logo
Notes on chocolate: the Easter choc-a-thon is on its way

Notes on chocolate: the Easter choc-a-thon is on its way

The Guardian09-03-2025

Usually, Easter-chocolate testing is quite fraught, intense and messy, with everything coming in at once, so that a frantic load of uncouth shovelling ensues. But this year, with Easter being a little later than usual (20 April), I've been able to enjoy a treat or two with more leisure. I have some really good recommendations for you over the next few weeks
My first one is Asda's Exceptional Hand Decorated Orange and Ginger Dark Chocolate Egg, £9.98. It's not super dark at 54% cocoa, but it's a really good-tasting egg from a supermarket, with bits of candied orange peel and crystallised ginger. If milk chocolate is more your thing, then look along the Asda shelf to the Caramel, Pretzel and Honeycomb (33% cocoa) milk chocolate egg, £9.98. If you like sweet and crunchy, munchy eggs, then this one is definitely worth trying. I have more supermarket recommendations coming next week.
Looking at craft chocolate, Chocolarder has three excellent offerings at £13.50: the 50% Milk Chocolate Hot Cross Bun; 70% Dark Chocolate with Candied Orange Peel; and 50% Milk Stroopwafel. I thought the orange would go down the best and it was well received. I'm a bit over spiced chocolate just now, so the HCB wasn't my favourite, but it might be yours. However, the Stroopwafel was extremely popular with its creamy, dreamy dark milk and bits of crispy stroopwafel.
Talking of orange, Lakrids by Bülow's new offering is Golden Oranges, £14.95. I half expected these to be orange, but they look very muted. I think they missed a trick there. Inside is liquorice, caramelised dulce chocolate and crunchy bits of caramel with, of course, a burst of orange. They taste like a Chocolate Orange, but with an edge of liquorice. Delicious.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

How to treat your dad to dinner and drinks without breaking the bank this Father's Day
How to treat your dad to dinner and drinks without breaking the bank this Father's Day

Scottish Sun

time4 hours ago

  • Scottish Sun

How to treat your dad to dinner and drinks without breaking the bank this Father's Day

TREAT Dad by taking him out for Father's Day this weekend. Drinks and dinner can be expensive, but lots of chains are offering freebies to help ease the cost. 7 Treat Dad by taking him out for Father's Day this weekend Credit: Getty Try one of these ideas to bag yourself a bargain . . . FREE DINNER: Sign up to the Brewers Fayre newsletter by the end of today and you can get a free main meal for Dad at one of the chain's restaurants on June 14 and 15. If you are close to a Boxpark venue in London or Liverpool, you can buy a £10 ticket that gives an extra £10 worth of food tokens to spend on its street food stalls. The offer runs until June 15 and also includes a free pint. All dads ordering a main meal at restaurant chain Bill's can win a free dessert or Peroni, if they are lucky with the roll of a dice. And Frankie & Benny's is offering two-for-one on all brunch dishes until 12pm between Friday and Sunday. FREE BEER: Pre-book a dinner for June 15 at one of 58 Stonegate pubs and you will get a free Birra Moretti for Dad on the day. You will just need to say the code phrase 'pint for Dad' when booking. Meanwhile, Prezzo is offering fathers a Poretti lager on the house when they buy a meal and tell the team their best dad joke on Sunday. There is also a free Corona for dads at Las Iguanas restaurants when buying any main meal on Father's Day. Plus dads can get a Jack Daniel's whisky at Greene King pubs when dining with a guest between the dates of June 12 and 18. Sign up to Greene King's mailing letter to get the voucher. FREE COFFEE: If the father figure in your life is a Costa fan, you can buy a gift card for between £20 and £39 at the chain and get a free £5 added. If you spend £40 to £59, you will receive £10 extra. And £60 and above will get you a free £15 added. All prices on page correct at time of going to press. Deals and offers subject to availability. Deal of the day 7 Oral-B series 1 toothbrush, £33.24 at Asda Credit: Asda GET sparkling teeth with the Oral-B series 1 toothbrush, down from £70 to £33.24 at Asda. SAVE: £36.76 Cheap treat 7 Morrisons' limited-edition doughnut-flavoured ice cream will hit the spot on a hot day Credit: Flying Tiger MORRISONS' limited-edition doughnut-flavoured ice cream will hit the spot on a hot day. It's £3 for 500ml. What's new? PACK for a perfect picnic with this eight-pack of cherry-print plates, £2.50, new in at Flying Tiger. Top swap 7 This Summer Fridays lip butter balm is £23 from Credit: 7 Or try Aldi's version for just £3.49 Credit: Aldi GIVE your pout some TLC with Summer Fridays lip butter balm, £23 from Or try Aldi's version for a more budget-friendly £3.49. SAVE: £19.51 Little helper DECATHLON will offer a credit refund for tents bought in- store until September 14 and returned after use. The move is aimed at stopping tents being left behind at festivals and is backed by broadcaster Vick Hope. Shop & save 7 Save £5 on the Russell Hobbs light-up glass kettle at B&M Credit: B&M BREW a cuppa with the Russell Hobbs light-up glass kettle, down from £30 to £25, at B&M. SAVE: £5 Hot right now SUBSCRIBE to Disney+ Standard with ads for £1.99 a month for four months, saving £12. Available until end of June for all customers. PLAY NOW TO WIN £200 7 Join thousands of readers taking part in The Sun Raffle JOIN thousands of readers taking part in The Sun Raffle. Every month we're giving away £100 to 250 lucky readers - whether you're saving up or just in need of some extra cash, The Sun could have you covered. Every Sun Savers code entered equals one Raffle ticket. The more codes you enter, the more tickets you'll earn and the more chance you will have of winning!

