Easter falls on the fifth of April in 2026, and the chocolatiers have been moulding since February. The egg is the one object where a chocolate house shows what it can do with a mould, a brush and an idea.
The chocolate egg is a nineteenth-century invention made possible by moulds and by the conche that made chocolate smooth enough to cast. Today it is the showpiece of the chocolate year, and the houses of this guide treat it as a collection.
Paris
Patrick Roger sculpts eggs the size of a child and fills his turquoise windows with them; Pierre Marcolini releases a numbered collection; La Maison du Chocolat makes the elegant one; Jacques Genin fills his with caramels. The palaces join in: the eggs of Le Meurice and the Ritz are announced in March and sold at the counters.
London, Zurich, Vienna
Paul A. Young and Rococo make the London eggs; Sprüngli, Teuscher and Läderach fill Zurich with hares and eggs in March; Altmann & Kühne hides its miniatures in painted eggs. In Mallorca, Easter is the season of the panades and the crespells at Fornet de la Soca.
Buying and keeping
Order the sculpted pieces two weeks ahead; keep chocolate at 16 to 18 degrees, never in the fridge, and eat filled eggs within a month. A hollow dark egg keeps until summer, if anyone lets it.
Frequently asked questions
When is Easter 2026?
Sunday 5 April 2026; the collections appear in the shops from mid-March.
How should I store a chocolate egg?
At 16 to 18 degrees in a dry place, never in the fridge; filled eggs within a month.
