I tried M&S's custard cream 'Easter egg' — 1 word sums it up

Every season, it seems, a Marks and Spencer product goes viral. Whether it's their strawberries and cream sandwich, their Dunked N' Loaded doughnuts or cookies, there's always a food item from M&S doing the rounds on social media. Last year, the multinational clothing, food and home product retailer released the 'Outrageously Chocolatey Custard Cream Biscuity Egg', a large hollow custard cream-shaped 'egg' that quickly went viral across social media alongside Waitrose's 'No.1 Chocolate Croissant'.

This year, the custard cream Easter egg has made a comeback, and I set out to discover whether it truly lives up to the hype. Securing my egg wasn't easy. I visited my local M&S Food Hall on a Sunday and immediately regretted my decision when I saw the crowds. The Easter chocolate section, in particular, was packed with shoppers admiring the supermarket's extensive collection of chocolate eggs, 'Big Daddy' chocolate bars and chocolate-shaped animals.

I managed to grab the custard cream Easter egg off the top shelf and was immediately surprised by how light it was. I was expecting the box to feel a bit heavier; nevertheless, it was easier to transport home than expected.

Priced at £12 for 320g, I felt it was fairly reasonable for a novelty Easter item. To compare, Waitrose's No.1 Almond Croissant egg is £15 for 275g.

The packaging was sturdy, with a sleek, golden-yellow box and a plastic casing for the custard cream egg. Despite enduring a 20-minute walk and a 20-minute train journey back to my house, the egg remained completely intact.

The chocolate egg is studded with crunchy biscuit pieces filled with decadent white chocolate and a custard truffle. As a custard cream fan, I was so excited to try the egg. My expectations were high; I wanted the crunch of a shortcake biscuit, a sweet but creamy custard truffle and a creamy chocolate to bring all the elements together.

Upon opening the egg, I was surprised at the size. I was expecting it to be a little bigger, but after I tasted it, I realised why this wasn't necessary.

If one word summed up my experience of the egg, it would be sickly. I have a massive sweet tooth and love chocolate; I even taste-tested several chocolate bunnies from UK supermarkets to find the best one, but this egg took it too far.

The flavour is similar to Kinder chocolate, a mix of white and milk chocolate with a few biscuity pieces dotted about here and there. The custard truffle was too sweet next to the white chocolate and lacked a strong vanilla flavour. It's possible the flavour was there, but it was drowned out by the sickly-sweet white chocolate.

For me, the balance was off; it needed more biscuit, less white chocolate and perhaps a slightly more bitter chocolate - perhaps a dark milk chocolate or a 50% dark chocolate to counter the sweetness and allow the custard truffle to shine. I can't deny that the chocolate's quality was second to none. It was creamy and tasted premium, but the cloying white chocolate cheapened it.

The most impressive aspect of this egg is its appearance. It has the traditional swirls of a custard cream, the classic M&S logo, and, as previously mentioned, remained perfectly intact. In fact, breaking into the egg was somewhat of a challenge.

Overall, I'd say this is a novelty item. It's fun and would make a great Easter gift for someone who likes their chocolate on the sweeter side. For me, this is style over substance; I'd rather have a plain old custard cream any day.