Easter Egg Graveyard

As Easter approaches, I begin to wonder what happens to all those surplus Easter eggs once their window of opportunity has closed? I began to ponder this last week as I was greeted in a supermarket by a veritable wall of Easter eggs, stacked taller than me (although that’s not hard considering my limited stature), box on box on box, all shiny, colourful and full of chocolate promise.

This construction is probably mirrored all over the country in all types of retail establishments. I thought, surely, they can’t all be sold by Easter. Even with a panoply of eager egg eaters out there, there must be excess, those that are surplus to requirements? As they pass their day of glory and are consigned to the Easter egg Graveyard. What happens to them? 

I am certain many will be discounted to the joy of chocolate lovers everywhere, who care not a jot, the form their cocoa fix takes, but surely not all of them, what happens to the rest? Are these eggs melted down and reformed into other novelty shaped items? Could their shelf life be extended to become penguins and Santa’s for the Christmas season? Perhaps repackaged into items for children’s themed parties that improvise on the half egg shape, stick a sail in for the Owl and the Pussy Cat or the Wind in the Willows? Or better still a saucy morsel for seaside novelty shops, edible bra anyone?

This is all a long way from the original Easter eggs produced by Mr Cadbury in the 1870’s. These eggs were made with dark chocolate and unlike today, manufactured on a moderate scale, which may have avoided egg obsolescence and thus appealed to his Quaker sensibilities.

Today many palates prefer high fat and sugar content in their chocolate, creating a different texture and sweetness which may taste good but also results in a high calorie hit and less cocoa content, which is where some nutritional benefits are found, if your chocolate has a higher cocoa content, around 70%, it usually has less fat and sugar and can also bestow some health benefits. 

We are affected by the chemicals contained in chocolate, in particular the compound phenylethylamine which stimulates neurotransmitters to release dopamine, associated with feelings of satisfaction and happiness. 

Dark chocolate eaten in moderation, maybe 1oz daily, particularly raw chocolate, can have benefits for the cardiovascular system. Flavanols in chocolate have been shown to assist production of nitric oxide which helps to relax vessels and restore flexibility to arteries, in doing so helps improve blood flow. 

We hope you enjoy your chocolate fix and if it’s the right kind, we may be able to quote Katharine Hepburn proudly and not ruefully, when she said,

 “What you see before you, my friend, is the result of a life time of chocolate.”

If we have whet your appetite for further discovery, keep in mind that we create interactive experiential workshops and events embracing our 8 elements - Nourish, Move, Rest, Love, Learn, Laugh, Gratitude, Contribute - exploring a myriad of ways to enhance your health and happiness. 8 in the Universe

Cover Image – Volker Kraft decorates a tree with 9,200 Easter eggs in his garden in Saalfeld, Germany. The Kraft family have decorated their tree with Easter eggs for more than 40-years – via The Telegraph, March 30th 2009.

Image 1 - Girl eating a chocolate egg, 1938 by Fox/Getty Images. 

Image 2 - Vintage Cadbury’s Cocoa advertisement “Not Beaten”

Image 3 - Woman eating dark chocolate – source unknown.

Image 4 - Katherine Hepburn from the film, The Philadelphia Story, 1940.

#Chocolate #Easter #Eggs #Cadbury #Cocoa #Wellbeing #Happiness #Neurotransmitters #Cardiovascular #Health #Benefits