Category Archives: Easter

Easter egg prices soar as cocoa crops are hit by climate crisis and exploitation

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Experts say the global shortage of the main ingredient of chocolate is linked to poor conditions for farmers supplying large companies

Every Easter, UK consumers collectively spend more than £1bn on food, drink, gifts, entertainment and about 80m chocolate eggs, racking up an average bill exceeding £50 each. But shoppers this year are paying more than usual: since last Easter, chocolate prices have increased by more than 12.6%, more than double the rise in supermarket food and drink prices.

The cost of cocoa, chocolate’s main ingredient, has been increasing all year, hitting a record high just before Valentine’s Day and again this week, when it was priced at more than $10,000 a tonne – meaning it is currently more valuable than several precious metals, and growing in value more quickly than bitcoin.

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Easter processions cancelled in southern Spain due to rainstorms

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Spain is hit by strong winds and rain from Storm Nelson and four drown on storm-battered coasts

Easter processions in southern Spain have been cancelled after heavy rain from Storm Nelson, as the country was hit by strong winds and four people drowned on its storm-battered coasts.

All of the big processions in Seville on Holy Thursday were cancelled because of the rainstorms that were otherwise welcome in a region that has been experiencing a severe drought.

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Warm and sunny weather expected for most Australian capitals over Easter weekend

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Calm outlook for Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney follows extreme bouts of dry and warm weather across south and west of country

A spectacular Easter long weekend is expected for much of Australia, with warm and sunny conditions forecast for most capitals before rain reaches the eastern states at the start of next week.

Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney can all expect warm and sunny weather during the long weekend.

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Orkney shop owner raises £3,000 for charity after Easter egg error

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Dan Dafydd, who accidentally ordered 80 cases of eggs, aims to raise £20,000 for the RNLI by Easter Sunday

For a small shop owner on a small island as far as mistakes go, Dan Dafydd’s was a pretty big one leaving him with quite a dilemma: how do you get rid of 80 cases of Easter eggs when you meant to order only 80 eggs?

For Dafydd, the owner of Sinclair General Stores on Sanday, one of the Orkney islands (population approximately 500), the 720 eggs were enough to feed everyone almost twice over. A few too many even for those with a sweet tooth.

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At least 14m Easter car journeys could take twice as long as usual, RAC says

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Bank holiday weekend and start of school holidays take place at same time, with high traffic volumes expected

Drivers are being warned to expect long delays over Easter as millions of getaway trips lead to soaring traffic volumes and congested motorways.

The RAC said that more than 14m journeys on some popular routes could take twice as long as normal, as the first bank holiday weekend of the spring coincides with the start of a two-week holiday for many schools.

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Access to Orthodox Easter ceremony in Jerusalem limited over security concerns

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Holy Fire rite has traditionally attracted about 10,000 Christian worshippers but numbers have been limited in recent years

Thousands of Christians in Jerusalem have celebrated the traditional Holy Fire rite ahead of the Orthodox Easter, despite a security clampdown limiting access to their most holy site.

The ancient Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where the thousand-year-old rite takes place, was built over the site where Christian tradition says Jesus Christ was crucified, buried and resurrected.

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Wet and windy weather to follow fine and dry Easter weekend in UK

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High pressure to move away to east and be replaced by westerly Atlantic regime, bringing winds and rain

Wet and windy weather is on the way after a largely fine and dry Easter weekend for most of the UK.

High pressure, which has been responsible for the dry and fine weekend weather, will move away to the east, to be replaced by a westerly Atlantic regime, with periods of winds and rain to come.

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Anthony Albanese thanks public holiday workers on Easter Sunday as below-average temperatures tipped across Australia

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Prime minister celebrates nation’s diversity and echoes police message for road safety

Anthony Albanese wished Australians a happy Easter on Sunday, saying the religious holiday showed the nation’s diversity.

In his official message, the prime minister said Easter Sunday was a holy day marking the resurrection and a celebration of faith, hope and renewal for many.

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Network Rail warns of Easter disruption due to engineering works

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Train passengers advised to plan ahead over holiday weekend with west coast main line services hit

Rail passengers have been advised to plan ahead for Easter, with engineering works expected to close the west coast main line between some of Britain’s biggest cities.

No trains will run between London Euston and Milton Keynes throughout the four-day holiday weekend from Good Friday on 7 April, until Easter Monday, on 10 April, meaning replacement buses or alternative routes will be needed to travel between the capital and towns and cities including Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool.

