Taste test: luxury Easter eggs from Tesco, Sainsbury's, Lidl and more

Time for another Easter egg taste test, and this time it's the big stores' luxury eggs.

Here at loveFOOD we like to go the extra mile in taste testing food so we can help inform your eating decisions. This year, we had the uneviable task of trying some of the more luxurious Easter eggs and treats that are on sale.

Here's the verdict of our panel of 15 blind taste testers.

10^th place: Lidl’s Deluxe Cornish sea salted caramel egg (average score: 5/10) available for £3.49

Milk chocolate eggs with decorated segments seem to be very popular this year, and Lidl have jumped on the bandwagon with a Cornish sea salted caramel egg that’s decorated with additional chocolate balls and fudge squares.

One of our tasters rated Lidl’s egg 5 out of 10, saying it was ‘so, so’, and another taster rated it 4 out of 10 and wrote it had ‘a funny after taste’. But with all taste tests, people’s preferences differ and one taster wrote ‘Amazing. Sweet. Have the white chocolate and fudge pieces!’

9^th place: Iceland’s hazelnut, chocolate & fudge luxury egg (average score: 5.2/10) available for £4

Appearance-wise, lceland ticked all the boxes with its hazelnut, chocolate and fudge luxury egg – a milk and dark chocolate egg decorated with chocolate balls, fudge and hazelnut pieces.

One of our tasters rated Iceland’s egg a 5 out of 10 and wrote 'I like they crunchy bits, but it’s quite bitter'. Another taster seemed to enjoy the added crunch too as they marked it 7 out of 10 and said ‘It’s got a nice crunchy texture’. Whereas another taster marked it 5 out of 7, saying it was ‘milky’.

Joint 7^th place: Lidl’s Deluxe Cornish fudge egg (average score: 5.3/10) available for £3.49

‘Bit too sweet for me’ one taster said, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it means this Easter egg may not appeal to your palate. However, they still scored it 6/10. While another taster also marked it 6/10 but said it was ‘nothing special’ and another thought it was ‘kind of plain’, also marking it 6/10.

Joint 7^th place: Iceland’s honeycomb & caramel luxury egg (average score: 5.3/10) available for £4

Now here’s an accolade; one taster marked Iceland’s honeycomb and caramel luxury egg 7/10 and said it was ‘the best white chocolate egg’. Whereas on the flipside, one taster said ‘It started as a 7, but the aftertaste makes this a 5 out of 10.’ Another taster marked it 3/10 and said it was ‘too artificial’, but on a more positive note one taster said ‘It’s nice white chocolate, but a bit sweet. I couldn’t eat a whole one’.

6^th place: Thornton’s Lemon Meringue egg (average score: 5.4/10) available for £10

One taster thought Thornton’s Lemon Meringue egg was ‘too sickly and doesn’t have enough lemon’ and marked it 5 out of 10. While another gave it 6 out of 10 and said it was ‘fruity’.

Although one taster liked the egg, marking it 6 out of 10, they said ‘it’s tasty if you like lemons’ (probably a good thing given its name). While another taster was distinctly unimpressed, marking it 3 out of 10 and said ‘nope, definitely don’t like it’.

5^th place: Lidl’s Deluxe Eton Mess egg (average score: 5.5/10) available for £3.49

As we make our way to the middle of the board, we see the scores start to rise. One taster gave this Eton Mess egg 8 out of 10 and said ‘it’s tasty, sweet and crunchy’. But in contrast, one taster gave it 4 out of 10 and said the ‘raspberry and white chocolate is just too sweet’.

Whereas another taster must have a bit of a sweet tooth, as they gave it 9 out of 10 and said it had a ‘great flavour. The creamy strawberries are delicious’. So perhaps another one that only appeals to those who like a sugar fix.

4^th place: Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Belgian dark chocolate egg with cocoa nibs (average score: 5.6/10) available for £5

This was one of the darker chocolate eggs on offer, which isn’t always everyone’s cup of tea. But I thought this was a really beautiful egg, and it's FairTrade too. The splashes of pink and orange made the egg look very artistic.

One taster agreed with me, giving it 6.5 out of 10 and said it has a ‘great design and is subtly nutty’. While another taste gave it 8 out of 10 and said it was ‘smooth, nice and dark’. But in contrast, one taster marked it 6 out of 10 and said, ‘Although it’s dark chocolate, it’s too sweet, you lose the dark chocolate flavour’. But one taster couldn’t be happier and gave it 10 out of 10 and said ‘I love the crunch and dark flavours’.

3^rd place: Thornton’s Classic egg (average score: 5.7/10) available for £10

Thornton’s Classic egg was also decorated with splashes of white and dark brown, creating a veritable chocolate box of an exterior. One taster gave it 8 out of 10 and said it had a ‘nice flavour. It reminds me of a Yorkie’.

Whereas in comparison one taster marked it 4 out of 10 and said it was ‘smooth, but not much flavour.’

2^nd place: Sainsbury’s Belgian milk chocolate egg with salted caramel (average score: 7/10) available for £5

Another FairTrade Easter egg available courtesy of Sainsbury’s, and this one was even more popular than the last one. One taster gave it 7 out of 10 and said it had a ‘nice crunch and nice chocolate’. One taster was very open about their preference, and also marked it 7 out of 10, but said ‘I prefer darker chocolate; although this is tasty, it’s a bit too sweet for me’.

Another taster said it was ‘yummy’ and gave it 8 out of 10. The majority of scores were at the higher end and many tasters noted the delicious creaminess and how they loved the crunch.

1^st place: Tesco Finest Belgian milk chocolate truffle egg (average score: 7.3/10) available for £9

Coming out on top was a real golden egg. If you’re a Game of Thrones fan, this egg might be even more appealing, as it looks almost dragon-like. The Belgian chocolate egg had a hidden internal layer of smooth, creamy milk truffle, finished with a bronze shimmer.

One taster marked it 9 out of 10 and said it was ‘rich’ and another taster gave it 7 out of 10 and said it was ‘not bad mousse’. Another taster was also very keen on this egg, giving it 10 out of 10 and said it was ‘melt-in-the-mouth delicious. I love the gold shell!’

But it’s worth noting that, although the egg is a golden spectacle, the gold shimmer does melt onto your hands, so I’d recommend not giving this to any young children if you have white furniture.

So there you have it folks! Tesco is the luxury winner for Easter 2017.

Now take a look at The best milk chocolate Easter eggs and animals of 2017.

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