This year, I went on my own kind of Easter egg hunt. Instead of running around the garden looking for eggs left out by the Easter bunny, I was stalking supermarket shelves in search of eggs that give you the best bang for your buck.
With droughts and climate change causing a fall in cocoa production, the price of chocolate has risen across the board. ‘Chocflation’ is everywhere but particularly felt with the larger eggs, where fancy packaging also bumps up the cost.
Some context first. Let’s talk about Cadbury Dairy Milk. In Dunnes Stores and Tesco, a 180g Dairy Milk chocolate bar retails at €2.75. That is your standard bar, no fancy packaging. This translates as1.5c per gram of chocolate (c/g).
In recent years, you may have noticed that Dairy Milk has been given a seasonal glow-up. Its two cousins hopped onto the scene. First, the 360g Mini Egg bar (released in 2021) scanning in at €6 in Dunnes Stores, that’s 1.67c/g.
Second, the Cadbury Creme Egg bar hit the shelves in 2023. It weighs123g and costs €3 in Lidl, 2.4c/g. The takeaway here: even when the base chocolate is the same, special Easter editions carry a price premium.
Best value for money
‘Go big or go home’ is not the rule of the game when it comes to Easter eggs. The small 96g eggs you see for €2 in Tesco and €1.99 in Lidl are the best value for money. Using the Lidl price, they work out at 2c/g of chocolate.
At the time of writing, they are also included in supermarket deals – 3 for €4 in Tesco and 3 for €3 in Lidl. That means if you were to buy three eggs as part of the Lidl deal, it costs 1.04c/g of chocolate – good value.
Every supermarket has their own offers. Another good deal spotted in Dunnes Stores was the 3 for €10 deal on the 195g Cadbury Large Creme Egg. Individually priced at €4, it costs 2.05c/g but if you purchase the deal, it works out at 1.7c/g, nearly half the price.
At €4 in Dunnes Stores, Cadbury Creme Egg Large Easter Egg 195g is a good deal. Even better when purchased as
Chocolate matters
What also quickly becomes clear is the mark-up on these eggs vary considerably. You might see people scooping eggs up in the 4 for €10 clubcard deal in Tesco, popping four different varieties of chocolate in the trolley: Mars Bar, Galaxy Minstrels, Twix and Cadbury Chocolate Buttons, to name but a few. They are all available
in the Tesco deal. But if you are to buy them individually, this price is a lot more. At €7.50, the Twix Easter Egg comes out worst value for money at 170g (4.4c/g) while Galaxy Minstrels Easter egg [pictured above] is the best value at 204g (3.7c/g).
Varieties like Cadbury Crunchie and Cadbury Giant Buttons fall somewhere in the middle, weighing 190g (3.9c/g) and 195g (3.8c/g) respectively. The mark-up on these eggs is huge if you buy them in Tesco at €7.50 (priced individually at €3.49 in Lidl) but the special clubcard offer of 4 for €10 makes it worthwhile.
Don’t eat with your eyes
Larger eggs may have more of that ‘wow’ appeal, but don’t be fooled by the promise of more chocolate. Per gram of chocolate, you pay more.
In Dunnes Stores, the Cadbury Chunky Ultimate Egg looks jazzy and has an equally flashy price tag (€16) to match. Weighing 400g, it scans in at 4c/g – that is nearly four times the prices per gram of chocolate compared to the smaller eggs.
You may have also seen the new ‘Incredible Egg’ range launched by Nestlé this year, promising an extra thick chocolate shell to make the chocolate smash on Easter morning even more ‘incredible’. Are they worth it?
In Tesco, they are priced at €15 (or €10 as part of the clubcard deal). The Smarties Mini Eggs Incredible Egg (380g) and the KitKat Choc Brownie Incredible Egg (384g) without a clubcard therefore cost 3.9c/g once you break it down. Not so incredible, after all.
Smaller eggs offer a better deal per gram of chocolate than the larger novelty eggs. Supermarkets also often run multi-buy promotions on smaller eggs, bringing the price down further.A little bit of planning can help you stretch your budget further, so stock up on the eggs when you spot a supermarket deal.Always check the packaging to see which elements can be recycled.