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Easter bag hunt: travellers left without luggage as airport staff shortages bite

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Qantas apologises as passengers told they could be without bags for days

Travellers visiting friends and family for the Easter long weekend could be left without their luggage for days as airlines and airports continue to struggle with staff shortages.

The busy holiday travel period combined with Covid isolation orders and a workforce cut and outsourced during the pandemic has resulted in chaotic scenes at airports across Australia, and many passengers arriving at their destinations without their luggage.

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Sydney’s Easter Show shuts down ride after photo shows boy was not strapped in

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Freefall ride appears to have started while the four-year-old boy’s harness remained above his head

Organisers of Sydney’s Royal Easter Show have shut down a ride and launched an investigation after a four-year-old boy was not secured to his seat.

An image posted to social media appears to show the freefall ride had begun with a young boy on the end seat sitting with his harness still raised above his head, while other riders’ harnesses were locked down. The incident occurred on Sunday afternoon.

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Bounce in Easter retail as trend for seasonal decorations grows

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High demand for crackers, wreaths and trees as sales soar beyond traditional bunnies and chocolate

Traditionally a time for bonnets, bunnies and a surfeit of chocolate, Easter has increasingly taken on a new aspect, and more so since the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions.

Easter crackers, Easter wreaths, and Easter trees are now critical components in the commercialisation of the Christian festival, with the bank holiday beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

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Who needs Twitter? Trump wishes happy Easter to ‘radical left crazies’

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Donald Trump is reportedly working on a social media platform of his own, after being banned from Twitter and Facebook for inciting the Capitol riot.

Related: Dominion: will one Canadian company bring down Trump's empire of disinformation?

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Police break up Good Friday church service in London – video

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Police broke up a Good Friday service at a Polish church in London after officers said it was violating English coronavirus regulations. People were worshipping at Christ the King church in the south of the capital when police arrived following reports of queues outside the building. The service was being streamed live on social media and footage showed officers addressing those in attendance, telling them the gathering was unlawful. The church defended the service, arguing regulations had been met

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Meltdown: Ravneet Gill’s recipes for using up Easter egg chocolate

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Who wants to turn their excess Easter eggs into chocolate fondant, chocolate cereal clusters and chocolate and hazelnut spread? Bring it on!

Can you bake with Easter egg chocolate? Sure you can. After getting my hands on a variety of Easter eggs this year (dark chocolate, caramelised white chocolate, orange-flavoured, nougat-filled mini eggs, the ones with pretzels stuck all over them … ), I found a place for them all: melted and turned into something else. For these recipes, I encourage you to use up whatever chocolate you have. Easter eggs are typically sweetened (even the dark varieties), so taste them beforehand (as I’m sure you have already) and judge if you need to add any salt, for example.

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April Fool’s Day 2021: police sausage dogs, ‘self-jiggling’ tea bags and Gina Rinehart’s new book

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Guardian Australia picks the best and worst of the day’s pranks and puns

Last year was bleak. So this April Fool’s Day everyone from government agencies to brands and even Gina Rinehart jumped at the chance to generate some laughs in 2021.

Many organisations created their own promotional videos or press releases to test the credulity of the Australian public. Guardian Australia sorted through them all to bring you the best – and worst – of this year’s jokes.

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Doughy, fruity, toasted or … microwaved? Tell us how you like your hot cross buns

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Some people eat hot cross buns the right way and some eat them the wrong way. Which side are you on? Tell us in the comments

Now that Easter is finally upon us, we can stop arguing about the correct time for hot cross buns to appear on bakery shelves and move on to the more contentious question of the correct way to eat them.

Related: What’s good now? An expert guide to sustainable fish for Easter

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‘New hope’: Queen reassures nation in first Easter message

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Monarch’s speech is said to be her contribution to those marking occasion at home

The Queen has sought to reassure the nation that “coronavirus will not overcome us” in her first Easter audio message.

The monarch, who is supreme governor of the Church of England, acknowledged this Easter would be different but said “by keeping apart we keep others safe”. She said “Easter is not cancelled” and the “new hope and fresh purpose” of the festival was needed more than ever.

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Perth endures hottest April day ever, as temperature reaches 39.5C

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Beaches remain open in Western Australia as police praise the public for respecting coronavirus physical distancing rules

Police have praised West Australian beachgoers for respecting physical distancing rules as Perth sweltered through its hottest April day on record.

Perth’s temperature reached 39.5C on Saturday, eclipsing the previous April record set in 1910.

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