The Guide helps you put the best Easter eggs in one basket, with the help from five homegrown bakers and two city bakeries

The Guide helps you put the best Easter eggs in one basket, with the help fromu00a0five homegrown bakers and two city bakeries

Germaine Talker displays her Easter goodies

A BUNNY AND A BONNET
Germaine Talker's smiling marzipan bunnies are so adorable you might find it hard not to pop one into your mouth. In Mumbai's largest Catholic suburb, Bandra, Germaine is better known for her baskets, stuffed with a bunny, a bonnet and a chocolate or marzipan egg.u00a0 Pretty pastel sugar flowers that herald spring adorn her Easter treats.
For: Rs 47 to Rs 75 for the eggs; Rs 200 to Rs 250 for the baskets
At: Amelia Apartments, Mount Carmel Road, near Mehboob Studios, Bandra (W).
Call: 26439214

EASTER EGGS MINUS EGGS
Vegetarians can tuck into Easter goodies too. Sonjuhi Malhotra makes Easter treats sans eggs. Eggless, chemical and preservative-free chocolate or marzipan Easter eggs topped with edible cherries, leaves and fruits or pretty bows are her specialities. Sonjuhi can also make eggless cupcakes or cakes, topped with bunnies in a 3D version too. Want something more? Pick up a basket stuffed with goodies, and decorated with fresh and cream flowers. Even better, ask Sonjuhi to have a basket delivered to friends or family living between Bandra and Borivali.
For: Rs 150 onwards
At: Sonjuhi, 2/67, Navakar, Nutan Laxmi Society, Road No 8, JVPD Scheme, Juhu.
Call: 26206232 / 26209811

DECADENCE MINUS THE GUILT
Apricots left to soak in rum for a year are what make Cheryl Dowling's Easter eggs so special. Cheryl cuts open the rum-soaked apricots, fills them with hazel nuts and dunks them in more rum. She then drizzles them with truffle and chocolate and then stuffs them inside Easter eggs, so that when you bite into one, the heady concoction of rum and chocolate leaves a taste you won't easily forget. You can choose the eggs to be stuffed with raisins, blueberries, mint, chocolate flakes or French biscuits and filled with whiskey or vodka. Sizes range from 10 grams to three kilos. Those who want the choc minus the calories can opt for sugar-free varieties.
For: Rs 50 to Rs 200
At: 303, MHADA, 20, New Link Road, Andheri (W).
Call: 9819867168

PEEK-A-BOO BUNNIES ON CUPCAKES
Popular for her yummy chocolate chip cakes and muffins, Namrata Shastri has her hands full this time of the year baking cupcakes with Easter bunnies popping out. For the perfect Easter party, order one of her delectable cakes with a garden-themed background, Easter bunnies, eggs and playful sugarcraft lambs. Or pick up the
hollow chocolate eggs and fill them up with goodies of your choice for the little ones.
For: Rs 50 to Rs 100 for the eggs; Rs 400 for a dozen cupcakes
At: C-110, Tirupati Apartments, Bhulabhai Desai Road.
Call: 23519159

PICK UP A JUMBO BUNNY
We find it hard not to chuckle to ourselves each time we walk past this popular restaurant and bakery and read its name: Gaylord. But not before we inhale the intoxicating aroma of freshly baked goodies wafting from inside the bakery. The Hot Cross Buns here sell like hot cakes. Other hot sellers include chocolate and marzipan eggs in different sizes. They also do jumbo Easter
bunnies and smaller Easter bunnies clutching eggs.
For: Rs 18 for buns, Rs 20 to Rs 220 for Easter bunnies and Rs 120 to Rs 200 for Easter eggs
At: 79, May Fair Building, VN Road, Churchgate.
Call: 22821259 / 22044693

One a penny, two a penny
Hop over to the charming American Express bakery and ask for Hot Cross Buns. We suggest you take a bite of these sweet, spiced buns while they are still warm. The 85-year-old bakery has been selling yummy Easter eggs for as long as proprietor Emil Carvalho can remember. The hollow eggs are stuffed with candy, while the full ones have marzipan.
For: Rs 45 (hollow eggs), Rs 60 (full) and Rs 6 for a Hot Cross Bun
At: Hill Road (Bandra) and Clare Road (Byculla).
Call: 26422857 / 23084441

THE WORLD IS YOUR OYSTER
Name an edible fantasy and Desiree Attari will craft it for you. Choose from a variety of treats, including giant Easter eggs stuffed with chocolates and baby chicks peeping out of hatched eggs. We especially loved the giant egg with Winnie the Pooh perchedu00a0 on top, and the oyster egg, which opens to reveal a pearl-like egg inside. Embellished with dainty, pastel flowers and leaves, Desiree's melt-in-your-mouth chocolate and marzipan eggs stuffed inside umbrella-shaped baskets are flying off the shelves. She promises though, to keep some aside for all the late birds.
FOR: Rs 80 to Rs 100 for 100 gm eggs; Rs 220 to Rs 500 for Easter baskets
AT: Desiree, Santhal ONGC Complex, opposite Lilavati Hospital, Bandra Reclamation.
CALL: 26458998 / 26454962

ANDE KA FUNDA
Widely used as a symbol
of the beginning of new life, the egg is seen by Christians as being symbolic of the grave and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Traditionally, Easter eggs were painted red to represent the blood Christ shed on the cross. Chocolate and marzipan eggs have replaced the traditional dyed chicken eggs. The eggs are allegedly hidden by the Easter Bunny for children to hunt for on Easter morning. Easter marks the end of Lent, the 40-day period recalling the events linked with the Passion of the Christ.

"Exciting news! Mid-day is now on WhatsApp Channels