29 March 2024 , 08:54
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Sitting down and tucking into Easter egg chocolate all day sounds like a dream - but it's a lot tougher than you think.
Eating chocolate as a job is hard work, but somebody's got to do it, and that someone is Tim Kelly, 33 - Morrisons' head Easter egg taster. In a tell-all chat with The Mirror, Tim explained his job involves a whole lot more than devouring delicious choccie. In fact, he doesn't even swallow it most of the time to avoid eating "a million calories a day".
Most of us would despair at that thought of spitting out chocolate, but Tim says he's eaten "a lot" of sweet treats in his eight years tasting confectionary for the company - and he's already working on the supermarket's Christmas range now.
Sometimes, Tim doesn't even swallow the chocolate (Morrisons)
Easter egg chocolate is on the menu all year round for Tim (Morrisons)Calling his job "quite varied", Tim said: "I don't just taste Easter eggs, I look after various products for Morrisons. But in terms of getting Easter eggs launched, the products are developed by product developers and are agreed upon with our commercial team, and then I agree to the quality standards with the supplier so we get exactly what we want from the Easter eggs.
He added: "Our best Easter eggs have different types of chocolate running through them in swirls. So I make sure we can achieve those swirls on each of the eggs and we're not going to end up with blotches on there and they look like they're supposed to.
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"I also sign off on the inclusions. We have an egg that has pretzel pieces and honeycomb and caramel, and stuff that has to be evenly distributed in there. So I agree to the standards, I travel to the factory, I go and visit them and make sure that when they make the product they're exactly how we want them, so the quality is right for the customers when they eat each individual egg."
The chocolate guru said that when it comes to choosing flavour combinations, it all depends on what's "on trend" that year. Salty chocolate is "in" at the minute, according to Tim, hence their choices for 2024. "We've launched four different flavours but we must've looked at around 20 possible combinations", he shared.
Then, before the launch comes the exciting bit, as Tim conducts "taste panels". But it's not all fun and games, as he's done so many of them, he doesn't actually eat the eggs properly. "Before it's launched I'll conduct taste panels to ensure that it's right to go into the store and then we do benchmark reviews where we look at the market and we'll try each of the products and make sure ours is better than the rest", he revealed.
Tim explained why Easter egg chocolate always tastes better than normal choc (Sunday Mirror)By completing these panels and reviews, it allows them "to come up with plans for the next year". But what exactly is involved in a taste panel? Tim explained they have to be carried out in the morning so he has a "fresh palette". He also wouldn't dare touch any coffee beforehand, as the strong flavours would influence his palette.
"I taste a bit of each of the eggs", he said, adding that he looks at "a lot of chocolate in a day." He also made a shocking revelation, sharing: "I tend to spit out all the chocolate I try because otherwise I'd be eating a million calories a day."
Ever wondered why Easter egg chocolate tastes so much better than normal chocolate? Tim says it's all to do with the thickness of the choc. He explained: "Easter eggs are a lot thinner, which means they melt much quicker on the tongue than a standard chocolate bar would. Therefore you get a more immediate hit of flavours and aromas from the chocolate itself."
"This means the aromas and the flavours hit your brain faster and it's all delivered in a much quicker way so you get more of an immediate pleasure hit with an Easter egg."
Tim also said that if you prefer your chocolate cool, rather than storing it in the cupboard, you should store it in the fridge 20 minutes before you want to eat it. This will prevent what's known in the chocolate world as "bloom", which is where the fat comes to the surface of the chocolate, changing the texture.
The confectionary guru shared that Morrisons "typically plan a year in advance, if not longer", so in his role, Easter egg chocolate is on the menu for much of the year. "I also look after confectionery, snacking and biscuits", he explained.
If this sounds like your dream job, you're probably not alone. But there was a specific path Tim had to take to secure his role as Easter egg taster. He studied food tech at school and instantly fell in love with the practical science side of the course. While he "wasn't very academic", Tim liked that food tech made science "accessible".
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"I studied food science and nutrition at Sheffield Hallam and got my degree in that. Then I worked for a food manufacturer in Leeds for a bit, then I got a job for another retailer, then I've been at Morrisons for eight years", he shared.
Tim has managed to travel all over the world with his career, and that's his favourite part of the job. He said he loves "travelling around the world finding suppliers and finding the best products" to bring to customers at Morrisons.
If you want to try the range Tim worked on, it can be purchased from Morrisons. You can try the Best Belgian Dark Chocolate With Pink Himalayan Salt, the Best White Dark Chocolate & Butterscotch Salted Egg, the Best Milk & Blonde Chocolate, Caramel, Pretzel & Honeycomb, the Best Belgian White & Blonde Chocolate Easter Egg and the Best Belgian Milk Chocolate & Orange Easter Egg, all for just £5.