Easter – and some serious spring indulgence – is just a month away, putting seasonal treats such as Simnel cake, hot cross buns and chocolate eggs galore on the menu.
The Good Housekeeping Institute 2026 Easter Taste Test has unveiled its verdict on the best Easter products on sale in UK stores, following its biggest ever blind taste test, which saw 226 products – 34 more than last year – pass the lips of its expert testers.
The research majored on chocolate eggs, testing out 104 of them to help shoppers on their way.
Every Easter egg faced criteria that considered four factors: appearance, aroma, texture and flavour, with each of the chocolate gifts reviewed gaining a score out of 100.
So, which one shouldn’t you miss in 2026? Sainsbury’s topped the scoring with its Taste the Difference ‘The Mint One’ Belgian Dark Chocolate Egg, which notched up an impressive 89 to win the ‘dark chocolate’ category.
The expert panel said the egg was a ‘beautifully polished’ take on a classic flavour pairing.
Some 104 chocolate Easter eggs were tasted by the Good Housekeeping Institute as part of its taste test, with Lindt (second from left) and Sainsbury’s (top far left) earning the highest scores
The best milk egg went to Lindt…and its famous gold-wrapped rabbits. The Swiss choc giant’s egg and mini rabbits combo scooped the biggest score, getting 86 out of a hundred.
The panel said: ‘It wouldn’t feel like Easter without Lindt’s adorable gold bunnies’, and praised the silky-smooth milk chocolate.
When it comes to another Easter favourite, the hot cross bun section was the usual, erm, bun fight, with 48 tested.
Coffee giant Costa triumphed over the supermarkets with its Classic Hot Cross Buns, which retail in store (from tomorrow) at £2.40.
The aromatic bun scored 84 out of 100, with Waitrose and Iceland runners up in the traditional category.
Co-op’s Free From Hot Cross Buns scored the highest in the gluten-free category, while Waitrose was the winner, with its £8.50 Choc Full Egg, in the kids’ section.
Elsewhere, other high flyers in the taste test included Daylesford’s Organic Lamb Leg, which was voted the Best Meat Centrepiece and Lidl’s Honey Roast Hot Smoked Salmon, which won the Best Seafood Main category.
Easter Sunday lunch centrepieces were also featured, including salmon and lamb dishes
Callum Black, Deputy Head of Testing at the Good Housekeeping Institute, said of the brand’s biggest ever taste test: ‘It’s been another huge year for Easter at the Good Housekeeping Institute with a strong performance from the supermarkets in our Easter egg taste test.
‘Even under tough blind test conditions, our trusted grocers held their own against the biggest heritage brands.
‘Beyond the eggs, we’ve rigorously tested everything from hot cross buns to Easter Sunday mains for the long weekend and introduced a new Easter cake category for 2026. However you’re celebrating, our findings take the guesswork out of your shop and guarantee exceptional taste at every turn.’
Overall winner across all the categories was Waitrose, which was named the Best Supermarket for Easter 2026, after strong performances in Easter eggs, Meat Centrepieces, Hot Cross Buns and Easter Cakes & Bakes, with Aldi awarded the runner up spot.
GOOD HOUSEKEEPING’S EASTER TASTE TEST: THE RESULTS
Sainsbury’s The Mint One (pictured) was deemed ‘beautifully polished’ by the expert panel
Dark Chocolate Easter Egg
WINNER: Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference The Mint One Belgian Dark Chocolate, £10 for 230g
Score: 89/100
RUNNER-UP: Aldi Moser Roth Dark Ultimate Egg, £8.99 for 200g (available from 8th March)
Score: 86/100
Milk Chocolate Easter Egg
WINNER: Lindt Gold Bunny Milk Chocolate Easter Egg, £16 for 250g
Score: 86/100
RUNNER-UP: Hotel Chocolat Milk to Caramel Extra-Thick Easter Egg, £34.95 for 390g
Score: 85/100
Best Supermarket Milk Chocolate Egg
WINNER: Tesco Finest Double Layer Salted Pretzel Chocolate Egg £15 for 210g
Score: 81/100
Best Children’s Easter Egg
WINNER: Waitrose & Partners Choc Full Egg £8.50 for 215g
Score: 82/100
Best Vegan Easter Egg
WINNER: Exceptional by Asda Free From Raspberry & Dark Belgian Chocolate Easter Egg, £9.97 for 200g
Score: 82/100
HOT CROSS BUNS
Hot cross buns, including traditional and gluten-free varieties were also scored out of 100
Best Traditional Hot Cross Bun
WINNER: Costa Classic Hot Cross Buns, £2.40 each (Available from 5th March)
Score: 84/100
Best value traditional hot cross bun
WINNER: By Amazon Hot Cross Buns, £1.30 for 6
Score: 73/100
Best Flavoured Hot Cross Bun
WINNER: Lidl Deluxe Triple Chocolate Hot Cross Buns, £1.49 for 4
Score: 85/100
Best Gluten-Free Hot Cross Bun
WINNER: Co-op Free From Hot Cross Buns, £2.25 for 4
Score: 75/100
EASTER CAKES
Best Simnel Cake
WINNER: Meg Rivers Simnel Cake With Gift Tin, £38 for 900g
Score: 86/100
Best Value Simnel cake
WINNER: Asda Simnel Cake, £3.98 for 400g
Score: 70/100
Best Colomba cake
WINNER: Waitrose No.1 Italian Colomba Cake, £13 for 750g
Score: 83/100
BEST MEAT CENTREPIECE
WINNER: Daylesford Organic Lamb Leg, £36 for 1.5kg
Score: 86/100
Best Value meat centrepiece
WINNER: Lidl Deluxe Lamb Wellington, £5.99 for 600g
Score: 84/100
The full taste test results can be found on the Good Housekeeping UK website
