Easter Bunnies!

Happy Easter!

Gosh! Here at the Oakeley Arms, we can't believe how quickly this year is flying by! It's Easter weekend already. And while we've been pretty busy here gearing up for the beginning of the hectic summer season, we'll definitely have time to fit in some chocolate chomping!

Image by ChIandra4U on sxc.hu 

Because, let's face it, Easter is great for lots of reasons, but the crazy amounts of yummy sweet treats has got to be one of the best things about it!

Of course, the celebration of Easter is linked to the Christian remembrance of Jesus' Resurrection over 2000 years ago. But these days for most of us, the celebration is more closely associated with a long weekend with family, friends and of course those chocolate eggs.

Eggs have been linked to Easter for over a thousand years because they have long been associated with fertility and re-birth and so were a fitting symbol for Easter. Early Easter eggs were empty bird shells, stained red to echo the blood of Jesus, but the history of chocolate Easter eggs are a relatively new phenomenon. The first were made in Germany in the early 1800s, but it took a while for technology to catch up - the eggs were often solid (mmmm, sounds ok to us!) because the machinery to make hollow eggs wasn't yet invented.

Chocolate company Cadbury's were behind some of the techniques that inspired the modern chocolate bar and Easter eggs. In 1866 the Cadbury brothers found a way to process large quantities of pure cocoa butter, which is an essential ingredient in chocolate. In 1875 Cadbury's launched their first chocolate Easter egg, and they have been hits ever since. 

image by  Crispin Semmens on wikicommons

So, what better way to celebrate Easter than with a delicious chocolatey egg? We certainly don't need telling twice! Pass us the CHOCOLATE!

And why not come and join us here at the Oakeley Arms over the Easter weekend? Treat the family to a delicious bar meal or if you fancy a day off from cooking on Sunday then pop down for our fabulous Sunday Carvery.

See you soon, and Happy Chocolate, oops, we mean Easter!

Image by aschaeffer on sxc.hu