When it comes to Easter in New Zealand, us Kiwis have a long-standing tradition of observing the festival with…you guessed it, the Easter bunny!

And while a combination of leaves falling from trees and days getting shorter (hello, southern hemisphere!) accompanies us from Good Friday to Easter Monday, the same simply couldn't be said for Hong Kong.

Still, as a bunch of Kiwi foodies abroad, we do tend to agree it's the unspoken truth that food is our 'universal language.' On that note, simply ask, what’s Easter without a stomach filled with chocolate and hot cross buns? Let’s have a look!

Hot Cross Buns

Did you know that different parts of the hot cross bun have different meanings? The cross symbolises the four phases of the moon and the addition of fruit; eggs and honey are symbolic of fertility and plenty.

Even though today’s buns bear little spiritual significance, it hasn’t stopped our Kiwi friends at household brand Pandoro — a specialist boutique retail bakery that started in Auckland — from creating their very own hot cross buns.

Today, a full 22 years after its founding, the Pandoro brand has come full circle — by leveraging a combination of baker’s flour, salt, sugar, butter, cinnamon, and many more. 

And if there’s one thing you absolutely need on you dinner table this Easter, the Pandoro selections — inclusive of both chocolate and original flavoured buns — would not be the ones to pass up on.

Whittaker’s Easter Milk Chocolate Kiwi

Did you know that ‘kiwis’ were actually our native land birds? Well, for Easter this year, Whittaker has plan to bring back its holiday signature kiwi bird-and-egg combo, calling it the ‘Easter Milk Chocolate Kiwi.’

As a sustainably and environmentally-conscious company, we don’t just pay close attention to farming practices and source only from those who follow straight sustainable farming guidelines; we also take great pride in protecting different — not necessarily endangered — animal species…

That’s why we have decided to re-introduce Whittaker’s Easter offering, supporting their partnership with New Zealand charity ‘kiwis for kiwi’ to reverse the 2% kiwi bird population decline into a 2% growth — nice! Feel free to learn more about Whittaker’s initiative here!

When it comes to having a plateful of delicious goodness for your Easter holiday whilst protecting the environment, we simply recommend looking no further than our Pandoro and Whittaker’s selections!

Don’t forget to snap a picture of your Kiwi goodness and tag us on Instagram @eatthekiwihk for a chance to be featured!