream Matcha (one of the best-seeling flavours in their matcha range) with handmade, single-origin white chocolate by artisan chocolatiers, Rye Chocolates. It's very heavily matcha flavoured, so definitely one for lovers of the green stuff! Pair it with a mug of their Strawberries & Cream Matcha (from £22) for a double hit.
