Ramblings of a retiree in France
I’d like to be able to tell you that each of these has passed the taste test, but I can’t. These splendid examples are the result of fun-packed, zero-calorie desk research!
These wonderfully extravagant chocolate treats are almost (only almost) too beautiful to eat.
Whether you ditched sugar for Lent or you’re in need of some serious indulgence after a particularly long, gruelling winter, there’s plenty of cause for celebration. Easter is just around the corner. The time has arrived to pile your shopping basket high with hot cross buns, roast lamb, and, most important of all, chocolate eggs.
If you’re looking for something a bit more special than your average grocery store confectionery, you’ve come to the right place. I have rounded up some of the very best luxury Easter eggs from around the globe.
The iconic Gleneagles hotel has taken inspiration from the great outdoors to create its first luxury Easter egg. Crafted by executive pastry chef Phil Skinazi and his team, the opulent egg (pictured above) is made using Valrhona’s dark chocolate with flavours of berries and peat in a nod to the surrounding Perthshire countryside. Inside there is a selection of handmade whisky truffles created with Gleneagles’ first single malt made in collaboration with celebrated local distillery, The Glenturret. This sounds like the perfect Easter present for a much-loved father or grand-father.
In the in-house chocolate atelier at Le Bristol Paris, maître chocolatier Johan Giacchetti and his team have hand-crafted a stunning sculpture of Socrate (the hotel’s feline resident) curled up inside an elegant Venezuelan dark chocolate egg. Socrate is made with the finest milk chocolate with hazelnut and toasted brown rice, while the sumptuous red cushion he sleeps on has been carved from white chocolate. If that wasn’t enough, the delicately crafted egg comes with a selection of Giacchetti’s praline treats featuring exquisite flavors such as pumpkin seed, buckwheat and pistachio, enveloped in dark and milk chocolate. Doesn’t this sound divine? I’m sure this one has my name all over it.
The next luxurious Easter egg on my list is a wonderful celebration of spring. Created by Paula Stakelum, the director of chocolate and patisserie at Ashford Castle. The intricate hand-painted egg is inspired by the idyllic cherry blossom avenue at the hotel’s 350,000-acre estate in County Mayo, Ireland. Crafted from Ashford Castle’s bespoke Valrhona chocolate couverture giving it a beautiful shine. I’m advised the indulgent egg delicately balances fresh milk notes with hints of sweet vanilla, biscuit and honey. My gardening (and chocoholic) mad mother would have appreciated this one.
No list of luxury Easter eggs would be complete without mentioning this delightful example from London’s Fortnum & Mason. This would be a truly special gift for a darling grand or god child. Crafted by master chocolatiers in Wales, it’s made from rich single-origin chocolate couverture from Colombia and coated in a layer of velvety white chocolate. The pièce de résistance, however, is the Easter bunny on the front – hand-sketched using all-natural cocoa butter paints. It’s a work of art!
For a serious chocoholic, look no further than Hotel Chocolat’s Classic Ostrich Easter egg. Weighing in at over a kilogram (2 lbs), the extravagant chocolate sphere is (you guessed it) the same size as a real ostrich egg, with a ludicrously chunky high-cacao shell packed with crunchy cookies, puffed rice and crispy feuilletine flakes. But wait, there’s more! This decadent egg also comes with a selection of 20 truffles, pralines, caramels and patisserie chocolates ranging from billionaire’s shortbread to Eton Mess. Those with a sweet tooth can opt for the classic egg, but there’s also a dark chocolate version and even a newly released vegan egg for your dairy-free loved ones.
Finding a plant-based chocolate treat that still tastes delicious can be tricky but the chocolatiers at Notting Hill-based Melt have managed it with the Wild Egg. Handcrafted using rare cocoa beans from Bolivia, the luscious dark chocolate egg has an extra thick shell and is adorned with gold leaf for a touch of luxury. Wrapped in plastic-free packaging, this vegan egg also comes with a case of dangerously addictive dark chocolate and sea salt discs.
Last but by no means least on our roundup of this year’s best luxury Easter eggs is the Bird-Bunny – a playful creation from renowned Belgian chocolatier, Pierre Marcolini. Half bird, half rabbit, the mini chocolate creature is handcrafted at the atelier in Brussels from São Tomé milk chocolate and sits on two drawers stuffed with charming Easter treats.In the first drawer, there’s a collection of miniature eggs with moreish praline centres and delicate chocolate shells, while the second features delightful animal creations including delicious vanilla-caramel dark chocolate birds and milk chocolate praline rabbits.
Which one of these wonderful creations rocks your boat? Or, have you found a magnificent creation that I missed in my trawl of the internet? If so, let me know in the comments below.
The bird bunny…How cute
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love them all!
Joanna
LikeLiked by 2 people
Join the club Joanna
LikeLiked by 1 person
I too love them all!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you
LikeLiked by 2 people
Wow! They are almost too pretty to eat
LikeLiked by 2 people
The key word here is “almost”
LikeLiked by 1 person
Happy Easter Sheree! 🥚🐇🐾
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you and Happy Easter too Cindy
LikeLike
LikeLiked by 1 person
Happy Easter to you too GP
LikeLiked by 1 person
I couldn’t eat any of these because they are just so pretty and cute. I’d imagine they have a pretty hefty price tag, too. 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
What’s money when you’re talking chocolate
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am curious about how much they cost. They are works of art, I grant you.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Absolutely no idea
LikeLike
Thank you Sheree much for my next two pounds.🐰🐰🐰
LikeLiked by 2 people
Only two? Congratulations
LikeLiked by 2 people
Happy Easter 🌸 🌿 🌸 🌿 🌸 🌿 🌸
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you Luisa and to you too
LikeLike
The best Easter eggs come from William Curley but you need a small mortgage to afford one!
LikeLiked by 2 people
I have eaten chocolate from William Curley’s and it is indeed fabulous
LikeLiked by 1 person
Those look delish. I’d feel guilty destroying works of art when I ate them…
LikeLiked by 2 people
I kinda know what you mean but……..
LikeLiked by 2 people
Just send them all over to me Sheree, I’ll make sure they are well looked after 😋
LikeLiked by 2 people
That’s so kind of you.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I pick the ostrich egg…2#’s!!!!! However, I love them all. ❤️
LikeLiked by 2 people
Almost too good to eat but still…..
LikeLiked by 1 person
The whisky truffles would go down a treat in our house. I will try and visit Melt when we are in London in June.
LikeLiked by 2 people
There are lots of great places for chocolate in London. How long will you be there?
LikeLiked by 2 people
Four days in London.
LikeLiked by 2 people
You can eat a lot of chocolate in 4 days!
LikeLiked by 2 people
I could look at these for days
LikeLiked by 2 people
They are pretty but I confess I’d scoff the lot!
LikeLiked by 2 people
As you know, I would make them last 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
You have more restraint Derrick
LikeLiked by 2 people
Pingback: ReBlogging ‘[Quite Possibly] World’s Best Easter Eggs’ – Link Below | Relationship Insights by Yernasia Quorelios
Pingback: World’s Best Easter Eggs – No Fixed Plans
These are definitely beautiful works of art. just gorgeous!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Jeanne
LikeLiked by 1 person
Definitely my pleasure. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh my…But I had plenty of small Easter eggs but these are works of art🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I know but that wouldn’t stop me from eating them
LikeLike