From Belgian chocolate eggs encrusted with salted caramel to foil-wrapped Swiss bunnies, Easter treats have never been so cheap. The supermarket price war that started with everyday staples, such as bread and milk, has spread to seasonal luxuries.

 

The average price of an Easter egg at one of the nation’s big four supermarkets is almost 10% lower than last year, according to Grocer magazine. Many own-brand eggs cost well under a pound. But the arrival of the One Direction Easter egg – its price reduced by a fifth (to 79p) in publicity-seeking tribute to the departure of Zayn Malik – could soon be a hazy memory of 2015. Lack of supply is expected to send the price of chocolate soaring as thousands of poverty-stricken farmers in west Africa abandon poorly paid cultivation of the beans for more lucrative crops or life in the cities.