Fry's Cream Easter Egg, 159g

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Before looking into the history of the Chocolate Easter Egg, we might like to be aware of the possible origins of ‘Easter Egging’. Undoubtedly the practice of giving Chocolate eggs that we have today, was influenced by the traditional giving of decorated, Pace Eggs, from many years ago. The name Pace, is derived from the Latin pascha (Easter). The term Pace Egg is an old fashioned English wording for Easter Egg. William Gervase Clarence-Smith (2003). Cocoa and Chocolate, 1765-1914. Routledge. p.58. ISBN 0-203-46186-X. Coe, Sophie D. (2015) [1994]. America's First Cuisines. University of Texas Press. pp.56–57. ISBN 9781477309711. Most sixteenth-, seventeenth-, and eighteenth-century cacao was for drinking, but its consumption in solid form was not unheard of. To make a drink out of processed cacao beans they must be ground, and then, unless they are immediately made into a drink, the mass congeals. [...] A tablet of this nature could be dissolved in hot water to make the breakfast chocolate, but it could also be nibbled. [...] With the addition of sugar this began the production of what are called modern chocolates. Many people take it to mean that solid chocolate was not eaten before Van Houten's time, but as the preceding paragraph has shown, this is not so. Others though, insist the history is more aligned with the festival of Lent and Western Europe, where Christians were forbidden from eating eggs during the period, and that this was from Medieval times. There may be some weight within this belief, as it was customary to use up all the eggs in the home before Lent, knowing that they could not be eaten again until forty days later at Easter. What is the history behind giving chocolate at Easter?

On the BBC television programme Being Human, an old Fry's Cocoa billboard hangs prominently on the side of the B&B where the main characters reside in Series 3–5. The billboard is a nod to the show's original Bristol location. [17] Generations of Bristol families produced Fry’s and Cadbury’s chocolate treats - like Chocolate Cream, Turkish Delight, Curly Wurly, Crunchie - at the Keynsham building until it closed its doors in 2011. Bought out by Kraft Foods, who had originally agreed to keep the factory open, chocolate production was transferred to Poland, putting more than 500 local people out of work.We’ve also got medium Easter eggs, featuring some vintage chocolate brands from the past. Plus, you’ll find smaller, mini Easter eggs that are accompanied by adorable cuddly toys – just the thing for the kids once all the treasure on your egg trail has been collected. Around the world, the likes of France and Germany had been making chocolate eggs for many years before the UK, but these eggs had been made from solid chocolate. Fry’s had been the first to figure out how to use moulds and make hollow eggs. This had been achieved through the Fry family’s innovations in making chocolate by mixing cocoa fat with cocoa powder and sugar. This made a smooth paste which could be poured into egg moulds. It was founded by Joseph Fry in 1728. He invested in Walter Churchman, who patented a new and higly effective way to grind cocoa beans. After Joseph died his wife Anna took over, until their son Joseph Storrs Fry took charge. He invented a successful cocoa bean roaster but later neglected the business. In October 2007, Cadbury announced plans to close the Somerdale plant, the historic home of the Fry's Factory, by 2010 with the loss of some 500 jobs. In an effort to maintain competitiveness in a global marketplace, production was to be moved to a new factory in Poland. Another motivational factor was the high value of the land. Labour MP for Wansdyke, Dan Norris, said, "News of the factory's closure is a hard and heavy blow, not just to the workforce, but to the Keynsham community as a whole". [14] It was only in the 1960s and 1970s that supermarkets began to offer chocolate eggs at a cheaper price, hoping to profit off the Easter tradition.

The deal is available of Easter eggs bought at Aldi, Tesco, Asda or any other supermarket, customers just have to keep hold of their receipt, Wales Online reports.

In general, eggs are a traditional symbol of fertility and rebirth. In Christianity, for the Easter period, they are symbolic of the empty tomb of Jesus, after his resurrection. In addition, they would often be stained red, representing the blood of Christ, shed at the time of his execution. Its dormant status can be explained by the fact that in 1919, J. S. Fry & Sons merged with the increasingly popular chocolate company, Cadbury. As Quakers, Fry’s were one of the leading voices in the movement to abolish slavery. However in 1908 there was a major scandal with Cadbury, Fry and Rowntree being accused of buying slave grown cocoa beans from Sao Tome and Principe, a Portuguese owned island off of Angola. Cadbury took the major role in defending the 3 companies and in the end, they were found not guilty. Despite this, all 3 stopped buying beans from this island.

Sharing the Easter egg news, one member posted an image of the product on the shelves at Iceland and was met with a flood of comments. ‘Turkish Delight egg I’m in heaven,’ one person commented. ‘Need this in my belly.’ Despite this, Fry’s products including their Cream Bar and Turkish Delight Bar are still sold today under the Cadbury name. Even Easter eggs bearing the Fry’s name are still being sold for the occasion, carrying on a tradition that has lasted 147 years. During the 1950s Fry's was the fastest-growing chocolate firm in Britain, thanks to old favourites being revitalised and new lines introduced. By the end of the 1960s Cadbury's and Fry's had fully merged and several old-classics, such as Five Boys, disappeared or took on the Cadbury name. These days Easter eggs come in all shapes and sizes, but where did the first chocolate egg come from and where did this tradition begin? On a larger scale there are some pretty awesome Vegan Iconic Kakoa eggs in white chocolate, caramel and chocolate, created with rice and creamy rich oat milk for unparalleled quality and taste. Add to this the finely crafted geometric design of the shell, and the Viennese chocolates within and you have a sure fire winner this Easter.

For the Victorians, chocolate was much more accessible but still something of an indulgence. Thirty years later, in 1873, Fry's developed the first chocolate Easter egg as a luxury treat, merging the two gift-giving traditions. Cadbury Brothers Limited first registered with us on 13 June 1899, with 5 members of the Cadbury family listed as the governing directors. In a similar way to Fry’s, several decades later on the 4 January 1970, the company passed a special resolution to change its name to Cadbury Schweppes Overseas Limited. This remains its name today, still being an active company on the UK register – alongside multiple limited companies with the Cadbury name. You can view their long filing history, including the original 1899 incorporation documents, on Companies House Service.

A lot of Easter traditions — including hot cross buns and lamb on Sunday — stem from medieval Christian or even earlier pagan beliefs. The chocolate Easter egg, however, is a more modern twist on tradition. Records relating to both the business and the family are held at Bristol Archives (Ref. 38538). Some records concerning the role of J. S. Fry & Sons within Cadbury are held with the Mondelez International repository at Cadbury's UK headquarters in Bournville. [16] In popular culture [ edit ] Advertisement with the distinctive "five boys", displayed in the Kirkcaldy Museum and Art Gallery

It's not known exactly when people started to decorate their eggs, but research has pointed to the 13th century, when King Edward I gave his courtiers eggs wrapped in gold leaf. More practically, eggs were a staple part of everyone’s diet – rich or poor – and crucially they were forbidden during Lent. This enforced abstinence explains their prominence in Shrovetide customs immediately before Lent, and at Easter when they make a return to the table. Eggs were given as gifts, paid as rent to social superiors in the medieval manor, and given to the church. In some farming communities, eggs functioned as a minor currency, and since hens were looked after by women within the household economy, this gave them a modest but regular income, as well as a rich source of protein with which to supplement their family’s diet.