Heston Blumenthal has worked his magic for Easter 2019, introducing two new quirky confections to Waitrose & Partners shelves this spring.

A pleasing picnic staple, the Scotch egg has been sweetly re-imagined by the chef, taking inspiration from Heston's fond food memories and unusual flavour combinations that play on the unexpected.

Heston from Waitrose The Chocolate Scotch Egg (£6/110g) looks from the outside to be a traditional summer favourite, however on closer inspection, chocolate-lovers will be delighted to discover a sweeter alternative; a zesty mango and yuzu fondant yolk is encased in a smoked milk chocolate caramel ganache in the shape of an egg and coated with milk chocolate, maple-crunch breadcrumbs.

Heston Blumenthal, says, "In previous years we've taken the idea of the typical chocolate egg and reinvented it with an unexpected twist. This year, my Scotch egg does this in a way you wouldn't expect - sparking the imagination as you cut into it to find a curious surprise.”

The traditional teapot has also been given an irresistibly playful twist this Easter. The notion of a quintessentially British pastime, Afternoon Tea, is brought to Waitrose & Partners shoppers in the form of a teapot made from cocoa.

Heston from Waitrose The Chocolate Teapot, £20/240g is worthy of being a centre piece at a Mad Hatter's tea party. Filled with whimsical wonder, a surprise awaits chocolate lovers, who are able to actually eat the sweet teapot.

Heston's magical, milk chocolate teapot comes with cocoa nib 'tea leaves' and crunchy, melt-in-the-mouth 'sugar cubes' made from chocolate and flavoured with Heston's favourite teas. Flavours include warming black tea and ginger with a rich, dark chocolate, delicately perfumed jasmine tea in a creamy white chocolate and fragrant Earl Grey tea with mandarin in a smooth milk chocolate

The delicately designed teapot features ornate detailing and is finished with a gold shimmer and a curious illustration of an anthropomorphic Easter bunny - a rabbit that is impeccably dressed in human clothing - complete with a monocle.

Heston Blumenthal, says: “I wanted to offer something a little extraordinary to shoppers this Easter, something fun and whimsical that we could bring to life in chocolate form. The teapot is utterly scrumptious and the 'cubes' that come with it contain my favourite selection of teas, which bring an array of fragrant notes and unique flavours too.”

Kate Kind, Confectionery Product Developer for Waitrose & Partners comments: “This playful confection is inspired by the idea of a Mad Hatter's tea party. When developing The Chocolate Teapot we worked with Heston and his team to come up with an idea that was befitting to this. Expert chocolatiers crafted the final design, keeping all the intricacy of an old-fashioned, beautiful teapot, but with a quirky Heston twist.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

Heston from Waitrose The Chocolate Scotch Egg £6/110g and Heston from Waitrose The Chocolate Teapot, £20/240g will launch in Waitrose shops from early March 2019.

https://www.waitrose.com/ecom/products/waitrose-chocolate-teapot/649143-680258-680259

https://www.waitrose.com/ecom/products/waitrose-1-hestons-chocolate-scotch-egg/895436-680786-680787