Easter is one of the most important dates in the calendar for a chocolatier – and this year millions of treats from Norfolk will be eaten across the country.
Fakenham-based Kinnerton has produced around 16m Easter eggs for supermarkets across the UK.
Among its latest creations are Marks and Spencer's ranges Alfie Rabbit, of which it has produced 15,000 a day in the run-up to Easter, and Bendy Bob, the supermarket's egg with legs (and arms).
Kinnerton, an EDP/EADT Top 100 company, employs around 1,000 staff and exports chocolate across the world, with Australia a major market.
Katy Patino, M&S chocolate developer, said: 'Novelty eggs and hollows have always been favourites with our customers, and we want to ensure we continue to capture their imagination with our range.
'We have worked closely with Kinnerton for a long time to produce fun, creative treats that are inspired by some of the nations' most beloved characters.'
Dairy-free chocolate truffle maker Booja Booja caters for the luxury Easter market from its factory in Brooke in south Norfolk.
The firm, which employs around 50 people, sells ornate egg-shaped boxes, hand-painted in Kashmir, which contain its range of chocolate truffles.
The firm has seen a 16% increase in sales of the eggs, which can be found at Waitrose, Holland and Barrett and online supermarket Ocado.
Simon Wallwork, commercial and brand director, said: 'With our Easter eggs, because they are made in Kashmir and then finished here in Norfolk, it can be quite tricky to know how many to produce.
'The number we sell is growing every year. For us the packaging sells the product: it is a different and lovely little thing which people can keep beyond Easter.'
The Chocolate Deli, which moved from Walsingham to Wells in January, has produced more than 30 different Easter designs including an Eggstraterrestrial-themed egg and a zombie chocolate bunny.
Chocolatier Dale Skipper said: 'We do things like the traditional Easter rabbit but we also try to give things a bit of a twist. This year we have made a zombie bunny which has been popular.'
Mrs Skipper creates all the chocolates herself at the site on Wells Quay and said Easter trading provided a significant portion of her turnover.
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