As a child we didn't have chocolate eggs we used to have ordinary eggs with the shells dyed or painted. Anyone remember that or were we the only ones ? I have been trying to remember how my Mum coloured the shells , we put something in the boiling water and they came out coloured. Can't remember what it was, any help out there ?
I seem to remember some well-meaning aunt showing us kids this,years ago. Think she used beetroot for a red colour, and I think it was coffee or something for a brown colour.
I do remember that blowing the eggs resulted in messy chaos :)
We use onion peelings. Sometimes we put flowers on the eggs then wrap them in onion peelings then in kitchen roll and thread to keep it all together. if we're pushed for time we just put the onion peelings in the boiling water. The eggs come out all mottly then we shine them up with butter. Easter wouldn't be Easter without paste eggs.
we used to make papier mache eggs, but bury a 'treasure' inside. Sometimes this would be chocolate, other times we'd write a memory or a joke. Can't remember what we used to colour the paper - anything we could get our hands on I suppose (poster paint, emulsion, mums lipstick!)
Here in the U.S., Eddie, we've had Peas brand egg coloring kits for years, but before that, my mother used common food coloring diluted in warm water. Of course, that meant we only had about 4 colors of eggs, but she had a talent for dyeing the top half of an egg and then ad ifferent color for the bottom half. Made great deviled eggs though...
coccinelle, Onion peelings is what was in my mind but I was far from sure .
Clanad , Happy Easter, Yes, we have food colour now but I'm talking about the 1950s .
We had painted eggs as well , I think we boiled and cooled them first then painted them.
I only ever got 1 chocolate egg a year , from my Uncle Mac .
I only found out years later he worked for Rowntrees the chocolate company so he got them free, they were 'misfits' , but I never realised.
I recall reading about painted eggs, never knew anyone who had them rather than a chocolate one. I always assumed that was what they did in my grandparents' day.
Although we always had chocolate Easter eggs, for breakfast on Easter Sunday we always had boiled eggs which we drew faces on. After we had eaten them, we used to turn the empty shells upside down in the egg cups and our dad would pretend to be delighted with another egg. We kids would shriek with laughter as he smashed his spoon into the empty shell! There were four of us, and he did it every single year for us. Happy memories (actually I'm filling up as I'm telling you about it)