Hate chocolate? You can get a cheese Easter egg instead – here’s our verdict

Butlers Farmhouse’s twist on a classic comes in either Blacksticks Blue or cheddar

A savoury treat will beat a sweet one this Easter Sunday (The Independent)

With Easter just around the corner, we’ve been channelling our inner Easter bunny and have been on a mission to find the best Easter eggs and hot cross buns. But while some of us can’t resist a sweet chocolatey treat, those who prefer savoury flavours are usually forced to give the tradition a pass.

But not anymore. Alternative Easter eggs are a thing, and British cheese producer, Butlers Farmhouse, is here to save the day. Continuing to cater to our savoury taste buds, the brand has introduced its large cheese Easter eggs – so that even those who don’t enjoy chocolate can indulge this Easter.

Unlike chocolate Easter eggs, these are soft, spreadable cheeses in the shape of an egg. They aren’t just empty shells either, they’re solid cheese all the way through, coming in either a traditional cheddar cheese or one made from the company’s award-winning Blacksticks Blue.

First launched in 2018 at Asda, Butlers’ cheese Easter eggs have switched homes over the years, with the Lancashire-based artisanal brand producing for Sainsbury’s in 2019. It also produced a carton of cheddar cheese eggs with red Leicester yolks for Marks & Spencer in 2020. This year? You can buy them directly from Butlers’ online cheese store or from Amazon, Ocado and in-store at Booths.

We’ve been sampling this year’s letterbox offerings, and both options will go down a treat for those cheese obsessives. Here’s what we thought and where you can buy the dairy dreamboats for yourselves.

Butlers Farmhouse cheddar cheese Easter egg: From £6, Butlerscheeses.co.uk

(Alex Lee/The Independent )

Rating: 4.5/5

Butlers’ cheddar cheese Easter egg is packaged like any ordinary chocolate Easter egg, with a plastic tray holding it inside a cardboard box. But while you might expect to find a complete, oval-shaped block of cheese in the packaging, don’t get upset when you see that it’s just half.

Disappointing at first glance perhaps, but half an egg with one flat side makes it easier to slice off and spread onto toast or crackers. If the word spread has confused you though, keep reading.

As upsetting as it may seem, Butlers’ Easter egg isn’t actually a big old hard block of cheddar cheese, instead it’s been blended with soft cheese so it takes on a spreadable consistency that’s thicker than something like Philadelphia. While it has a slightly mature cheddar flavour, it’s pretty mild overall, so cheese fiends who prefer something a little more subdued to a stinky stilton will definitely enjoy this one.

You get six crackers with each letterbox, we just ate one. (Alex Lee/The Independent )

The cheddar cheese Easter egg also comes in a letterbox-style package, complete with sourdough crispbread crackers and a sticky fig relish. The crackers are absolutely delicious and pair divinely with the cheddar egg, having a nice tough crunch. However, we’re sorry to say that we weren’t massive fans of the sweet fig relish. It was a little overpowering for us so we preferred to leave it off in favour of tasting more of the slightly nutty, mature cheddar cheese.

The letterbox package with the chutney and sourdough crackers can be bought directly from Butlers Farmhouse (£8.50, Butlerscheeses.co.uk), which makes an egg-cellent gift, or you can buy the cheddar cheese Easter egg on its own from Ocado (£6, Ocado.com).

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Butlers Farmhouse Blacksticks Blue cheese Easter egg: From £6, Butlerscheeses.co.uk

(Alex Lee/The Independent )

Rating: 3.5/5

If we had to choose between the cheddar Easter egg and Butlers’ Blacksticks Blue one, we’d opt for the Blacksticks Blue every time. It’s plain to see why the Blacksticks Blue cheese is award-winning. It’s absolutely delicious, and even more so in a blended softer egg-shaped format.

Again, it’s only half, so temper those expectations when it comes to standing it upright. However, when it comes to taste, prepare to be amazed. It has a stronger taste than the cheddar, but not overpoweringly so. And despite being called blue, it’s a dark orange colour, and doesn’t taste all that blue at all – more like a Red Leicester. We went back for more and more, almost frantically finishing the whole thing in one sitting. The Blacksticks is even softer than the cheddar, too, so it’s easier to spread over some crackers or a hot cross bun.

Interestingly, the sweet fig chutney in this one pairs better with the Blacksticks Blue cheese than it does with the cheddar. It complemented the cheese’s salty taste perfectly with its tangy fig flavour, and we definitely grew to love it with each subsequent bite.

The letterbox package with the Blacksticks Blue cheese Easter egg, the sourdough crackers and the fig relish can be bought directly from Butlers Farmhouse (£8.50, Butlerscheeses.co.uk), or you can get the Blacksticks Blue cheese Easter egg on its own from Ocado (£6, Ocado.com).   

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The verdict: Butlers Farmhouse cheese Easter eggs

Cheese lovers, say goodbye to chocolate because Butlers Farmhouse has you covered. Real cheese fiends who love something a little bit strong, but not overpoweringly so, should opt for the Blacksticks Blue cheese Easter egg letterbox. It’s tasty, moreish and is great with the crackers and sweet fig relish.

Prefer something a little milder? Go for the cheddar cheese Easter egg – it’s maybe a little less memorable, but still makes a nice savoury treat this Easter. All of Butlers’ cheese Easter eggs expire on 12 April, so they’ll last until Easter Sunday (if you can control yourself).

Voucher codes

For the latest discounts on Easter eggs and other food offers, try the links below:

• Ocado discount codes
• Gousto discount codes

Looking for a traditional chocolate Easter egg? We’ve rounded up the best Easter eggs for 2023, as well as the best Easter egg deals, plus the best gifts for kids