Easter Egg taste test 2014

We've sampled the top Easter eggs around to find out which is best for taste and value for money.

Easter is nearly upon us and that means it's time to pick up some Easter eggs. But with so many on offer it can be hard to pick, especially since you can’t really try before you buy!

Luckily, we’ve once again taken on the tough task of tasting these chocolaty treats from all the leading brands and supermarkets.

We've chomped our way through 11 different Easter eggs (it’s a tough job but someone’s got to do it) to find the ones to go for and the ones to avoid.

The results

Each of the 11 eggs were given a score of between one and 10 for taste. As we had 14 testers this year that meant each egg had the chance to rack up 140 points in total.

Below are the results of the 2014 test.

1st: Cadbury

Last year Cadbury took the runner's up position with its Dairy Milk Easter Egg, but this year it has stormed to the top spot with its Freddo Faces Egg, scoring 92 out of a possible 140 points. And at £1 for 96g, it’s reasonably priced too, ranking fourth when looking at cost per 100g.

Interestingly half of the taste testers only gave the egg a six out of 10, so weren’t overly impressed. One participant commented that the egg was "just right; bitter and smooth, nice and thick", while others described the taste as "average" and "decent enough".

Compare current accounts with lovemoney.com

Joint 2nd: Tesco and Sainsbury’s

The runner up spot goes to two eggs this year, Tesco’s Chokablok Eton Mess and Sainsbury’s Eric the Elephant, which both achieved 88 points

Opinion was divided over Tesco’s white chocolate egg. Some tasters sung its praises, saying it had a "lovely flavour, not too sweet with interesting berry bits", but others were of the opposite opinion commenting that it was "too fruity" and in one case "disgusting". The points reflected this polarisation, with two people awarding top marks (no other egg got ten out of ten) but two other tasters awarding a dismal one out of ten. In terms of value Tesco’s egg was the sixth cheapest.

Sainsbury’s Eric the Elephant egg got a more consistent response. One taster commented: "fantastic full flavour, I could eat loads of it!" while another simply said "yum!" That said, others decribed the taste as "average". The supermarket’s egg was also the cheapest out of the 11 tested and came with mini chocolate elephants to boot.

4th: Aldi

Next in our Easter egg taste test is budget supermarket Aldi.

Its Milk Chocolate Flame Egg achieved 87 points and was the second cheapest egg in terms of cost per 100g.

Tasters overall had positive things to say about this entry, with one commenting that it was "really nice" and others describing the taste as "very smooth", "creamy", "not too sweet" and "moreish". However, some weren’t fans of the orange flavouring.

Compare current accounts with lovemoney.com

5th: The Co-operative

The Co-operative, last year’s winner, only managed fifth place this time around. Its Popping Candy Egg achieved a total score of 84.5 and it was the third most expensive treat in our line-up.

Our tasters were split over the popping candy with one calling it "fun" and another saying it would be "great for kids". Not everyone agreed though, with one reviewer declaring "popping candy shouldn’t be in Easter eggs" and another saying the decoration was a "bit tough to chew".

6th: Lidl

Taking up the sixth position is Lidl with its Decorated Easter Hen, which scored 83 points and was the fifth cheapest out of our eggs.

Our tasters again were divided over the white and milk chocolate combination. One reviewer described the egg as a "nice, mouth coating chocolate", one reviewer said it was "rich and slightly dark", and another commented that the egg "tastes cheap, but I like that".

However, others were less impressed with one simply putting "yuck" and others describing it as "boring" or "dull".

Compare current accounts with lovemoney.com

Joint 7th: Nestlé and Marks & Spencer

Seventh place is a tie between Nestlé’s Milky Bar White Chocolate Egg and Marks & Spencer’s Milk Chocolate Decorated Egg, which both achieved a score of 82 points.

Nestle’s white chocolate egg was described as "a bit sickly" by one reviewer and "plasticky" by another. However, many recognised the taste as "classic". But it’s not cheap coming in at fourth most expensive when looking at cost per 100g.

M&S failed to impress our testers despite being the most expensive egg in our line-up. One said the egg "looked expensive but had a funny aftertaste", while others described it as "bland", "boring" and "too sweet". That said, it got some praise with two people giving it eight out of ten and saying it had a more expensive taste than the rest.

9th: Waitrose

The Waitrose Peppermint Dark Chocolate Egg came next with a score of 80, though it was the second most expensive egg in the test.

Many of the testers were appalled by the peppermint flavour. One taster described it as "like toothpaste - unacceptable!" and another "too minty, more like an Aero bar than an Easter egg". So if you're not a fan of mint this really won't be the egg for you.

10th: Mars

Mars came second from bottom with a score of 76 for ‘The Egg’. But it’s not an expensive mistake as it was the third cheapest egg we tested and came with two Mars bars.

Our reviewers thought the Mars egg tasted cheap. One tester said it had an "aftertaste like cardboard" and another said it was "slightly oily". Not the sort of quality you want for your Easter egg hunt!

Compare current accounts with lovemoney.com

11th: Asda

Finally in last place was Asda with its Extra Special Lustre Egg. It racked up a dismal 75.5 points in our test and was the fifth most expensive overall.

Testers thought the egg was a bit over the top. One said: "just too much going on, too many competing flavours" while another commented "looks impressive but unpleasant texture and crunch".

Conclusion

Our testers went for the more traditional Cadbury flavour this year, valuing its balanced taste over more extreme eggs with peppermint or popping candy.

More expensive eggs from Waitrose, Asda and M&S did poorly, so we wouldn’t recommend going for them.

Instead you can get more value for your money with Tesco, Sainsbury’s or Aldi.

Of course this is all just a bit of fun and not exactly the most scientific of tests. Let us know which eggs you've gone for this year and what you think of them.

Compare current accounts with lovemoney.com

More on food and shopping:

Frugal Food

The UK's best supermarket

How to boost your Tesco Clubcard points

Nectar points boost on offer throughout April

Hereforapound.com: the first online pound shop