A vegan Easter egg has come out on top in Good Housekeeping’s annual taste test, although you might need to remortgage your home to buy it as it’ll set you back £24.95.
Booja-Booja’s Hazelnut Crunch Chocolate Truffles egg (138g) came out as the clear winner, scoring 89/100 - the highest score out of 142 eggs reviewed.
Annoyingly the egg itself isn’t edible, however it does contain truffles which are gluten, dairy and soya-free. Judges said the product scored highly thanks to its “smooth truffle filling and elegant hand-painted velvet-lined box”.
The Good Housekeeping Institute assessed Easter eggs from a variety of categories. The shortlisted eggs in each category were then blind-tasted and assessed by a judging panel.
In second place was Tesco’s Finest Belgian Dark Chocolate Egg, which scored 87 out of 100 and cost a far more wallet-friendly £5 for 165g. Judges said it had a “distinctive blackberry flavour”. Meanwhile Lindt’s classic Gold Bunny stole third place, costing £39.99 for a whopping 1kg and scoring 84 out of 100. Tasters said they particularly enjoyed its “milky, caramel-like taste”.
Caroline Bloor, consumer director at Good Housekeeping, said: “It’s clear that traditional retailers are having to do more and more to ensure consumers’ ever evolving taste buds are satisfied. Seeing a vegan-friendly egg take the crown may come as a surprise to some, but this is why our famous blind tests are more important now than ever before!”
Here are the results:
Best milk chocolate Easter eggs
Winner - Co-op Irresistible Single Origin Ecuadorian Milk Chocolate Cocoa Pod, £7 for 300g. Score 76/100. Judges said they liked its “complex vanilla flavours and subtle fruity notes”.
Runner up - Marks & Spencer Nutty Surprise Easter Egg, £8 for 400g. Score 75/100.
Runner up - Chococo Sea Salt Caramel Filled Egg, £18.85 for 250g. Score 70/100.
Best white chocolate Easter eggs
Winner - Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference White Chocolate Bunny, £6 for 440g. Score 82/100.
Runner up - Asda Extra Special Belgian White Chocolate Egg with Freeze Dried Raspberries and Raspberry Truffles, £8 for 290g. Score 66/100.
Runner up - Lir White Chocolate Egg, £6 for 175g (price may vary). Score 66/100.
Best dark chocolate Easter eggs
Winner - Tesco Finest Belgian Dark Chocolate Egg, £5 for 165g. Score 87/100
Runner up - Lir Cranberry & Pistachio Dark Chocolate Egg, £20** for 360g. Score 83/100.
Runner up - Iceland Rich Dark Chocolate Egg with Sparkling Chocolate Malted Decorations, £5 for 240g. Score 79/100.
Showstopper Easter eggs
Winner - Marks and Spencer, Hand Decorated Belgian Milk and Dark Chocolate Egg with Dulce de Leche Truffles, £15 for 240g. Score 80/100. Judges liked its golden stardust centre and its “dark berry and rich caramel notes”.
Runner up - Betty’s Imperial Egg In Bloom, £250 for 5.4kg. Score 73/100.
Runner up - Morrisons King of Eggs, £12 for 800g. Score 69/100.
Best Easter eggs for kids
Winner - Lindt Gold Bunny, £39.99 for 1kg. Score 84/100.
Runner up - Cadbury’s Dairy Milk Ultimate Daim Egg, £12 for 570g. Score 73/100.
Runner up - Aldi Dairyfine Curious Inventions Egg Popping Candy, £2.99 for 200g. Score 66/100.
Best free-from Easter eggs
Winner - Booja-Booja Hazelnut Crunch Chocolate Truffles, £24.95 for 138g. Score 89/100.
Runner up - Asda Free From Belgian Dark Chocolate Egg with Vanilla Flavoured Truffles, £5 for 200g. Score 79/100.
Runner up - Marks & Spencer Made Without Easter Egg, £7 for 169g. Score 77/100.
Best novelty Easter eggs
Winner - Hotel Chocolat Milk Egg Sandwich, £10 for 135g. Score 78/100. Judges liked the “rich, coffee-like flavour”.
Runner up - Prestat Pink Popping Prosecco Easter Egg, £17.50 for 170g. Score 77/100.
Runner up - The Solid Egg Company Solid Caramel Milk Chocolate Egg, £24.99 for 750g. Score 76/100.
Best little treats
Winner - Sainsbury’s Godiva The Spring Collection Mini Eggs, £5 for 90g. Score 79/100. Judges loved the “rich, creamy fillings” in the bite-sized collection of white, milk and dark chocolate.
Runner up - Bettys Milk and White Chocolate Speckled Rabbits, £7.50 for 125g. Score 77/100.
Runner up - Bettys Trio of Filled Chocolate Eggs, £10.50 for 110g. Score 75/100.
The full results appear in the April issue of Good Housekeeping, which goes on sale on 28 February.