A global field guide to design, (life)style and secret finds est. 2007
Wee finds: 5 brilliant new things I’m loving for Easter
1. Donna Wilson for Rococo Chocolates
Lovely London-based chocolate shop Rococo have always been innovative with their creative Easter collections, and this year is no exception, teaming up with British textile designer-extraordinaire Donna Wilson.
The exquisite collection of hand-painted chocolate eggs feature Wilson’s distinctive and much-loved hand-drawn illustrations. I love the charming owl and pussycat set, as well as the Matryoshka-style Food Chain Easter egg. The packaging is equally sublime.
1. Hand-painted Rococo chocolate egg in bone china egg cup, £9.95.
2. Hand-painted Rococo chocolate egg with three Rococo ganaches inside, £17.50.
3. Hand-painted solid Rococo chocolate egg in Owl and Pussycat design, £13.95.
4. Hand-painted Rococo chocolate egg in lamb and bunny design, £17.50. each.
5. Food chain chocolate eggs with Donna Wilson designs, £55.
2. Belle & Boo
British illustrator Mandy Sutcliffe’s adorable Belle & Boo brand has grown exponentially since I first featured them on Wee Birdy years ago. The charming vintage-inspired children's characters now inhabit a wondrous woodland world filled with bunnies, hot-air balloons and birds – of course – and appear on everything from book plates to dinner plates.
This Easter, Mandy has created a rather lovely collection of embossed tins, which are the perfect size for a handful of mini eggs. I adore the tin basket and the bunny tote bags as well, which are just the thing for an Easter egg hunt. They are available from Lark in Australia and Belle & Boo in the UK.
1. Easter basket tin, £3 from Belle & Boo.
2-5. Easter tins in assorted designs AU$7.95 each from Lark.
3. Fortnum & Mason
As regular Wee Birdy readers will know, I’m a huge fan of London heritage department store, Fortnum & Mason. I’ve also been a long-time admirer of their beautiful Easter eggs traditionally decorated with handmade sugar flowers, bees and ladybirds.
F&M have just released a video with their head chocolatier demonstrating the time and care that goes into each hand-decorated Easter egg.
This year, they’ve collaborated with British fashion designer Vivienne Westwood for the packaging of their Easter collection. The designed sleeves are lovely, but does anyone else yearn for a little more Westwood inside the packaging, à la Rocco/Donna Wilson?
Can you just imagine a collection of Westwood-designed hand-decorated eggs? Her signature orb would be an obvious starting point, but I can also imagine tartan and lace designs and all sorts of wonderful Westwood possibilities. I guess I’ll just have to dream on.
In the meantime, I'm loving F&M's old-fashioned Jubilee silk egg box, £125, which features a garland of flowers and a keepsake hat pan, as well as their Faberge-inspired egg biscuits (above left) and the divine nest of birds' eggs gingerbread biscuits (above right), which are actually modelled on real birds' eggs, namely the magpie, chaffinch, guillemot and osprey.
4. Biscuiteers
Everyone knows that Biscuiteers does a smashing range of themed iced biscuits. But this year they’ve launched a range of gorgeous hand-decorated chocolate eggs, which can be personalised with your own message.
Starting at £25, personalised eggs need to be ordered 24 hours in advance. I’m also loving their Union Jack egg, which is particularly timely for the Jubilee year and their festive Easter cake, which is packaged in a rather lovely keepsake tin.
5. Haigh's Chocolates
I've searched high and low in Australia for an exciting new Easter collection and Haigh's never fails in delivering high-quality chocolately goodness.
I love the new muted earthy colour palette of their trademark hand-foiled eggs (above). This year Haigh's have released a limited-edition hand-decorated egg with swirls of white and dark chocolate (AU$21.50). Their Easter collection also includes hot-cross bun chocolates with spicy fudge centre enrobed in dark chocolate, as well as an adorable line-up of chickens, ducks, hens, fish and bilbies. And I can't resist Haigh's chocolate freckles - they're truly the best in the world.
What are your favourite Easter eggs? Have you seen something special in a shop near you? Tell me all about it in the comments below...Click here to check out my top 10 Easter books for babies and children.Want more Wee Birdy? You can find me most days on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter.
