Religious-themed Easter eggs in the British stores this year

Tesco, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose and the Co-Op bowed to pressure after a three-year “pestering” campaign by figures including the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu.

Dr Sentamu used his Easter sermon in 2010 to voice alarm after research suggested that millions of children had no idea about the meaning of the main Christian festival.

One poll even found that one in three children thought that it was the “Easter bunny’s birthday”.

But now a range of fair trade eggs in which fluffy rabbits and chicks are replaced by three empty crosses is to go one sale in mainstream stores.

The so-called “Real” Easter eggs are made by The Meaningful Chocolate Company, a Christian fair trade group based in Manchester which donates its profits to charity. (MTI, after The Daily Telegraph)