Marc De Champagne Egg - M&S

Marc De Champagne Egg

Remember that old saying, "All that glitters is not gold" and so it would seem with this Easter Egg purchased from Marks and Spencer earlier today. Beware and read the label carefully before purchasing one of these colourful eggs...unlike me. 

At a quick glance you may be forgiven for actually thinking that you are buying a chocolate egg filled with marc de champagne truffles. When in actual fact you are buying a decorative piece of cardboard, tied with a turquoise bow, in the shape of an egg filled with marc de champagne truffles. 

This attractive and eye catching Faberge style egg stands about 6.5" or 16.5 cm high and is filled with 10 marc de champagne truffles, approx. 145 g, sealed within a plastic bag to stop the icing sugar going all over the place. This particular egg has been earmarked as being part of "The Collection" which as far as I can make out could apply to anything from denim jeans or a pair of slingbacks. So, just another nonsensical marketing ploy to make you think somebody has selected this item for its uniqueness and quality.   

Made in Ireland

I've never been a great fan of Marks and Spencer truffles and this offering is very much the same old, same old, sugary and overly sweet concoction that I have come to expect from them. Each truffle is well made and covered liberally in icing sugar, perhaps best eaten naked. The soft sweet ganache is en-robed in a fairly thick casing of milk chocolate. I suggest you cut the truffle in half and scoop out the ganache with your tongue. 

The marc de champagne is not overpowering and adds a slightly pleasant alcoholic flavour. If only Marks and Spencer could cut down on the sugar and increase the cocoa content of their truffles then this might be a fairly pleasant experience. However, after the sugar hit you are left with a gloopy and slightly acidic feeling as it slides down your throat. Not the nicest of experiences and on reflection I've had more enjoyable sore throats.

Marc De Champagne Truffles - 30% Cocoa

I was disappointed from the start with this egg especially on discovering that there was no actual chocolate egg for me to crack open! So, staying objective was a problem from the beginning. However, the egg is well presented as are the champagne truffles. For the cost of £9.00 you do get a lovely egg shaped box and 10 'gob stopper' size champagne truffles. 

However, I feel that I could have done better with my money and perhaps I should have gone with a Percy Pig! However, if M&S is not your thing then here are a couple of examples of Easter chocolates available on the internet and high street:

This year's Easter gifts Chococo-style from £9.50...

Or

Something with imagination from Hotel Chocolat from £7.00...

Chocolate Union Jack Egg - Chococo

Just got back from a tour of the beautiful Essex countryside which is doing its best to move away from winter. I was trying to find a good farmers market but without much success. I've never organised a market myself but it makes sense to ensure that you have a good balance between craft and food stalls with similar stalls kept to a minimum. You can understand why stallholders throw their hands up when they arrive at a market and there are 4 others selling the same produce. If you come across any good markets in Essex let me know. Ok, lets get back to the main attraction.......


Chococo - I haven't featured any of their award winning handmade chocolates  before and I couldn't resist buying one of their chocolate eggs when the opportunity was presented. Based in the lovely town of Swanage, Dorset, Claire and Andy Burnet started their business in 2002. I believe that in a previous life Claire was a big shot in marketing, this really shines through today. What I like about this company is their passion for producing excellent chocolate confections. I've never met either of them but it's interesting how a website and a product can exude confidence, trust and passion all at the same time. They have cleverly tapped into the truly local aspect of their business. Innovatively bringing local peoples ideas and recipes to life and incorporating these into their range. At the same time the use of colour and eye catching packaging has made it an instant winner. Their business is about provenance, purity and freshness and I'm sure this has paid dividends in their growth.  Whilst many Chocolatiers around the country have huge highs and lows in terms of income Chococo have diversified. I believe they now have their own coffee shop and even supply to the likes of Harvey Nicholas and Selfridges. Will we see Chococo stores in other parts of the UK?

Chococo is not just about good chocolate as the picture above demonstrates. Their packaging is some of the best I've seen in the UK for a long time. It's fun and colourful adding to the enjoyment of giving somebody a superb and hopefully delicious gift. Chococo the brand.


The Chocolate: This egg is stunning to look and I don't really want to break it but I know I have to at some point. To make this egg 41% Venezuelan milk chocolate finished with a layer of white chocolate and decorated in naturally coloured white chocolate. Inside the egg has been studded with crunchy dried strawberries and raspberries. The white chocolate is of good quality and is probably Icoa with a 34% cocoa butter. As you would expect all the colouring used to make the Union Jack is 100% natural no nasty preservatives here! 

Ok, I'm going to smash it now! It actually takes a bit of bashing to break this egg. The best way is to turn it on its side and Karate chop along the seem. I'm sure you'll work it out!


The thin white layer of sweet chocolate mixes well with the thicker layer of milk chocolate which has been studded with plenty of dried raspberries. These provide crunch and zing at the same time help to offset the sweetness of the chocolate. I've just eaten half an egg without even thinking so back in the box for you. My only request would be that their should have been a little bag of milk chocolate buttons hidden inside. But that is me just being greedy and harking back to my youth.


I really like this egg and would have eaten all 175g in matter of minutes had I not had more self control. I enjoyed everything about this egg and it scores maximum points for me in terms of presentation and taste. I was lucky to buy this egg at a discounted price but it normally retails at £12.95 including postage and packing. Money well spent in my opinion. 


To treat your friends and family this Easter visit their website here.