This year, Easter Sunday falls on 5 April, and households across the UK will be looking to mark the occasion with a lamb roast, toasted hot cross buns and chocolate eggs.
Much like the busy Christmas period, major supermarkets often offer priority booking for Easter delivery slots for shoppers to stock up for the long weekend.
Here, Which? has rounded up the latest supermarket delivery slot opening dates, how to book them and shares tips on how you can save money on your Easter treats this year.
so you can see more independent news written by expert Which? journalistsWhich Easter delivery slots are available to book?
Asda
Asda will open delivery slots to its Delivery Pass holders on Sunday 15 March, and to everyone else on Sunday 22 March. To get early access, you'll need to buy a Delivery Pass before Sunday 22 March.
Tesco
Tesco shoppers could get early access to delivery slots for the Easter weekend if they signed up for the Anytime Delivery Saver or Click and Collect plan before midnight on 23 February. Early access was given to these customers at 6am on 24 February. Delivery slots for everyone else will open at 6am on Tuesday 3 March.
Other major supermarkets offering Easter delivery slots include:
Co-op Morrisons M&S via Ocado Ocado Sainsbury's Find out more:Should you sign up for a delivery pass?
If you frequently order groceries online, a delivery pass can be more cost effective than paying for each delivery separately:
Find out more:Why is chocolate getting so expensive?
Food inflation has surged over the past few years, and chocolate has been significantly affected.
Cocoa, chocolate's main ingredient, is facing a global shortage. Climate change, extreme weather in West Africa, and diseases such as the swollen shoot virus have made the crop increasingly difficult to grow.
Shoppers are finding that price rises have been passed on directly or are being hit by less obvious tactics. These include making products smaller while keeping the price the same (known as shrinkflation) or reducing ingredient quality without changing the price (skimpflation).
Find out more:How to get the best-value chocolate this Easter
If you're looking to indulge in some chocolate this Easter weekend, here are a few ways you can get the best value:
Compare weight, not just price
Don’t let bulky Easter egg boxes fool you. Check the chocolate’s weight rather than the box size, as brands may use oversized packaging to mask a lower volume of chocolate. If the price per gram doesn't add up, you're likely paying for air.
Find out more:Ditch the egg
Try swapping pricey Easter eggs for bars of chocolate to see if you can save.
Find out more:Take advantage of special offers
Keep an eye on supermarkets for multibuy deals and discounts as Easter approaches. Offers like buy one, get one free or half-price promotions are common in the lead-up to Easter and can help stretch your budget further.
Find out more:Make your own Easter treats
Why not shake things up a little and make treats instead of buying them? Melt chocolate and mould your own personalised eggs, or try your hand at baking hot cross buns. Not only is this a fun activity for the family, but it could also work out cheaper, particularly if you opt for own-brand ingredients.
Find out more:Hold off buying until after Easter
Supermarkets are quick to jump on the next holiday, so you may want to hold off buying Easter eggs until after Easter. Supermarkets will slash prices to get rid of stock as they start laying out bits for the summer. You may not have as much choice as you did beforehand, but it will be a bit cheaper.
Find out more:source https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/supermarket-easter-delivery-slots-when-can-you-book-yours-azcex8a1ptId