Raymond Blanc's easter egg test

Raymond Blanc had a smashing time testing Easter eggs (that glint on his teeth is 100% real by the way, he genuinely looks like this) Photograph: Suki Dhanda Photograph: guardian.co.uk Mini Eggs The best: Godiva Beaded Egg with Petit Oeufs 250g, £30 These eggs have been filled with a truly lovely ganache. What a range of flavours and such a pretty box 4/5 The rest: Harvey Nichols Caffe Tasse £8.50 for 12 After such a high standard of presentation the praline eggs seem almost underwhelming 4/5 Waitrose Marzipan Eggs 100g, £2.99 Very impressively crafted, they actually look like quail eggs. If you like marzipan, then you’ll like these 4/5 Aldi Mini Eggs 90g, 59p Standard-looking mini eggs. The shells are a soft, pretty, pastel colour but the chocolate is too sweet. I imagine children would go crazy for these 4/5 Photograph: Katherine Rose Photograph: guardian.co.uk Chocolate bunnies The best: Harvey Nichols Rococo Bunny 230g, £36.95 I’m not sure about all the colourings that might be in the navy coat, but the chocolate itself is excellent 4/5 The rest: Aldi Bunny 150g, 99p Sweet and very milky but lovingly packaged with a nice, strong chocolate smell. Again, one for the children 3/5 Tesco Bunny 250g, £2 This tastes of sugar and dairy and that’s about it, but it’s very Eastery so I suppose that’s something 3/5 Lindt Gold Bunny Egg 125g, £4.99, Morrisons I can hear a little bell so I know what this one is. It’s made with lots of sugar so I can’t taste an ounce of cocoa 2/5 Photograph: Katherine Rose Photograph: guardian.co.uk Luxury The best: Asda Extra Special 330g, £6 This is a well-made product. The nuts are an unusual addition, the chocolate is above average and I like the nougaty chunks embedded in the shell 4/5 The rest: CocoMaya Luxury Faceted 400g, £40 I find the bronze colour threatening - it looks like a grenade. However it smells delicious and tastes like bittersweet coffee 4/5 Hotel Chocolat Ostrich Egg 1.2kg, £60 Looks like a beetle that survived a nuclear war. Very big, very sweet and the shell is very thick 3/5 Thorntons Milk Chocolate 610g, £7.99, Morrisons I find the chocolatier’s ability to create a universal thickness impressive. But perhaps this is because it’s factory made. Plus, it’s far too sweet for me 3/5 Photograph: Katherine Rose Photograph: guardian.co.uk White chocolate The best: Bettys By Post White Chocolate Egg 180g, £12.50 bettysbypost.com What a delightful, shiny, dainty egg. Tremendous handiwork. For white, it’s not bad 5/5 The rest: Waitrose Fairtrade Belgian Chocolate 250g, £12.99 What a stunning creation. This smells of milk and cocoa butter and tastes pleasant. Very good effort 4/5 Chococo Jurassic Coast Egg 200g, £14.95, chococo.co.uk What a nicely mottled egg. And look! There are dinosaurs inside for little archaeologists to discover! Children would love that 4/5 Sainsbury’s Belgian Chocolate 110g, £2 Foul and sweet, it tastes like it’s been on a supermarket shelf for a very long time 1/5 Photograph: Katherine Rose Photograph: guardian.co.uk Milk chocolate The best: Paul A Young Half-Caramelised weights vary, £19.95, paulayoung.co.uk This looks like chocolate of an exceptional quality. It also tastes fresh and delicious. A lot of love has been poured into this 4/5 The rest: Harvey Nichols CocoaBlack, weights vary, £12.50 This has the most unusual taste. Hazelnuts and walnuts with perhaps a dash of almond essence? Slightly too nutty but a nice idea. 3/5 Marks & Spencer Milk in a box 50g, £2.99 This tastes of vanilla and my mouth feels like it’s covered in cocoa butter 2/5 Prestat Milk Chocolate 227g, £22 I love the box this comes in but I’m afraid it tastes a little stale. It’s nice enough, about OK for the mass market, but not for me 2/5 Photograph: Katherine Rose Photograph: guardian.co.uk 70% cocoa The best: Green & Black’s Praline Mini Eggs 100g, £2.99 You see? You cannot go wrong with a praline-filled egg. Not too sweet, a nice bite sized-piece and very good 5/5 The rest: Paul A Young Super Dark 70%, weights vary, £21.95 This looks beautiful. Classy, elegant and made with a very high-quality chocolate 5/5 Chococo Deliciously Dark 200g, £14.95 The fruit and nuts are a nice addition. I think the almonds are meant to look like cocoa nibs. Clever. Sadly, the cocoa butter has separated hence the whitening on the shell 4/5 Marks & Spencer Dark in a box 50g, £2.99 A good, manageable size. I like the flavour and smell, I’m just not crazy about the chocolate disc as decoration 4/5 Photograph: Katherine Rose Photograph: guardian.co.uk Children's The best: Hotel Chocolat Egg & Soldiers £6.50 for 6 Ah, such British humour. The praline is very nice although they could do with making the ‘soldiers’ look a little more realistic 4/5 The rest: Marks & Spencer Percy Pig 200g, £2.99 I understand Percy is an institution and I am sure this is good value. The chocolate is a little pedestrian, but children would still love it 3/5 Bettys By Post Milk Chocolate with Duck 180g, £12.50, bettysbypost.com Very shiny. This must have been brushed with cocoa butter and buffed with a cloth. Fresh and milky tasting 3/5 Fortnum & Mason Children's White Chocolate 227g, £22.50 Very, very sweet and very pretty but it’s rich. Far too rich for children I think 2/5 Photograph: Katherine Rose Photograph: guardian.co.uk Fairtrade The best: Waitrose Dark Chocolate 250g, £12.99 The quality of the chocolate isn’t brilliant. As it’s fairtrade though, you mustn't grumble 4/5 The rest: Green & Black’s Maya Dark Chocolate 180g, £4.99, Waitrose You can taste the cocoa nibs in here although it’s a little too sweet for my palate 3/5 Co-op Organic Milk Chocolate 210g, £7.50 Sweet, rich in cocoa butter and you can taste the cocoa. It's not brilliant but commendable 3/5 Thorntons Organic Milk Chocolate about 180g, £6.50 Sadly this smells a little old. A bit like oxidised chocolate and, dare I say it, it tastes a little cheap 2/5 Photograph: Katherine Rose Photograph: guardian.co.uk