This year, I went on my own kind of Easter egg hunt. Instead of running around the garden looking for eggs left out by the Easter bunny, I was stalking supermarket shelves in search of eggs that give you the best bang for your buck.
With droughts and climate change causing a fall in cocoa production, the price of chocolate has risen across the board. ‘Chocflation’ is everywhere but particularly felt with the larger eggs, where fancy packaging also bumps up the cost.
Some context first. Let’s talk about Cadbury Dairy Milk. In Dunnes Stores and Tesco, a 180g Dairy Milk chocolate bar retails at €2.75. That is your standard bar, no fancy packaging. This translates as1.5c per gram of chocolate (c/g).
In recent years, you may have noticed that Dairy Milk has been given a seasonal glow-up. Its two cousins hopped onto the scene. First, the 360g Mini Egg bar (released in 2021) scanning in at €6 in Dunnes Stores, that’s 1.67c/g.
Second, the Cadbury Creme Egg bar hit the shelves in 2023. It weighs123g and costs €3 in Lidl, 2.4c/g. The takeaway here: even when the base chocolate is the same, special Easter editions carry a price premium.
Best value for money
‘Go big or go home’ is not the rule of the game when it comes to Easter eggs. The small 96g eggs you see for €2 in Tesco and €1.99 in Lidl are the best value for money. Using the Lidl price, they work out at 2c/g of chocolate.
At the time of writing, they are also included in supermarket deals – 3 for €4 in Tesco and 3 for €3 in Lidl. That means if you were to buy three eggs as part of the Lidl deal, it costs 1.04c/g of chocolate – good value.
Every supermarket has their own offers. Another good deal spotted in Dunnes Stores was the 3 for €10 deal on the 195g Cadbury Large Creme Egg. Individually priced at €4, it costs 2.05c/g but if you purchase the deal, it works out at 1.7c/g, nearly half the price.
At €4 in Dunnes Stores, Cadbury Creme Egg Large Easter Egg 195g is a good deal. Even better when purchased as
Chocolate matters
What also quickly becomes clear is the mark-up on these eggs vary considerably. You might see people scooping eggs up in the 4 for €10 clubcard deal in Tesco, popping four different varieties of chocolate in the trolley: Mars Bar, Galaxy Minstrels, Twix and Cadbury Chocolate Buttons, to name but a few. They are all available
in the Tesco deal. But if you are to buy them individually, this price is a lot more. At €7.50, the Twix Easter Egg comes out worst value for money at 170g (4.4c/g) while Galaxy Minstrels Easter egg [pictured above] is the best value at 204g (3.7c/g).
Varieties like Cadbury Crunchie and Cadbury Giant Buttons fall somewhere in the middle, weighing 190g (3.9c/g) and 195g (3.8c/g) respectively. The mark-up on these eggs is huge if you buy them in Tesco at €7.50 (priced individually at €3.49 in Lidl) but the special clubcard offer of 4 for €10 makes it worthwhile.
Don’t eat with your eyes
Larger eggs may have more of that ‘wow’ appeal, but don’t be fooled by the promise of more chocolate. Per gram of chocolate, you pay more.
In Dunnes Stores, the Cadbury Chunky Ultimate Egg looks jazzy and has an equally flashy price tag (€16) to match. Weighing 400g, it scans in at 4c/g – that is nearly four times the prices per gram of chocolate compared to the smaller eggs.
You may have also seen the new ‘Incredible Egg’ range launched by Nestlé this year, promising an extra thick chocolate shell to make the chocolate smash on Easter morning even more ‘incredible’. Are they worth it?
In Tesco, they are priced at €15 (or €10 as part of the clubcard deal). The Smarties Mini Eggs Incredible Egg (380g) and the KitKat Choc Brownie Incredible Egg (384g) without a clubcard therefore cost 3.9c/g once you break it down. Not so incredible, after all.
Smaller eggs offer a better deal per gram of chocolate than the larger novelty eggs. Supermarkets also often run multi-buy promotions on smaller eggs, bringing the price down further.A little bit of planning can help you stretch your budget further, so stock up on the eggs when you spot a supermarket deal.Always check the packaging to see which elements can be recycled. 
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