Poor harvests in extreme weather conditions have led to a tripling of cocoa prices – but farmers have seen no benefit

Around the world this holiday weekend, people will consume hundreds of millions of Easter eggs and bunnies, as part of an annual chocolate intake that can exceed 8kg (18lb) for every person in the UK, or 5kg in the US and Europe . But a global shortage of cacao – the seed from which chocolate is made – has brought warnings of a “ chocolate meltdown ” that could see prices increase and bars shrink further.

This week, cocoa prices rose to all-time highs on commodity exchanges in London and New York, reaching more than $10,000 a tonne for the first time, after the third consecutive poor harvest in west Africa. Ghana and Ivory Coast, which together produce more than half of the global cacao crop, have been hit by extreme weather supercharged by the climate crisis and the El Niño weather phenomenon. This has been exacerbated by disease and underinvestment in ageing plantations.

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A trip to Italy means delicious home comforts

I am in Italy. Parma, where my dad was from and now resides permanently. I hadn’t realised how much I needed to be looked after by (slightly) older Italian female relatives and be fed homemade pasta. It’s been a few years. Early morning in the countryside brings fog over the hills and a surreal air to everything. As the sun climbs, I go for a walk with my cousin. As we trek uphill, and I try to hide how out of breath I am, I see strange tracks in the dried mud (we need rain here). I query them. Wolves, very probably, my cousin says. There are many round here, you can hear them at night. I swallow slowly; there are lots of these tracks. I am glad it’s daylight and look ahead at the woods where apparently the wolves sleep during the day.

Later, my other cousin will tell me about a man found in a field with bite marks to his neck. He didn’t make it.

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A creamy, chocolatey, rum and raspberry treat for Easter

A sweet long sipper with a silky texture and a hint of chocolate – Easter in a glass.

Davide Valvano, Sabine, London EC4

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Gold 10g treat leaps ahead of rivals in Guardian survey, as maker says rising cost of cocoa is a challenge

It’s the bite-size bunny that could take a big chunk out of your Easter budget. Cost-conscious chocaholics might want to steer clear of Lindt’s tiniest golden rabbit after a Guardian investigation found that, pound for pound it seems to be the priciest Easter treat on supermarket shelves.

The Lindt Gold Bunny Mini Milk Chocolate weighs in at just 10g – it’s so light that when the Guardian went shopping it failed to register on the shop’s self-checkout. But price-wise it’s a heavyweight: across the main supermarkets we couldn’t find any Easter chocolate on sale at a higher cost for 100g.

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The cookbook author and TikTok creator – AKA @thekindnessechoes – shares her egg- and dairy-free takes on classic sweet treats

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Benjamina Ebuehi tastes and rates 2024’s batch of high street chocolate treats

BEST BUY
Chococo sapphire milk chocolate egg with Dorset sea salt caramel gems
£20, 250g, chococo.co.uk

This is a very good egg; really pretty, thick, good chocolate, a surprise inside – really good, salty caramels! I don’t know what I would improve.
★★★★★

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A difficult day is eased with a bun, nice stationery and a big glass of thick hot chocolate

I am in London and I have just done a very hard thing. I take time to decompress and regroup at Honey & Co ’s relatively new Bloomsbury branch, opposite which there is a Honey & Co Pop Up branch whence, just before Christmas, I got a delicious bar of their (seasonal) Honey & Spice chocolate made by Bare Bones.

This time I am here to eat a Bloomsbury bun (orange blossom, almonds) and drink a coffee while I take in the early-morning London scenes and look at the shiny-with-rain pavements. Everyone I meet is so nice to me, as if they can tell I have done a difficult thing and am soft-shelled.

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The use of bean water in your baking makes use of a miracle ingredient and saves money on expensive eggs, too

Today’s macaroons are easy and fun little treats using just a few store-cupboard ingredients. Whenever I use a can of beans (which, frankly, is most days), I try to include the aquafaba, or bean water, in whatever it is I’m making. Inevitably, though, I sometimes end up with a bit left over, which means I have to get creative to find a way to use it up. Sometimes, I’ll include the liquid in a soup or stew, or use it to make mayonnaise , caesar salad dressing or a whisky sour. When my sweet tooth kicks in, or when I want to bake with my daughter, however, I often use it to make a simple sweet snack such as today’s macaroons. Using aquafaba in baking saves money, too. Good eggs are expensive, so I’d rather save them for when they’re essential to a recipe.

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Life has taught me that the best things sell out early

It may seem too early to be talking about Easter things, but life has taught me the best things sell out early because they’ve generally been in store since January.

My latest discovery – and it’s a very good one – is Waitrose ’s Hot Honey Hatchlings , £6/3. They really missed a trick and should have made them in the shape of bunnies and called them Hot Honey Bunnies. Silly them.

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