I recall a once legendary battle which took place over twenty years ago between myself and my brother Steven. It was a week or so after Easter and we had eaten our way through our candy and we now down to the last, coveted Cadbury Creme Egg. Both of us loved Cadbury Creme Eggs and we found ourselves smack dab in a shortage of resources situation. It’s an old, old story; one with which I am sure you are familiar. One person has what the other person wants. Today, the trauma of that engagement has dulled my memory. I recall a great deal of running and shouting. Finally, in a climactic show of frustration, my brother let loose the very object of our disagreement and it hit be square in the arm. I had a giant bruise for the next week but I had come out of the trenches the victory and I enjoyed every moment of eating my triumph.
I suppose it is fate that I have come to the land of Cadbury where my wildest dreams have in fact come true. I have seen with my own eyes, giant Cadbury chocolate eggs. It was too much to hope for that they would be filled with that most heavenly of tastes, the cream. I have also seen miniature Cadbury Creme Eggs which with one bite are devoured whole. This is no exaggeration, dear Reader. I have come to the Promised Land after a lifetime of crusading.
Now my current profession will not allow me to merely rely on these flowery reflections upon the gloriousness that is the Land of Cadbury. Rather, what follows is a preliminary report on my findings, a comparison really. I hope that you will find it useful should you ever be lucky enough to follow in my footsteps.
Object Name Cadbury Creme Egg (Mini)
Accession Number YUM.21.3.14.a
Culture United Kingdom
Date Best Before 31 July 2014
Material and Construction
Primary Materials Milk, sugar, cocoa butter, glucose syrup, invert sugar syrup, cocoa mass, humectant (glycerol), vegetable fats (pal, shea), emulsifier (E442), colours (E171, paprika extract)
Completeness Complete, for the present
Decoration Foil wrapper
Dimensions
Height 35 mm
Width 24 mm
Depth 26 mm
Weight 11.5 g
Acquisition
This object was acquired on 21 March 2014 via purchase from the Howlands Shop in Durham, County Durham, UK. It arrived packaged with seven similar objects. Total cost amounted to £1.
Object Description
Object arrived individually wrapped in colourful foil with the phrase “Cadbury Crème Egg” printed twice across it. The dominant colours in the design are red, yellow, purple, and white. The obverse of the decorative foil is plain silver.
Once unwrapped, it was clear the object had been decoratively moulded. Four oblong lines run along the length of the piece. Centrally, on both sides the moniker “Cadbury” is enscribed with two eight point stars.
An obvious joint can be noted running along the length of the entire piece, suggesting it was manufactured in two pieces and later joined together.
The centre is filled with a white and yellow fondant that is quite delicious.
Object Name Cadbury Creme Egg
Accession Number YUM.21.3.14.b
Culture United Kingdom
Date Best Before 31 July 2014
Material and Construction
Primary Materials Milk, sugar, cocoa butter, glucose syrup, invert sugar syrup, cocoa mass, humectant (glycerol), vegetable fats (pal, shea), emulsifier (E442), colours (E171, paprika extract)
Completeness Complete, for the present
Decoration Foil wrapper
Dimensions
Height 53 mm
Width 38 mm (at widest)
Depth 39 mm
Weight 36 g
Acquisition
This object was acquired from Boots Pharmacy in Market Square, Durham, County Durham, UK. It was purchased as part of a meal deal with a sandwich and smoothie. It was not packaged in any other way save for its decorative foil.
Object Description
Object is individually wrapped in a colourful foil. The primary colours used on the foil are yellow, red, purple, white, and black. The foil has several words written on it including “Cadbury Creme Egg” and product information such as ingredients and the sell by date. The obverse side is plain silver.
Once unwrapped, the moulded design of an eight pointed star and three ridges is clear. This design appears on both sides of the egg.
An obvious joint is seen running along the length of the egg. There is a gap in this joint toward the narrow end of the egg. This suggests that the joining process was not fully completed.
Inside the egg is delicious white and yellow fondant.
Object Name Cadbury Milk Chocolate Egg
Accession Number YUM.21.3.14.c
Culture United Kingdom
Date Best Before 31 July 2014
Material and Construction
Primary Materials Milk, Sugar, Coca Butter, Cocoa Mass, Vegetable Fat, Emulsifiers, Flavourings
Completeness Complete, for the present
Decoration Foil wrapper
Dimensions
Height 160 mm
Width 116 mm (at widest)
Depth 123 mm
Weight 277 g
Acquisition
This object was acquired at Tescos in Market Square, Durham, County Durham UK on 15 March 2014. It arrived in a box with five treat sized Cadbury bars. Total purchase price was £2.
Object Description
The object is wrapped in a decorative purple foil with white letters which read “Cadbury” repeated in a pattern.
Unwrapped, the decoration of the egg is rather plain. The word “Cadbury” appears on both sides of the egg and indentations are seen near the joint where the edges of the moulds met.
The egg does not contain any fondant.
Comparison
All three objects were easily obtained in Durham, County Durham, UK. They are all egg shaped and wrapped in a colourful foil. All contain relatively the same ingredients though YUM.21.3.14.c does not contain fondant. Apart from the differences in size, YUM.21.2.14.a and YUM.21.2.14.b are virtually identical.
Conclusion
Cadbury Creme Eggs are delicious.
