How do you eat yours? Chip shop owner serves up Creme Eggs... deep fried

A Cadbury's creme egg is part of the run-up to Easter for many of us. But not, perhaps the way chip shop owner Martyn Bilby sells them. For Mr Bilby has come up with the idea of putting the eggs in his deep fat fryer.



And despite the 350 calories - and possibly the unappetising appearance of the fried treat - customers of all ages have been buying them, he said yesterday.



Calorific: The deep fried Creme Eggs have been created strictly as an Easter treat

The self-styled Heston Blumenthal of deep-fat frying came up with the idea after selling deep-fried mince pies at Christmas.

‘I will try anything,’ he said yesterday. ‘Quite a few people have tried them already.

‘The idea is to eat it quickly while the batter is still hot, and before the chocolate inside begins to melt.

‘If you let them go cold it can get a bit soggy in the middle. I'm not saying they are healthy, but it is something for a treat.

‘There are a lot of foods where if you eat too much of them it is bad for you, but I see these as just a treat for Easter.’

Heston Blumenthal of deep-fat frying: Chip shop owner Martyn Bilby

Mr Bilby, from Donaster, South Yorkshire, plans to donate all the proceeds from his latest invention to charity.

‘People turn their noses up at first,’ he said. ‘But once they try them they eat their words and agree that they are really tasty.

‘It is effectively putting something like a doughnut shell around the egg.’

But perhaps unsurprisingly, some local people are not persuaded by the thought of a deep-fat fried creme egg – even if the proceeds are going to charity.

David Goodwin, 64, a tax inspector said: ‘I wouldn't have one given to me - and certainly wouldn't pay for one.

‘It doesn't appeal at all. I'm not into unusual food, though I did once try tripe. I didn't like that either.’

There are, however, always students.

One of them, Karl Smallwood, 20, said: ‘I once tried a deep fried Mars bar and some deep fried pizza. And I have to say it was strangely satisfying.’

Another, Alex Bennell, 20, said: ‘It doesn't sound ideal when you have a pending obesity pandemic but, hey, why not?’

Claire Lawson, 20, also a student, said: ‘I try to eat healthily but can’t always afford it.

‘So if someone offered me a free deep fried creme egg I'd go for it. I don't know whether I could eat two though.’

While filled eggs were first manufactured by the Cadbury Brothers in 1923, the Creme Egg in its current form was introduced in 1971.

Unhealthy snack: The craze for deep frying chocolate was fuelled by the success of the battered Mars bar

The egg consists of a thick milk chocolate shell housing a white and yellow fondant filling made from egg, thick white cream, sugars and other additives.

Creme Eggs are the best-selling confectionery item between New Year's Day and Easter in the UK with annual sales in excess of 200 million items and a brand value of approximately £45 million.

The eggs are manufactured at the Bournville factory in Birmingham at the rate of 1.5 million per day.