I tested supermarket own-brand versions and found one better than Cadbury.
Mini eggs are my absolute weakness. I’m grateful they’re not available throughout the year, otherwise I’d be spending a ridiculous amount of money feeding my habit, but during Easter they’re the ideal chocolate treat.
The smell, the satisfying crunch, the cute pastel shades – they’re undoubtedly one of the best Easter sweets available. However, being a well-known brand, they’re not always cheap and can be tricky to find during this period. So I set out to sample several supermarket alternatives to discover whether any could beat the real thing.
Most leading supermarkets stock their own alternative version of this classic Easter treat and they’re all more affordable than the branded option. I chose to purchase different packets from Aldi, Lidl, M&S and Asda and was eager to begin testing as I’d never tried any of them before.
I also purchased a packet of Cadbury’s Mini Eggs – purely for comparative purposes, of course. I attempted to buy similarly-sized bags from each retailer and mostly succeeded – apart from Aldi where only larger packets were stocked Not that I was complaining.
I’m pleased to confirm that one packet truly outshone the others, including the original, and it’s fair to say I’ll be purchasing as many bags as feasible before Easter approaches.
Mini Eggs
I simply had to begin with the real thing. Clearly, I know how they taste but a reminder wouldn’t go amiss. It’s easy to see why these treats are so popular The moment the packet was opened, a delightful sugary aroma wafted out, making it impossible to resist tucking in straight away.
The texture strikes the perfect balance – satisfyingly crunchy without being overly firm – whilst the smooth chocolate centre is divine. As expected, Cadbury Mini Eggs become increasingly hard to find as Easter approaches. The 80g packets are currently unavailable at both Asda and Tesco, though they typically retail for approximately £2, equating to roughly £2.50 per 100g.
Asda
At Asda, the 80g packet of milk chocolate mini eggs set me back just £1.12 – working out at £1.40 per 100g, so a lot cheaper than Cadbury. That said, the lower price point was reflected in the taste. The characteristic sweet fragrance wasn’t there, and while the chocolate was still kind of creamy, it fell considerably short of the branded version. While not the poorest performers in my taste test, they certainly weren’t the best either. They secured a middling position in my rankings, earning them a score of 2.5/5.
Lidl
I feel like these should come with a warning! Be very careful when you bite into these, or you may end up breaking a tooth. This is almost what happened to me and it took several attempts for my poor teeth to crack through the impenetrable outer shell to get to the chocolate inside — and I’m not sure it was worth it.
The Mister Choc eggs, priced at £1.15 for 80g, were the second-cheapest out of the bunch. After I got over the initial shock of the texture, the taste was actually kind of nice, but nothing compared to the real thing. I’m scoring them one out of five.
Aldi
Aldi and Lidl tend to stock very similar products, so you best believe I was braced for impact when I bit into one of these eggs. Thankfully, they were nowhere near as hard, but they didn’t taste much better.
The Choceur Mini Eggs were the biggest bag that I bought, as there didn’t seem to be any smaller ones around. They cost £3.39 for 256g, or £1.32 per 100g. They were also decidedly mid-tier. The chocolate was a tad on the bland side, which I guess is better than it tasting bad, but it still isn’t great.
If you’re after a rich and creamy-tasting mini egg then I’d probably avoid these. I gave them a score of two out of five.
Marks and Spencer
Recent weeks have seen my social media feeds full of M&S speckled egg cookies and chocolate bars. While I’ve yet to sample either of those products, I’d actually never tried the eggs themselves until last week.
My first observation was their substantial size. There’s nothing mini about them whatsoever. They’re round and glossy like pebbles, and the chocolate to shell proportion is absolutely spot-on.
The filling astounded me as well. It dissolves instantly on the tongue, and they’re incredibly moreish too – perhaps even beating the authentic Cadbury Mini Eggs.
Better still, they’re more affordable, with a 90g bag priced at £1.79, or £1.94 per 100g. This is the brand to opt for if you’re in search of a solid Cadbury’s substitute.
I’m now even more eager to sample the cookies, chocolate bar, or any other speckled egg creations that the retailer comes up with. They receive a flawless five-star rating from me.
