Be the Easter Bunny!

Find your inner bunny!

Ok, so you might be glad to know that I don't actually mean literally donning a bunny costume and hopping around (although you can if you like)! All I'm suggesting is that, if you can't find a dairy free Easter egg to suit your tastes, you might like to go DIY - dairy-free it yourself!

I have to say, it's not always cheaper to make your own - as I discovered once, when I made a dress to wear to a friend's wedding. The blood, sweat and tears that it caused, along with the time it took and the surprising cost of materials, made me wonder if it had all been worth the effort - especially as I never wore that dress again! 


However, there may have been times when you've invested a little bit of personal effort that have been very well rewarded - in which case you might like to be a bit creative this year and create your own dairy-free alternative. 


You may well have some better ideas (in which case, please share) but here are some that came to my mind. You could:

1. Make your own eggs using chocolate moulds - I bought some moulds (from a good independent kitchen goods retailer) last year (having looked online) but have just found some much cheaper at The Works. It cost 99p for a kit containing one sheet of small egg moulds as well as a larger egg mould. Larger branches of Sainsbury's also sell some nice silicon Easter egg moulds in the seasonal aisle, these start from around £1.50.

These (Hobby Craft) could be useful, if you want to make your own.

If you're planning to make your own, you could use the following:

Kinnerton produce a bar of dark chocolate, which is not as bitter as some can be. Baby definitely seems to enjoy it. Most of the supermarkets seem to stock this on their Free From shelves.

Moo Free chocolate produce a bar of 'milk' chocolate. You can usually buy this at Waitrose, or online at Ocado (although just recently it has been strangely absent, so maybe there have been some problems with supply).

If you're not sure how to go about it, I found an excellent step-by-step guide, with pictures, which might prove useful. I have to admit, not having tried this yet, I'm not sure how well dairy free chocolate will work, but hopefully just as well!


These could be packaged using various craft options for Easter Baskets etc, or using a tip I found on one website (and I honestly can't remember where) you could buy a 'normal' chocolate egg for the packaging and substitute it with your own homemade dairy free version.


Alternatively, you might like to buy a mug or egg cup to accompany your offering. If you fancy being crafty and designing your own, Hobby Craft sell plain ones, that you can decorate yourself with ceramic paints or pens. 

Cute little chickies - always a winner!

2. Make/buy an Easter basket and fill it with goodies - such as Dairy Free chocolate buttons (available at most supermarkets) along with colourful shredded paper and a fluffy bunny or chick. Waitrose sell some lovely large felt baskets, whilst Hobby Craft sell more traditional style baskets. I love the  gorgeous Easter baskets by Gisela Graham, which you can find on Amazon, (if you can't find them locally). Or you could always make your own, if you're feeling really crafty.

Paint by numbers

3. If, however, you don't fancy making your own chocolate eggs, you could always buy a cardboard Easter Egg and fill it - with dairy free chocolate buttons or at larger branches of Waitrose you can buy packets of sweets that look a bit like smarties - these can be found in the Free From section. If you want to give this idea a go, cardboard eggs can be found on Amazon but also on the high street, in good local card shops. Hobby craft also sell them, either completely plain (ready to be decorated) or with a 'paint by numbers' style picture.

Filled jars can look very attractive

4. Fill a jar - with yummy treats. This is easy to do and can look really attractive. It can also work out quite cheaply, depending on how you got about it. Either use a preserving jar (you could always tie a pretty ribbon around the top of the jar and add a label) or an ordinary jam jar (in which case, why not cut a circle of left-over fabric to tie over the top). Free From chocolate coins from Sainsbury's might come in useful for filling the jar, or maybe chocolate caramels that those made by 'Choices'.


5. Get crafty - if you're feeling inspired, are quite crafty and want a project you can really get your teeth into, then I found a site online that provides ideas for all kinds of Easter projects and they're all free (well the ideas are anyway)!!




Whether you do decide to DIY, or whether (like me) you end up 'cheating' and buy one, enjoy!! Do let us know how you got on! Oh, and Happy Easter!