I tested supermarket own-brand Easter eggs – the winner beats M&S and tastes like an iconic seasonal cake
EASTER Sunday is still a few weeks away, but supermarket shelves are flooded with all sorts of delicious-looking chocolatey eggs.
From blonde, caramel eggs, to ones dotted with marshmallow pieces or pistachio flavouring, there is certainly something to suit every taste.
Many branded eggs are expensive with some Lindt and Cadbury ones costing over a tenner.
But opt for a supermarket own-brand and you could save yourself a pretty penny, without compromising on taste.
We asked Lynsey Hope to rate a selection of own-brand eggs and her favourite tasted better than many luxury brands and only cost £8.
Here she shares her verdict:
Asda Extra Special Extra Thick Raspberry and Marshmallow White Chocolate Egg
- £8
- £2 per 100g
An unusual egg from Asda, and is sure to divide opinions.
The white chocolate itself was creamy and rich and the marshmallow and raspberry pieces gave it a nice texture.
The raspberries were deliciously tangy. It was quite sickly but if you have a super sweet tooth, you’ll enjoy it.
Price wise, it is one of the best we found costing £2 per 100g of chocolate which means you’re getting a good amount of chocolate for your buck.
- Taste: 8/10
- Value: 10/10
- Overall score: 9/10
Lidl Triple Chocolate Marbled Egg
- £6.99
- £3.88 per 100g
The box looked a bit 1980s but the egg looked generous in size with a lovely sheen to the chocolate.
I thought I was in for a tasty egg. But despite promising a blend of milk, dark and white chocolate, Lidl’s egg didn’t taste of much.
It wasn’t sweet and tasted like cheap chocolate you’d get from a European service station.
It is Fairtrade, so that’s a plus.
- Taste: 4/10
- Value: 3/10
- Overall score: 3/10
Aldi Specially Selected Dark Ripple Egg with Rich Coffee
- £4.99
- £2.50 per 100g
A luxurious design at a great price from Aldi. This egg is dark and glossy and has a slimline design.
The bitter chocolate comes with an appealing nutty flavour and just the right amount of sweetness.
There’s a hint of coffee, not too much, and the shell has a nice crunch.
- Taste: 8/10
- Value: 9/10
- Overall score: 8/10
M&S Extremely Chocolatey Biscuity Easter Egg
- £10
- £2.70 per 100g
Loved this novelty egg from M&S, which was hard to pick from shop shelves due to a very tempting selection.
It’s quite hard to break open and bite into due to the thickness of the chocolate. Lovely flavour though.
The chocolate was creamy and rich without being too sickly and I loved the delicious, crunchy biscuity pieces.
- Taste: 7/10
- Value: 6/10
- Overall score: 6/10
Morrisons The Best Belgian White and Blonde Chocolate Egg
- £5
- £2.08 per 100g
An attractive swirly-looking egg that is made with combined white and blonde chocolate.
The blonde chocolate gives it a rich, caramel flavour and it’s dotted with biscuit pieces which add a little crunch and make it a bit more interesting.
Nice packaging and good value, too.
- Taste: 7/10
- Value: 8/10
- Overall score: 7/10
Sainsbury’s Taste The Difference Belgian Honeycomb Corn Crunch Egg
- £8
- £3.48 per 100g
Love, love, loved this. The Sainsbury’s egg is meant to recreate the nostalgic flavour of traditional Easter cornflake cakes which it does perfectly.
The creamy Belgian milk chocolate is studded with nuggets of honeycomb and crunchy roasted corn and it has a perfect balance of sweet and salty flavour.
A little pricey when you look at how much chocolate you are getting, but it was great quality. A real treat.
- Taste: 10/10
- Value: 10/10
- Overall score: 10/10
No 1 Waitrose The Cracking Pistachio
- £14
- £4.49 per 100g of chocolate
This is a really striking design, shaped to look like a giant pistachio nut.
The winning element is the outer white chocolate and caramelised sugar shell which tasted like a Caramac and was incredibly moreish.
Inside is a vibrant green-coloured chocolate pistachio-flavoured egg complete with chopped nuts.
However, I thought it was lacking any real pistachio flavour and on the whole, let this one down a bit.
- Taste: 5/10
- Value: 4/10
- Overall score: 5/10
How can I save on my supermarket shop?
THERE are plenty of ways to save on your grocery shop.
You can look out for yellow or red stickers on products, which show when they’ve been reduced.
If the food is fresh, you’ll have to eat it quickly or freeze it for another time.
Making a list should also save you money, as you’ll be less likely to make any rash purchases when you get to the supermarket.
Going own brand can be one easy way to save hundreds of pounds a year on your food bills too.
This means ditching “finest” or “luxury” products and instead going for “own” or value” type of lines.
Plenty of supermarkets run wonky veg and fruit schemes where you can get cheap prices if they’re misshapen or imperfect.
For example, Lidl runs its Waste Not scheme, offering boxes of 5kg of fruit and vegetables for just £1.50.
If you’re on a low income and a parent, you may be able to get up to £442 a year in Healthy Start vouchers to use at the supermarket too.
Plus, many councils offer supermarket vouchers as part of the Household Support Fund.