‘Like eating dried muesli': The best and worst chocolate Easter eggs
They're back and more indulgent than ever. Once again, supermarket shelves and boutique chocolate shops are groaning under the weight of Easter eggs showcasing the flavours of everything from champagne truffles to hot cross buns, some at eye-watering prices.
Why you can trust our experts
The Telegraph 's resident chocolate expert, Andrew Baker and restaurant critic, William Sitwell, put 20 of the latest luxury creations to the test. They tasted blind and separately, ensuring honest, unbiased reviews. What did they make of the giant bunny the size of a small child? Or the dessert-turned-Easter-confection that was practically impossible to get out of its packaging?
Here's their verdict on the eggs that cracked the competition – and the ones that fell flat.
How we chose the best Easter eggs
First, each egg was judged on its appearance – did it have that wow factor? Taste was key, though, of course, highly subjective. If you have a sweet tooth, then high-percentage dark chocolate might not be your thing. Extras like truffles, bars and inclusions were also assessed, with close attention to textures and overall balance.
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Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Telegraph
Revealed: The destinations where five-star hotels cost less than £200
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The star rating used in the report is the one quoted on rather than a legacy institution such as AA Hotel and Hospitality Services. To cross-check this data, The Telegraph has crunched the average starting rate (according to of the hotels ranked 8, 9 or 10 out of 10 according to our experts across the five above-listed destinations. Where your money will stretch further The report flags Orlando (-7 per cent), Las Vegas (-4 per cent) and Dublin (-4 per cent) as cities where the cost of overall hotel prices are coming down. Amsterdam, Brussels and Istanbul are also down 2 per cent year on year. On the flip side, room rates are increasing in Tokyo (+15 per cent), Seville (+13 per cent) and Madrid (+13 per cent). Predictably, some of the most expensive average five-star hotel rates in the report include Paris (£505 per night), New York City (£431.70) and London (£306). The report flags Bangkok (an average room rate of £77 per night) and Krakow (average daily rate of £90 per night) as examples of cities where the holiday pound will stretch further in 2025. However, it is worth noting that these average figures include one-star properties such as basic hostels. The average price of a room considered acceptable to most tourists will be higher than this figure. The cheaper corners of the UK On average, five-star room rates in the UK are cheaper than overseas, according to the report. On average, the price of a five-star stay in the UK is £177 compared to £222 per night outside of the UK. Some of the most affordable corners of the UK include Brighton (rooms average £106 per night), Cardiff (£150), York (£170), Manchester (£171), Bath (£193) and Newcastle (£195). The more expensive five-star hotels are found in Edinburgh (average £261), St Andrews (£253) and Windermere (£251). However, the most expensive destination in the UK for five-star hotels is London, which has recently witnessed the rise of the £1,000-per-night room. In 2024, the new Raffles at the OWO (Old War Office) opened with rooms starting from £1,100. The cost of a typical room in a luxury hotel in the capital has risen 111 per cent since 2009, according to CoStar, compared to the nationwide average rise of 61 per cent. The cost of a star upgrade The report shows that the cost of 'up-starring' a hotel is most effective when moving from a three-star to a four-star hotel. On average, a four-star is 41 per cent higher than a three-star room. However, five-star hotels cost, on average, 63 per cent more than four-star hotels. How to find cheap hotel rates Telegraph Travel listings Telegraph Travel has more than 10,000 hotel reviews written by our expert writers. If you know which destination you would like to visit, you can filter these by price. For example, if you browse our Rome hotels page you can filter by 'low to high' to find the Mama Shelter Roma, rated 9/10, with rooms starting from just £123 per night. Use a comparison site Comparison sites are powerful ways to quickly find hotels in your desired price bracket. While we mostly associate it with flight comparisons, Skyscanner has a decent hotel comparison tool, as does Kayak which allows you to filter by ambience (for example, 'family' or 'eco-friendly'). Then, check direct After finding the best price on a comparison site, it is always worth seeking out the hotel's website to see how this compares to the official room rate. Some hoteliers, particularly of independent outfits, say that it is worth contacting them directly if you find a better deal online – sometimes, they will be willing to match or better it on a one-off basis, and you may find that things like breakfast are included when booking directly. 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