1. Donna Wilson for Rococo Chocolates
Lovely London-based chocolate shop Rococo have always been innovative with their creative Easter collections, and this year is no exception, teaming up with British textile designer-extraordinaire Donna Wilson.
The exquisite collection of hand-painted chocolate eggs feature Wilson’s distinctive and much-loved hand-drawn illustrations. I love the charming owl and pussycat set, as well as the Matryoshka-style Food Chain Easter egg. The packaging is equally sublime.
1. Hand-painted Rococo chocolate egg in bone china egg cup, £9.95.
2. Hand-painted Rococo chocolate egg with three Rococo ganaches inside, £17.50.
3. Hand-painted solid Rococo chocolate egg in Owl and Pussycat design, £13.95.
4. Hand-painted Rococo chocolate egg in lamb and bunny design, £17.50. each.
5. Food chain chocolate eggs with Donna Wilson designs, £55.
2. Belle & Boo
British illustrator Mandy Sutcliffe’s adorable Belle & Boo brand has grown exponentially since I first featured them on Wee Birdy years ago. The charming vintage-inspired children's characters now inhabit a wondrous woodland world filled with bunnies, hot-air balloons and birds – of course – and appear on everything from book plates to dinner plates.
This Easter, Mandy has created a rather lovely collection of embossed tins, which are the perfect size for a handful of mini eggs. I adore the tin basket and the bunny tote bags as well, which are just the thing for an Easter egg hunt. They are available from Lark in Australia and Belle & Boo in the UK.
1. Easter basket tin, £3 from Belle & Boo.
2-5. Easter tins in assorted designs AU$7.95 each from Lark.
3. Fortnum & Mason
As regular Wee Birdy readers will know, I’m a huge fan of London heritage department store, Fortnum & Mason. I’ve also been a long-time admirer of their beautiful Easter eggs traditionally decorated with handmade sugar flowers, bees and ladybirds.
F&M have just released a video with their head chocolatier demonstrating the time and care that goes into each hand-decorated Easter egg.
This year, they’ve collaborated with British fashion designer Vivienne Westwood for the packaging of their Easter collection. The designed sleeves are lovely, but does anyone else yearn for a little more Westwood inside the packaging, à la Rocco/Donna Wilson?
Can you just imagine a collection of Westwood-designed hand-decorated eggs? Her signature orb would be an obvious starting point, but I can also imagine tartan and lace designs and all sorts of wonderful Westwood possibilities. I guess I’ll just have to dream on.
In the meantime, I'm loving F&M's old-fashioned Jubilee silk egg box, £125, which features a garland of flowers and a keepsake hat pan, as well as their Faberge-inspired egg biscuits (above left) and the divine nest of birds' eggs gingerbread biscuits (above right), which are actually modelled on real birds' eggs, namely the magpie, chaffinch, guillemot and osprey.
4. Biscuiteers
Everyone knows that Biscuiteers does a smashing range of themed iced biscuits. But this year they’ve launched a range of gorgeous hand-decorated chocolate eggs, which can be personalised with your own message.
Starting at £25, personalised eggs need to be ordered 24 hours in advance. I’m also loving their Union Jack egg, which is particularly timely for the Jubilee year and their festive Easter cake, which is packaged in a rather lovely keepsake tin.
5. Haigh's Chocolates
I've searched high and low in Australia for an exciting new Easter collection and Haigh's never fails in delivering high-quality chocolately goodness.
I love the new muted earthy colour palette of their trademark hand-foiled eggs (above). This year Haigh's have released a limited-edition hand-decorated egg with swirls of white and dark chocolate (AU$21.50). Their Easter collection also includes hot-cross bun chocolates with spicy fudge centre enrobed in dark chocolate, as well as an adorable line-up of chickens, ducks, hens, fish and bilbies. And I can't resist Haigh's chocolate freckles - they're truly the best in the world.
What are your favourite Easter eggs? Have you seen something special in a shop near you? Tell me all about it in the comments below...
Click here to check out my top 10 Easter books for babies and children.
Want more Wee Birdy? You can find me most days on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter.
