Easter is coming up and many supermarkets already have aisles full of chocolate treats to get you ready.
With a month to go, now is the time to stock up on all your goodies for the Easter weekend, before stocks begin to dwindle. As well as all the usual offerings from the big brands including Cadbury, Nestle, Lindt and Thortons, most supermarkets now have their own branded eggs - and some have really upped their game this year.
M&S in particular has a huge range of chocolate treats for Easter, including a chocolate sausage dog and a hot cross bun egg. You can shop the full range at Ocado. Asda has also got its own version of the Lindt bunny, for a bargain £1.25 and a couple of .'Free From' options including Lemon Cheesecake Easter Egg and Marble Choc Easter Egg.
READ MORE: We tried supermarket hot cross buns and there was an obvious winner
Lidl has some budget options too that look the part, including its Deluxe Dark Chocolate and Coffee Egg for £4.99, which is in stores from March 13. Aldi shoppers can find a huge range in store as well, including £2.49 Eggstreme Choco Egg and £3.49 Rocky Road Milk Chocolate Easter Egg.
This week, we put own brand Easter eggs from M&S and Aldi to the test to see which scored the highest. Here's our verdict:
M&S Extremely Chocolatey Dark Chocolate Peanut & Pretzel egg
I love dark chocolate because not only is it so delicious, but it also stops my children from pinching it because it's too strong for them. Result! I like a saltiness to my chocolate too, so this sounded right up my street when I spotted it on the shelves in my local M&S Food Store.
It's a pretty standard sized large egg and doesn't come with anything inside, or any extra chocolates. At £7 it's not the cheapest on the market, but I've seen Cadbury and Lindt eggs for more than that in my nearest Sainsbury's so it's still not the top end of what's available.
When I opened it up, I could smell the richness of the chocolate straight away and it took some effort to break into the thick egg. Some chunks were even so thick in parts I struggled to bite into it. The peanuts and pretzel bits were quite small so added a subtle texture, rather than making it too crunchy.
The salty dark chocolate flavours were really luxurious - it tasted on par with the kind of artisan treat you'd get from a posh chocolatier. Normally I can polish off a good amount of chocolate in one sitting, but this was so rich in flavour I actually couldn't manage that big a portion, which meant it lasted longer.
Overall, a delicious egg for dark chocolate fans and one I'd be happy to receive for Easter. It would just be even better if you got a few extra truffles inside too.
Rating: 5/5
Price: £7
Where to buy: M&S stores. It's not yet available on Ocado but you can shop the M&S Easter range here
Aldi's Moser Roth Belgian White Chocolate and Raspberry Ripple Egg
I'm a massive fan of Aldi chocolate, and I didn't doubt that its Easter egg section was going to be very impressive. I took a trip to my local store and was amazed by the choices, let alone the prices.
There were some absolutely huge and luxurious looking eggs, such as the Moser Roth Milk Chocolate Lovers Duo priced at £6.49. I wouldn't call myself an Easter egg snob, considering I'm often put off by the crazy prices from brands such as Lindt, so I was very open to trying Aldi's options.
I decided to go for the Moser Roth Belgian White Chocolate & Raspberry Ripple Egg 200g priced at £4.99, purely because it looked so beautiful. I love white chocolate and raspberry as a combination, so I was really excited to see what this one tasted like.
Aesthetically, the ridged ripple design was amazing, with a bright pink moreish looking raspberry swirl. I popped my Easter egg in the fridge to give it a bit of crunch and took a big bite - I was sadly dissapointed.
Don't get me wrong, this Easter egg tasted ok, but it was a little bland and quite thin. I love a good thick chocolatey Easter egg, but this Aldi one just didn't quite cut it in terms of flavour.
It was pleasant, and as all Easter eggs are, slightly addictive, but I just wish it had more of a raspberry taste. With that being said, I'm still going to get my Easter eggs from Aldi this year, purely because of the price and extensive range - there were so many amazing different variations that you can take a look at here.
Rating: 4/5
Price: £4.99
Where to buy: Aldi stores. Find your nearest store here
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