The Best Easter Eggs For 2008

Do you still need to choose your Easter Eggs? Find out which eggs represent the best value for money, according to our panel of Foolish experts...

Here at The Fool, we believe in doing our research thoroughly.

And as Easter's just around the corner, the editorial team thought we'd help you out by completing an in-depth Easter egg investigation.

But rather than just highlighting the cheapest and most expensive eggs, we thought we'd look at exactly what you get for your money - and hopefully give you a few ideas.

With this in mind, I zoomed round some major high street stores and grabbed some of the more interesting specimens.

There were inevitably a bad few moments when it looked like an office riot might break out - but eventually everyone in the team had one egg in their hot little hands, and the tasting began.

The following eggs were put to the test:

It seems rising food prices may well take us by surprise this Easter. As this table shows, four out of seven Fools underestimated how much their eggs cost.  

Green & Black's Organic White Chocolate Egg - from Waitrose

Resident investment expert David Stevenson stepped up to the plate on this one.

David's verdict: "Unoriginal packaging... too sweet and sickly... although it's organic it doesn't taste as good as you'd expect."

He thought it was about the right size - in fact, his exact words were: "any bigger would be lethal" -but overall the egg failed to impress, and David concluded: "Would I pay good money for this egg? Probably not."

Suitable for? "An aged aunt."

Overall rating? 6/10

Worth £2.99? No

Belgian Milk Chocolate Orange Flavoured Egg with Milk Chocolate Truffle Mini Eggs - from Waitrose

Deputy Editor Donna Werbner took the Waitrose bull by the horns.

Donna's verdict: "There's a stripe of orange that looks like it was done by hand and I know Waitrose is quite upmarket, so I'd imagine it was quite expensive."

However, after she'd had a munch: "I like the orange bits but the rest is quite dull and boring... the egg's packaging said `orange' all over it - and the little eggs are covered in orange foil - but there is very little orange taste... in fact, overall it looks a lot better than it tastes!"

Suitable for? "An adult who likes orange chocolate (although they'd really have to like normal chocolate too, as it's mostly plain milk chocolate...)."

Overall rating? 6/10

Worth £9.99? No.

Finest Belgian Triple Chocolate Egg - from Tesco

This was demolished - I mean sampled - by Personal Finance Writer Neil Faulkner.

Neil's verdict: "From the side it looks like a shoe box, but front-on it's well-presented." And the chunks of chocolate half-embedded in the egg? "It looks like the egg is hatching them. Cool."

What about the taste? (Chomp chomp) "Can't talk. Eating." (Chomp munch) "Oh alright." (Swallow) "It tastes fine. Nice Belgian chocolate, but it's not transcendent."

Suitable for? "Your mum."

Overall rating? 8/10

Worth £7.49? No

Continental Egg With Viennese Truffles (option of personalised icing) - from Thorntons

News Writer Szu Ping Chan was throwing punches to get at this one, so let's see whether it lived up to expectations.

Szu's verdict: "Looks luxurious"... it would be my first port of call should I want to give someone a personalised egg."

But did it taste as good as it looks? "I was rather disappointed - it didn't taste like `Thorntons' -  more like Dairy Milk!" And the truffles? "Very sugary... not my thing."

Suitable for? "Your other half, mum or dad."

Overall rating? 8.5/10

Worth £12.99? Yes

Taste The Difference Equatorials Easter Eggs (set of three) - from Sainsbury's

Champion Shares tipster Maynard Paton dived in to see if they tasted as posh as they sound.

Maynard's verdict: "The concept of `equatorial' eggs is somewhat pretentious...of the three eggs, the two dark chocolate ones tasted the same, and the milk chocolate egg wasn't as pleasant as more `traditional' alternatives."

However, on the plus side they obviously look expensive: Maynard guessed they cost a whopping £15, when in fact they were just £5.99!

Suitable for? "Not children. Perhaps a 40-year-old, well-travelled hippy who rides a fair-trade bike and eats ethnic peace biscuits."

Overall rating? 5/10

Worth £5.99? No

Hand Decorated Belgian Milk Chocolate Egg with assorted chocolates - from Marks & Spencer

With our chocolate-smeared little faces nearing the finish line, Fool Editor Ed Bowsher manfully entered the fray with this one.

Ed's verdict: "Looks quite feminine, but nice." Taste-wise, the egg itself was "nice enough, but a bit bland". However, the assorted chocolates were a big hit, with Ed commenting: "These are lovely sophisticated chocolates. Ten out of ten!"

And good news for those watching their waistlines. Ed concludes: "I like the fact that there isn't masses of chocolate, so it won't be as fattening as some other eggs."

Suitable for? "Your mum, your aunt or your girlfriend."

Overall rating: 8/10

Worth 7.99? No

Sao Tome Dark Chocolate Egg with Dark Chocolates - from Marks & Spencer

We finished up with a sophisticated egg for a sophisticated lady, as Personal Finance Writer Jane Baker grappled with the final chocolate challenge.

Jane's verdict: "Looks-wise, it's very pretty - nice colours, butterflies etc - but it's exceptionally girly!" And the taste? "Bitter! But I think chocolate lovers would like it. The dark chocolates are all different, which is good."

Suitable for? "Girls only - mums, friends, sisters..."

Overall rating: 8/10

Worth £9.99? Yes

So what have we learnt?

As always, it's really down to personal taste. But it seems that often, the difference is in the packaging. The majority of our `expert panel' felt let down when it came to taste, and it seems that expensive eggs don't always mean yummier chocolate. And after finding out the real price of their chocolate treats, only two Fools said they'd be willing to spend that much on them in the shops.

So don't be seduced by fancy packaging. If it's quantity you're after, make sure you check out the total weight of chocolate on offer, which is always clearly marked on the box.

If it's quality you want, don't be stingy. Our most expensive egg, the £12.99 Continental Egg with Viennese Truffles from Thorntons, came top for overall quality (8.5/10) and was one of only two eggs deemed to be worth the amount it cost. The other was the Marks & Spencer Sao Tome Dark Chocolate Egg, and since this egg was £3 less than the Thornton's egg, it is our clear winner if you want value for money.

Finally, remember that the price of Easter eggs is always slashed just after the Easter weekend - so if you can afford to wait, there should be plenty of bargains to be had!