Seasonal Easter eggs have not always been what we see on our shop shelves today.
In this post we take a look at the history of Easter egg design; from hand painted designs, to gold leaf and edible glitter!
Easter eggs were once a rare luxury, with the very first produced in the UK by Cadbury’s and Fry’s in the 1870s. The eggs were advertised as a luxury gift or treat for the consumer as each egg had to be hand-painted into moulds by chocolatiers, leading to a very slow and small production. Although the majority of these first eggs were lacking any exterior design, some did display some tasteful, hand-made chocolate flowers and linear etchings (see image, ‘Turn of the century Cadbury’s Easter Egg advertisement’).
It was not until an entire century later that what we are now more used to seeing were produced – hollow chocolate eggs, with a mixture of designs. Our ever-popular chocolatiers knew they needed to increase production and therefore change tact. Chocolate eggs were finally available for the mass markets! High production numbers meant costs could be cut and therefore the final sale price was reduced.
Instead of chocolatiers targeting the adult, luxury market, the majority turned their attentions to children, and to those who would buy the chocolate for them. Packaging was much brighter and demanded attention, and the egg itself seemed to take a back seat. Size was all that mattered – bigger was better! Cadbury’s famously adopted a ‘crocodile finish’ to most eggs, which helped to disguise any imperfections caused in the factory-produced, cheaper chocolate.
Now, we jump ahead to the last 5-10 years… a very exciting, new chapter in the life of Easter Eggs. Size still matters, but more so than ever so does design (on the egg, in the egg and the all-important packaging)!
Today, you can buy just about any ‘Easter Egg’ you could ever desire;
- Chocolate eggs
- Avocado eggs
- Vegan eggs
- Gluten free eggs
- Cheese eggs
- Ostrich sized eggs
- Golden eggs
The choice is truly yours!
However, we have done a bit of the leg work for you. Here are a few of our favourites which might temp you…
