The Easter weekend can be tricky for those avoiding UPFs, but it’s not impossible
For anyone trying to eat fewer ultra-processed foods – that are widely believed to contribute to poor health and chronic disease – Easter weekend is a particular obstacle.
A cacao pod, the magical fruit from which we make chocolate, is processed in a number of ways before giving us the flavoursome treat that has become synonymous with Easter all over the world. You won’t find any mass-produced chocolate that doesn’t contain some UPF. However there are some delicious minimally processed chocolates out there. Most flavours and colourings will come from UPF, so going for dark, plain options will likely mean fewer UPF.
Mass produced chocolate often contains an emulsifier known as lecithin for that creamy, pleasing mouthfeel, but you can make a better choice by avoiding soy lecithin and choosing sunflower instead, which should be cold-pressed from seeds with no added chemicals.
Ethical craft chocolate makers are working hard to reform an industry rife with unfair practices including child labour and modern slavery. They make delicious and unique chocolate from cocoa beans, cocoa butter and cane sugar, using milk powder for their milk bars.
Below are eight UPF free (or almost) Easter chocolate eggs and gifts – tell yourself they’re health foods!
Pump Street Dark Chocolate Eggs
Made from cocoa beans, cane sugar and cocoa butter. Compare and contrast these dark chocolate eggs in two distinct flavours. The green foiled 70 per cent Grenada has berry and herbal notes. Sniff out dried fruit, honey and rum in the gold-foiled 75 per cent Jamaica.
Chocolate Makers Toasted Milk bar from Cocoa Runners
UPF-free milk chocolate depends on your view of milk powder, which is classed variously as processed or ultra-processed, but should be made from milk solids and nothing else. This creamy, nutty bar from Dutch company Chocolate Makers contains milk powder, vanilla and sea salt.
Pump Street Chocolate Chicken
£12.95/68g (seem to only be in stock at Harvey Nichols)
UPF-free chocolate can still be cute. This 75 per cent dark chocolate chicken is made by Pump Street, an artisan bakery and chocolatier in Orford, Suffolk, using single origin craft chocolate with beans from Jamaica.
Oat milk ‘Earth’ egg, Chococo
A stunning vegan egg made with natural ingredients and 100% palm-oil free. The oat milk is made with dried gluten-free oat powder – a substitute for milk powder – and there’s a natural emulsifier – sunflower lecithin – and vanilla extract, so not quite – but if you want a vegan, milk egg, this is as close to UPF-free as you’ll get.
Chocolate and Love Gift Tin
A gift tin of three kinds of dark chocolate napolitains from Chocolate & Love who use organic and fair trade ingredients and vanilla pods rather than extract. Including 80% Panama, 70% Madagascar, and 71% Rich Dark, a blend from Peru and the Dominican Republic.
Original Beans cooking chocolate
£7.95/230g, and mould from Lakeland (£2.49)
Make your own Easter chocolate eggs and shapes, with some silicon moulds and high quality ‘couverture’ (as they call it in the industry). Original Beans is a standout producer founded by a former WWF and UN conservationist, and plants a tree for each bar sold.
Easter bunny lollies
£2, Lucocoa
Super cute lollies in three flavours. London-based bean-to-bar makers Lucocoa find tasty ways to avoid UPF, using coconut sugar and the lucuma fruit, a superfood from Peru. Choose from 70 per cent or 50 per cent (with milk solids) Dominican Republic chocolate, or the ‘natural blonde’ – you’ll see white chocolate differently once you’ve tasted this.
Dark Chocolate Easter Bunny
£4.20/40g, Chocolate Tree
A very smart Easter Bunny from Edinburgh craft chocolatier, Chocolate Tree. If you’ve forsworn Lindt this year, this mini creature made from ethically-sourced Peruvian cacao, cane sugar and cocoa butter is the ideal replacement.