We love chocolate! There will be no better time than the Easter period to show your love for chocolate. Chocolate eggs, bunnies, chicks, bird’s nests… Each confectioner’s shop-window and supermarket entrance is filled with Easter delicacies, in all shapes and colours.

Chocolate tastes even so much better when it is not wrapped in plastic paper and when the ingredients (such as cocoa) have been harvested and processed in a sustainable and fair way.

Does that sound like a utopian dream? Certainly not, because these four tips will give you the chance to enjoy Easter in a human- and environmental-friendly way!

(Foto: Fauve Chocolade)

Where available?

On the web shop of Oxfam-Wereldwinkels , you will find a wide selection of Easter chocolates. Most organic food shops and supermarkets also provide organic and/or fair-trade offers. The first fair-trade chocolatier in Ghent, Fauve Chocolade, also offers fair-trade chocolate Easter bunnies and many other delicacies.

Be sure to check out our sustainable hotspots on our website, under ‘food and drinks’ you can find many committed entrepreneurs offering sustainable products.

More chocolate info

On the website of Oxfam Fair Trade, or rewatch our Change Your Habits Instagram session with cocoa expert, Bart Van Besien and Fauve Doom from Fauve Chocolade.

Hey! I'm Aleksandra, and I'm an international volunteer at Gent Fair Trade.

For me, Easter is more than chocolate and family brunches. It's also a time to slow down and do something creative with my hands. Something I brought from home is painting eggs with natural ingredients. No chemical dyes or plastic junk, just... some water, some peels, and a little bit of magic from the kitchen.

In Poland, it’s a tradition that has been going on for generations. And guess what? It's super zen to do and completely zero waste. So if you're up for a low-key, sustainable Easter activity that's perfect for a quiet Sunday (or if you want to impress somebody with your DIY skills): give this a try.

I'll explain step by step how to do it - with just some onion skins and eggs. And who knows, maybe it'll become your new Easter tradition too?

Take off the onion’s skin (only the brown, dry part) and put it into the pot with water. Put it on fire and boil. The longer you boil it, the darker and stronger the colour you will get. If you are using white eggs it’s not that important, but if you are using the brown ones, it’s better to keep the onion longer to see a bigger difference. We recommend you keep it a minimum of 10 minutes, up to 20 if needed.

Put the eggs in this water to boil. Count the normal time for boiling eggs, so you can keep them around 6-7 minutes. Move them from time to time to make sure that they will be evenly colored. After this time, put them out and wait until they get colder and dry.

Once the eggs are ready, you can leave them, and just keep them coloured this way, or try making some scratches, to give them a more special look. For this purpose, it’s good to use a sharp but handy tool, like a bigger needle or even a metal nail. Some crochet hooks could work as well. Now all work is in your hands - the only thing, that can stop you, is your imagination. Enjoy!

The egg is perfectly edible - enjoy your Easter meal with it!

If you want to get different colours, you can try with:

• Pink or red - beetroot;

• Blue - red cabbage;

• Yellow - turmeric;

• Green - spinach.