Last year at Easter, Lara was about 9 months old and I wasn't entirely convinced that chocolate of any sort was an ideal weaning food. I was quite strict about not allowing family members to ply her with chocolate (we'd already had a few Mars Planets sugar-highs from a certain naughty Aunty by this time). However, being the Mellow mummy that I am, I did allow her just a little bit of chocolate at Easter! This year we are letting people buy Lara Easter Gifts if they wish but we'll try not to let her eat a whole one in a single sitting to avoid the inevitable mess and resultant sugar-fuelled frenzy. We've been trying out some of the Easter range from Hotel Chocolat and they have a couple of products that are perfect for little ones, or for whole families.
The first egg we tried was a milk chocolate Happy Egg & Tiddly Pot. I thought this was perfect for Lara as an easter gift for children because it is small and not over the top. The egg was a good size for Lara to have on its own as a treat after dinner (although actually it could probably make two puddings if your child didn't have an appetite quite like mine!). The little pot of rabbit- and chick-shaped chocolate tit-bits was a nice touch. You could put it away in a cupboard and bring it out after Easter when all the previous fuss about chocolates had disappeared. Or... like me... you could eat them yourself when your child has gone to bed! Oops.
The other egg that we tried was more of a family-egg which worked really well for us. We tried one of their 'You Crack Me Up' thick easter eggs is a scrumptious and incredibly thick traditional egg on the outside but filled with little chocolates in the shapes of smiley eggs, chicks and rabbits. Mellow Mummy and Daddy really enjoyed the main egg because it was very grown-up from the smart Hotel Chocolat packaging right through to the sumptuous chocolate inside. Thick milk chocolate blended with just a touch of white chocolate on one side of the egg. Lara loved the treats inside this cheery egg because of their irresistible smiley faces and the interesting fillings such as praline or fruity centres. The little chocolates on the inside were a good size for me to offer Lara in a single sitting... a special-treat size. Interestingly enough, Hotel Chocolat themselves descibe this chocolate egg as 'Mellow' – must be a match made in heaven?!
So how about you, will you be letting your little ones try just a tiny bit of chocolate over the Easter holidays?
The first egg we tried was a milk chocolate Happy Egg & Tiddly Pot. I thought this was perfect for Lara as an easter gift for children because it is small and not over the top. The egg was a good size for Lara to have on its own as a treat after dinner (although actually it could probably make two puddings if your child didn't have an appetite quite like mine!). The little pot of rabbit- and chick-shaped chocolate tit-bits was a nice touch. You could put it away in a cupboard and bring it out after Easter when all the previous fuss about chocolates had disappeared. Or... like me... you could eat them yourself when your child has gone to bed! Oops.
The other egg that we tried was more of a family-egg which worked really well for us. We tried one of their 'You Crack Me Up' thick easter eggs is a scrumptious and incredibly thick traditional egg on the outside but filled with little chocolates in the shapes of smiley eggs, chicks and rabbits. Mellow Mummy and Daddy really enjoyed the main egg because it was very grown-up from the smart Hotel Chocolat packaging right through to the sumptuous chocolate inside. Thick milk chocolate blended with just a touch of white chocolate on one side of the egg. Lara loved the treats inside this cheery egg because of their irresistible smiley faces and the interesting fillings such as praline or fruity centres. The little chocolates on the inside were a good size for me to offer Lara in a single sitting... a special-treat size. Interestingly enough, Hotel Chocolat themselves descibe this chocolate egg as 'Mellow' – must be a match made in heaven?!
So how about you, will you be letting your little ones try just a tiny bit of chocolate over the Easter holidays?
