What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 18 March 2013

Welcome to another week!

This would normally be the week to remind you that the Midlands Media Awards deadline is this coming Friday, that the early bird booking discount option for the CIPR Northern Conference deadline is the end of this month and that if you want a window to be a part of the Freshtival 2013, then you'd better get a move on.

But instead, with Easter looming and a distinct lack of any sign of Spring, we thought we'd cheer you all up instead with a look at treats for Easter and more importantly for most, our eggstra special Easter Egg guide!

Yes, everyone is busy and here at Cloud 9 Towers we are incredibly busy, but somethings in life, like chocolate, are just too good to ignore....

It must be a sign of the times this year as we couldn't find any truly over the top Easter Eggs - some are certainly a little pricey but none of them quite so scandalously priced that you wonder who on earth would buy them.

The Ultimate Egg from Fortnum & Masons is entirely deserving of its name, as this exceptional egg is the ultimate gift for chocolate connoisseurs. The five chocolate eggs will lead you through a range of chocolate intensities, beginning with white and milk chocolate and ending with three dark blends made with 50%, 72% and 100% cocoa respectively. This is a chocolate tour de force and is £90.

Bargain we hear you cry! 

We are not terribly impressed with the offerings from Harvey Nics and the most expensive egg you can pick up there is a rather scary hand painted egg priced at £64.95 and features a skull from Rococo who were founded on the King's Road in London in 1983. It might just be us but it doesn't look terribly appealing if we are honest.

Selfridges offering looks a little nicer and is priced at just under £50 but we still don't think its that imaginative despite their description: Get set to impress this Easter with our Selfridges Selection large milk chocolate Easter egg. With enough chocolate to satisfy even the biggest chocolate lover, the egg is filled with four varieties of foiled, filled mini eggs.

Hotel Chocolat has some interesting offerings this year including a £70 Classic Ostrich Easter Egg which includes enormous egg shells – both shells are cast in classically creamy 40% milk chocolate, studded with cookie pieces, crispy puffed rice and chunks of white chocolate.

Served with – an absolutely irresistible collection of 21 of the most sought after, dreamy chocolate recipes. Including soft caramels, velvety smooth pralines, soft truffles and much, much more. With an extra 6 praline-filled Golden Eggs to find hidden inside too. However, our favourite from Hotel Chocolat this year has to be the You Crack Me Up Extra Thick Easter Egg which inside contains piped smiley faces filled with chocolate brownie, pralines with cookies, fried eggs with melt away hazelnut paste, solid bunnies and chicks cast in milk and caramel chocolate and more.

Thorntons has a good selection this year and some interesting offers on multiple buys and we are liking the look of the new Trifle Egg especially.

 However, not that we are swayed by packaging here at Cloud 9 Towers (yeah - right!) but the Continental Statement Egg looks pretty good to us....and as you can get two for £30, that's got to be a bargain.

Yummy....

If you like a bargain then all of the supermarkets are racking up the offers on a variety of branded eggs and from Caramel to Crunchies, and you'll be sure to bag a great deal, but we are also liking these offerings from some of the lesser known manufacturers...

Sybil the Splattered Easter Hen from Chococo in Dorset. Sybil is handmade with milk chocolate made with a blend of criollo & trinitario cocoa beans from Venezuela & is decorated with natural colours of either pink (beetroot extract) or yellow (paprika extract). Sybil's are all made by hand in small batches using natural colours, the yellow & pink colours may vary slightly and when opened Sybil is studded with naturally coloured milk chocolate mini speckled eggs.

We are also loving the Madame and Monsieur Eggs from Creighton's Chocolaterie in Leighton Buzzard. Mais oui! Monsieur egg is a truly dapper egg - made from milk belgian chocolate, he has an extra thick shell and a nice bushy dark chocolate moustache.

Madame egg is a terribly sophisticated egg - made from belgian white chocolate, she has an extra thick shell and a pair of bright red lips. Both eggs are presented on a sturdy base and wrapped to ensure less packaging and more chocolate!

These are not particularly cheap at £9.50 each but we are loving the look here at Cloud 9 and all we can say to these is a very loud ooh la la! 

Finally in a tribute to a shop best known for outlandish cakes, especially those of the celebrity kind, we couldn't ignore a mention for this incredibly cute and fluffy Choccywoccy Easter Sheep lollies which are available in either delicious milk or white chocolate, preferably on a stick, covered in squishy marshmallows. 

Now, if you are not feeling a little sick by now and looking for an Easter activity that is perhaps a little more energetic than lying on your sofa and stuffing chocolate then you might like to try some of the great activities that are taking place all over the UK and beyond. 

One of the best is from Cadbury who in conjunction with the National Trust and the National Trust for Scotland, are holding all sorts of Easter Egg Trails and activities at over 250 different locations throughout the UK, with games galore. And at each event there is the chance to design the face of the Cadburys Egg Head as children all over the UK get a chance to see their designs come to life.

 Imogen’s delightful design who was selected as Cadburys Egg Head winner of 2012 and is in circulation now, whilst this years winner will see their design in shops in 2014 and on all of the promotion for the brand. See the website for details.

 
Easter is of course a great time to get away so if you are planning to go stateside then you might find yourself rubbing shoulders with some pretty powerful people! 

The Easter Egg Roll at the White House is an annual springtime tradition that dates back to 1878.

What started as a simple egg hunt for local children during Rutherford B. Hayes’ presidency has since evolved into a giant festival held every Easter Monday on the White House grounds, featuring sporting events, celebrity appearances, cooking classes, live performances, crafts and storytelling in addition to the main event itself. Grab a spoon and join President Obama and his family for this year’s festivities, the White House’s largest public celebration of the year. Note to memorabilia collectors: participants in the egg roll receive a specially crafted wooden egg signed by the President and First Lady themselves.

  

On Monday April 1, 2013, the First Family will host the 135th annual White House Easter Egg Roll. This year, more than 35,000 people will be joining us on the South Lawn for games, stories, and, of course, the traditional egg roll.

In addition to all the fun and games, the day's activities — which will include sports courts and cooking demonstrations — will help educate families on smart ways to incorporate healthy eating and exercise choices into their daily routines, which are key pillars of First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! initiative.

This year’s souvenir eggs come in four bold colours — purple, blue, yellow, pink — and include the stamped signatures of the President and First Lady. A commemorative teal “Bo” egg featuring the First Dog’s paw print is included only in the 2013 5-pack Collector’s Egg Set. The eggs first became part of the tradition in 1981, when President and Mrs. Ronald Reagan hosted a hunt for wooden eggs that bore the signatures of actors, actresses, famous politicians, and athletes.

So there you have it. We might be a week early here at Cloud 9 Towers but as every good Event Management Company will tell you, its pays to plan ahead.

Enjoy the week and let us be the first to wish you a Happy Easter!