Easter is on the doorstep and, I don't know about you, but when I think about Easter I think about Easter eggs!

As a child, I remember walking past my local pasticceria in awe as I admired giant handmade Easter eggs with colourful spring themed patterns! People have been giving their loved ones Easter eggs for hundreds of years as they are a symbol of birth, new beginnings and life. And with handmade eggs you can pick your surprise!

More expensive than usual supermarket eggs, these are crafted by expert chocolatiers able to blend unusual flavours into the chocolate as well as creating artistic works.

This year the Bompiani patisserie in Rome has made the headlines for creating "egg sculptures" inspired by great literary figures. But if this is too complex for your chocolate palate, Ernst Knam, a Milan based chocolatier, became famous for his chocolate handmade flamingoes and his original animal shaped eggs!

Shop around and you will see that there really is an egg for everyone!

Pictures below show eggs by Bompiani, Ernst Knam and Gallucci.