I'm sick of mums forking out £70 for birthday cakes so DIY-ed one for my son with Asda buys for a fraction of the cost
I'm sick of mums forking out £70 for birthday cakes so DIY-ed one for my son with Asda buys for a fraction of the cost

Scottish Sun

time4 hours ago

  • Scottish Sun

I'm sick of mums forking out £70 for birthday cakes so DIY-ed one for my son with Asda buys for a fraction of the cost

Plus, a full list of where your kids can eat free this summer holiday THAT'S SWEET I'm sick of mums forking out £70 for birthday cakes so DIY-ed one for my son with Asda buys for a fraction of the cost WITH the cost of living continuing to squeeze household budgets, many parents are looking for ways to save money, especially when it comes to celebrations like birthdays. A birthday cake is often a centrepiece, but with many shop-bought cakes costing a small fortune, it doesn't have to break the bank. 2 Crystal managed to make her own birthday themed cake for her son Credit: tiktok/@ One mum has shown that you can create a fun, personalised cake for your child without spending a lot – and it can still be a big hit. Crystal, a mum who shared a video on her TikTok page @ revealed how she made her son's ninth birthday cake using budget-friendly items from Asda. Admitting she often leaves things until the last minute. She added: "But hey, we moved and he's gonna have a birthday cake no matter what.' Determined to make her son's day special, Crystal dashed to Asda before school pick-up and grabbed two of the budget Just Essentials by ASDA chocolate cakes, which costs £4.53 each. She also bought chocolate icing, Kinder treats, Happy Hippos, and other sweets. She explained: 'I can bake cakes but they come out shit half of the time, so I wasn't getting a chance at it today.' Stacking the two cakes on top of each other, Crystal got creative with her decorations, layering the cake with the icing. She then decorated the top of the cake herself, by adding her chocolate bars around the cake, as well as the Happy Hippos and Kinder egg surprises on top of the cake. She admitted she didn't bother decorating the back of the cake, as she asked: "Who's going to see the back of the cake?" before adding: "Well in all honesty I never bought enough of them straw thingies (Chocolate straws) to even decorate the back of the cake.' I DIY-ed a 'professional' level kids' birthday cake for less than £25 using Amazon & eBay buys - I didn't bake a thing Despite her self-deprecating humour, Crystal's efforts paid off. Once she put the cake into a box and revealed the finished product, she said: 'For some, you may look at it and think what a load of s**t. "But do you know what? When he's here, he was over the moon.' Within two days of her video being shared, Crystal went viral gaining one million views, and 1,681 comments as many people rushed to share their thoughts. One wrote: "Let's normalise this kind of cake over the £70 baked cake for birthdays!" 2 She bought two chocolate cakes from ASDA Just Essential section Credit: tiktok/@ A second added: "I'm gonna do this for my daughters graduation cake as I can't afford to get one done. "Going to get two plane cakes. Lob em together and add some decorations from Amazon. Bish bash bosh well done us mums." Whilst a third said: "The child will remember his cake, not how much it was. "You've saved money on cake for other things. Top mum."

I'm sick of mums forking out £70 for birthday cakes so DIY-ed one for my son with Asda buys for a fraction of the cost
I'm sick of mums forking out £70 for birthday cakes so DIY-ed one for my son with Asda buys for a fraction of the cost

The Sun

time4 hours ago

  • The Sun

I'm sick of mums forking out £70 for birthday cakes so DIY-ed one for my son with Asda buys for a fraction of the cost

