Easter has become a byword for gorging on confectionery until it hurts. For a brief stint in April, we indulge in chocolate, sweets, and hot cross buns to the point we can barely move. Hey, some traditions are worth suffering for...

For many Christians, Easter remains one of the most important date ranges in the mainstream calendar. Celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ after some rather rough treatment courtesy of the Romans, eggs quickly became a symbol of Christ's return. When it came to Lent, eggs were the only food group not to spoil. As such, they made for cheap and edible gifts during religious celebrations. With culture's onward march towards consumerism, it was only a matter of time before eggs became chocolate to appeal to the masses. Not that we are complaining, of course.

Which came first, chicken or chocolate?

Although contemporary Easter Eggs are covered in tinfoil and sold mainly for profit, the original tradition was to decorate hard boiled chicken eggs and use them for Easter hunts and games. These festivities are still undertaken by local communities, except the mission has changed slightly. Instead of searching for painted eggs to cherish, the aim is to locate the chocolate goodies and devour them as quickly as is humanly possible. Just as we do here at TRDP once the sandwich van arrives.

Did you know that 80 million chocolate Easter Eggs are sold each year? Well, you do now. That's enough to make up 10% of Britain's annual chocolate spend, and equivalent to every child in the UK receiving 8.8 chocolate eggs each - double their recommended calorie intake for a week. Nobody wants that many hyper children to cope with.

Back in 2011, the tallest Easter Egg was crafted on Italian soil at a staggering size of 10.39 meters high; weighing in at 7,200 kg. That's around four and half times the weight of an average car.

Top-Selling Egg products:

1. Cadbury Creme Egg Medium Egg
2. Cadbury Mini Egg Bag
3. Kinder Surprise Large Egg
4. Cadbury Creme Egg
5. Mars Medium Egg

The Top-Selling Brands:

Cadbury continues to be the number one choice brand at Easter, with 20% total of sales, followed by 8% sales of Nestle, with Haribo close by with 5% sales.

1. Cadbury
2. Nestle
3. Haribo
4. Wrigley's
5. Galaxy
6. Kinder
7. Maltesers
8. Maynards Bassetts
9. Swizzels
10. M&M's

*The data above is based on 2019 data from its first sale date (08/04/19-29/04/2019).