Easter – From a Chocoholic’s Perspective

I love Easter, not least because I’m chocoholic – I just can’t resist the stuff and at this time of the year I can indulge myself without feeling guilty, well not too much anyway! One of my favourite places to shop for Easter chocolate is Purdy’s – this year I plan to buy their vintage rabbit tins full of Purdys Chocolates milk and dark chocolates as gifts for my family. For me, I love plain chocolate and I’ll pick up one of their chocolate bunnies as my guilty pleasure. And yes, like 76% of all North Americans I’ll eat the ears first! Another favourite of mine is Rogers’ Chocolates milk chocolate jelly bean bark – now there’s an Easter treat I can’t wait to get my hands on.

Apparently, 90 million chocolate bunnies are manufactured for Easter with solid chocolate bunnies being the most popular – that makes sense … more chocolate! The Easter Bunny, himself (or herself) is thought to have originated in Germany as far back as the Middle Ages – delivering sweets and eggs.

I also plan to hold an Easter egg hunt for my grandchildren – there’s something so heart-warming seeing them so excited, running around filling their baskets, trying to find that last elusive egg hidden perhaps just a little too well by Granddad.

The other thing I love to do is visit a botanical garden or two over the Easter break. This year I could kill two birds with one stone by attending the “Great A-Mazing Egg Hunt” at VanDusen Botanical Garden with my grandkids. This is for kids 2-10, and their adult companions of course! The hunts take place Saturday, April 4 – Sunday, April 5, 2015. Check online for full details, or to buy tickets visit: http://vancouver.ca/parks-recreation-culture/great-amazing-egg-hunt.aspx

If you’re visiting family in Kelowna, and staying at the Accent Inns’ hotel there, don’t miss the Easter egg hunt at Rutland Centennial Park on Sunday April 5th at 2:30pm. I hear that there will be a special appearance by the Easter Bunny. More details http://goo.gl/CeTwGD.

The BC Wildlife Park in Kamloops is having its Easter Eggs-citement event from April 3rd to the 6th. Last year there were over 150,000 eggs to be found at the park’s Easter egg hunt! For more information: http://www.bczoo.org.

If you’re heading to our Victoria hotel and want something a little more grown up, look no further – enjoy a four-course high tea in the Teahouse at Abkhazi Gardens on Sunday April 5th. This gourmet feast of scones, quiche, smoked salmon, and a whole lot more will be the perfect Easter Sunday treat. This exquisite heritage home and garden is tucked away in Oak Bay and is one of Victoria’s best-kept secrets. Ask at the front desk for directions, or visit: http://www.abkhaziteahouse.com.
Returning to my obsession with chocolate – did you know that the largest Easter egg ever made weighed in at nearly 16,000 lbs and was over 64ft round at its widest point? It was made in Italy and displayed at a shopping mall – that must have been so tempting! And, someone in Brazil made a bunny weighing 8,488 lb – imagine trying to bite those ears!

Well, I’d better start planning my grandchildren’s egg hunt but it won’t be as big as the one that took place in Cypress Gardens Adventure Park in Winter Haven, Florida eight years ago where 501,000 eggs were hidden and 9,753 kids went hunting (that’s about 51 eggs each!). In terms of people, the largest ever was 12,773 kids at the Fabergé Big Egg Hunt, as part of world record attempt in London, England in 2013.

Now, where did I put my Easter basket?

Mike Wicks
Douglas, YAM and Salt Magazines