Anyone for a banana bread chai-infused Easter egg? How Gen Z shoppers are splashing out on wacky versions of traditional festive treat

Chai tea, miso and banana bread flavours are not traditionally associated with Easter – but chocolate fans will find all of them in this year’s eggs.

Unusual and exotic tastes are being employed to entice consumers amid rising chocolate prices.

The Mail reported last week on a new trend for Easter eggs in unusual shapes, with everything from croissants to cavapoo dogs replacing the traditional oval.

But even when this year’s eggs are the regular shape, they are unlikely to be chocolate flavoured – and may also have an unusual texture, with nuts, biscuits or fruit pieces embedded in the shell.

Experts believe brands are trying to attract younger shoppers who want flavoured, textured and colourful chocolates like those promoted by social media influencers.

Young people are the most likely to spend big on extravagant eggs, with research by MyVoucherCodes finding Britons aged 25 to 34 were willing to spend an average of £8.28 per egg – a quarter more than the national average across all ages of £6.67.

We are expected to buy up to 80million Easter eggs this year, spending an estimated £2billion on chocolate and other treats.

This year, supermarkets like Aldi and Asda are offering flavoured honeycomb pretzel eggs (for £4.99 and £9.98 respectively), containing bits of pretzel.

The tea brand Bird & Blend is selling a banana bread chai infused egg, as well as a vivid green matcha-infused white chocolate version, both for £25.

And independent chocolate brand Cox&Co is selling a miso and caramel vegan dark chocolate flat egg via Amazon for £12.

Experts said brands were launching new versions to keep up with social media-driven demand for flavoured, textured and colourful chocolate.

When chocolate brand Lindt launched its own version in December, fans queued for up to ten hours outside its shops in Germany to get hold of it.

Chocolatier Bala Croman, who has run independent store The Chocolate Cellar on the Wirral for 20 years, said the Dubai bar trend had ‘got everyone thinking we can do things a bit differently’.

‘[Retailers] have gone a bit mad with what they are doing with Easter eggs,’ she said. ‘Most years some do something a bit different but it’s definitely more this year – and that’s all driven by social media.’

She said while her older customers were still buying traditional eggs for their grandchildren, younger shoppers wanted ‘what they have seen on TikTok’.

Lulu Grimes, managing editor of magazine and website Good Food, agrees. She and her team have taste-tested more than 100 Easter eggs this year.

She said: ‘Flavour and texture have been used as a way of bringing interest [to plain Easter eggs] for a while but the embellishment has become more and more overt.’

The trend has also marked pistachio as a ‘luxury’ flavour. One of the most expensive eggs available this Easter is the Marchesi 1824 pistachio egg, which is coated on the inside with pistachio granules. It costs £96 for 250g.

High-end brand Melt’s Pistachio & Kataifi Breton Egg – a twist on the Dubai bar – costs £69.99 and is made of thick chocolate rings, meaning it weighs a hefty 700g.

Giles Atwell, co-founder of fresh chocolatiers Russell & Atwell, said the record high price of chocolate was also driving manufacturers to add in other ingredients.

‘Cocoa prices are at historic highs [due to a smaller crop, caused by disease and climate change], so whereas many more exotic ingredients would have previously been expensive, they may now be cheaper than cocoa and there is a greater incentive for manufacturers to use them,’ he added.

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