WITH the cost of living continuing to squeeze household budgets, many parents are looking for ways to save money, especially when it comes to celebrations like birthdays. A birthday cake is often a centrepiece, but with many shop-bought cakes costing a small fortune, it doesn't have to break the bank. 2 One mum has shown that you can create a fun, personalised cake for your child without spending a lot – and it can still be a big hit. Crystal, a mum who shared a video on her TikTok page @ revealed how she made her son's ninth birthday cake using budget-friendly items from Asda. Admitting she often leaves things until the last minute. She added: "But hey, we moved and he's gonna have a birthday cake no matter what.' Determined to make her son's day special, Crystal dashed to Asda before school pick-up and grabbed two of the budget Just Essentials by ASDA chocolate cakes, which costs £4.53 each. She also bought chocolate icing, Kinder treats, Happy Hippos, and other sweets. She explained: 'I can bake cakes but they come out shit half of the time, so I wasn't getting a chance at it today.' Stacking the two cakes on top of each other, Crystal got creative with her decorations, layering the cake with the icing. She then decorated the top of the cake herself, by adding her chocolate bars around the cake, as well as the Happy Hippos and Kinder egg surprises on top of the cake. She admitted she didn't bother decorating the back of the cake, as she asked: "Who's going to see the back of the cake?" before adding: "Well in all honesty I never bought enough of them straw thingies (Chocolate straws) to even decorate the back of the cake.' I DIY-ed a 'professional' level kids' birthday cake for less than £25 using Amazon & eBay buys - I didn't bake a thing Despite her self-deprecating humour, Crystal's efforts paid off. Once she put the cake into a box and revealed the finished product, she said: 'For some, you may look at it and think what a load of s**t. "But do you know what? When he's here, he was over the moon.' Within two days of her video being shared, Crystal went viral gaining one million views, and 1,681 comments as many people rushed to share their thoughts. One wrote: "Let's normalise this kind of cake over the £70 baked cake for birthdays!" 2 A second added: "I'm gonna do this for my daughters graduation cake as I can't afford to get one done. "Going to get two plane cakes. Lob em together and add some decorations from Amazon. Bish bash bosh well done us mums." Whilst a third said: "The child will remember his cake, not how much it was. "You've saved money on cake for other things. Top mum." Full list of kids eat free offers THERE are plenty of chains to choose from offering kids eat free programmes during school holidays. Choose from any of the following... Angus Steakhouse – Kids under 8 and under eat free from the children's menu when an adult orders a meal; available daily from 12pm–5pm. Ask Italian - During school holidays, kids eat for £1 when an adult buys a main. You'll need to get a code for the promotion by filling in a short form on the chain's website. Asda Cafés – Kids' meals for £1 all day, every day across 205 stores nationwide. There's no minimum spend needed. Bar + Block – Up to two children under 16 eat breakfast free with each adult buying one all-you-can-eat buffet breakfast for £10.99. Beefeater – Two kids under 16 can eat free with every adult breakfast bought for £10.99. Bellia Italia - Kids eat free every Thursday and for £1 until 6pm, from Sunday to Wednesday when an adult meal is bought. Bill's – Up to two kids eat free from Monday to Friday, when one adult orders any main dish breakfast, lunch or dinner. Brewdog - One free kids meal for under 13s, when purchasing an adults main meal over summer holidays. Brewers Fayre - Two kids under 16 eat free with every adult breakfast for £10.99. Dobbies Garden Centres – Kids eat for £1 with the purchase of an adult main course,available every day. Chiquito - One kid eats free with every adult main purchased overthe school holidays. Côte Brasserie - Children aged 12 and under can tuck into two complimentary courses when parents spend a minimum of £20 over the school holidays. Farmhouse Inns – Two kids eat free with one paying adult. Franco Manca - One kid 12 and under get a complimentary individual kids pizza for every full-priced adult main meal from Monday to Thursday during the holidays. Frankie & Benny's - Kids can eat for free every day when any adult meal is purchased. IKEA – Kids meals start at 95p for pasta and tomato sauce available daily from 11am in restaurants. Las Iguanas – Kids under 12 eat free with the My Las Iguanas App during the holidays. Morrisons Cafés – One free kids' meal with any adult meal over £4.50. The offer is available daily. Pausa Cafés at Dunelm – Kids eat free with every £4 spent in the café all day, everyday. Premier Inn – Up to two kids eat free breakfast with an adult breakfast, £10.99. PIzza Express - Kids get a free meal Monday to Friday when an adult meal is purchased during school holidays. Sizzling Pubs – Kids eat for £1 with the purchase of an adult main meal, Monday to Friday between 3–7pm. Tesco - Kids eat free, worth £4, when you purchase anything from the menu including fruit for 65p if you're a Clubcard holder TGI Fridays – Kids eat free with any adult main meal for Stripes loyalty members, available all day, every day. The Real Greek – Kids under 12 eat free with every £15 adult spend on Sundays only. Yo! Sushi - Kids eat free all day with a full-paying adult during local school holidays. Whitbread Inns - Two kids under 16 eat breakfast free with every adult full breakfast, £20.99.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store