SPHERE Curates: Best London Chocolatiers Easter 2023

Easter chocolate needs to be taken seriously. That means not rushing round picking up Dairy Milk eggs for everybody the night before. So here is a guide to some of our top picks this year from a handful of London's finest chocolatiers from Harrods to Alain Ducasse, to help you get it right. We have chocolate for the vegan in your life, the person who likes to keep things classic and for someone who is wowed by a more artisanal egg.

Le Chocolat Alain Ducasse

Straight from the master of chocolate, Alain Ducasse and the mind of French designer, Pierre Tachon comes these uniquely shaped eggs. Made from the purest of chocolate and embellished with hidden praline features, these eggs are the epitome of contemporary art meets gourmet nuttiness.

The Large Turned Easter egg (£51) - in 45% milk or 75% dark chocolate with 18 praline chocolates 

Multifaceted egg (£35) - in 45% milk or 75% dark chocolate with almond hazelnut praline layers

Pierre Marcolini 

DIY luxury chocolate? No artisan chocolatier experience required, only two hands and some simple craftsmanship to build your own intricate Belgian chocolate water lily by Pierre Marcolini. Ideal for the yearly gingerbread house makers who still want some of that do-it-yourself action when Easter comes along.

Create your own water lily (£55) - Milk praline base, 18 milk and dark petals, dark chocolate centre and instructions included 

Melt London

Vegan chocolate doesn't have to be restrictive. Both environmentally conscious yet delectable, Melt has you covered with the return of their award-winning luxury vegan and dairy-free Easter eggs. Bringing their stance on being decorative with their eggs to another level, from wild flowers to taking the form of a berry - Melt also offer a team building Easter egg decorating class at their Notting Hill chocolatier to test your creative flair. 

Wild flower vegan Easter egg  (£49.99) - Made from single-origin Bolivian dark chocolate and adorned with edible wild flowers 

Strawberry vegan Easter egg (£34.99) - Top rated by PETA, made with real strawberries and 70% dark chocolate

Maison Samadi 

More than an egg, this is a glass egg filled with even more eggs. Family-run Maison Samadi have delivered the ultimate showstopper that encapsulates the traditional Easter feel for London's most extravagant. Think terrarium meets chocolate. 

Assorted Easter chocolate in large glass egg  (£149.50) - Includes one extra large milk chocolate egg and thirteen small eggs in varied flavours from orange to salted caramel.

Pierre Herme

Pierre Herme's Easter range derives inspiration from the gods, the Aztec gods that is. If you can't get yourself to the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City this Easter, the Pierre de Soleil egg (£65) is a close second option to see (and then eat) Aztec art masterpiece, the sun stone. Similarly, the Empreinte egg (£43) with pre-columbian sculpted masks carved into it is also a more cultured approach to an Easter egg. 

Both available in Belize dark chocolate or Pierre Herme Paris milk chocolate and filled with small hazelnut praline eggs. 

Claridges 

Five-star Mayfair hotel Claridge's keep their Easter chocolate portfolio simple with just one egg available in dark, Valrhona milk or white chocolate. Each are carefully hand crafted over three days down to the tempering, art-deco foiling and black satin bow. Filled with praline gulls eggs and presented in a jade gift box, this is the clear option for classic glamour and luxury. 

Pre-order a Claridge's Easter egg (£65)

Harrods 

From within the dazzling light-lined walls of Harrods comes a grand feathery creation. The Easter showstopper peacock feather egg (£250) weighs in at nearly two kilos of their signature bread and butter praline lined milk chocolate egg.

Dusted in gold with intricate peacock feather decor, this the most lavish egg on the market this year. What is more, hidden in the drawer are sixteen bon bons hand-made by Harrods chocolatiers. 

Venchi

Italian chocolatier Venchi have tailored their gourmet Easter selection to cater to the nuttiest of nut-lovers! With some of the eggs being fully encrusted with whole nuts or combined with cocoa nibs and toffee to make their chocoviar coating - this is the closest you'll ever find yourself to a caviar coated Easter egg. 

Chocoviar pistachio chocolate egg (£50) - white chocolate with pistachios, toffee and cacao nibs 

Caramel & salted almonds gourmet chocolate egg (£66) - caramel chocolate with salted roasted whole almonds