It's typical. We get Christmas just put to bed, and then the television slowly starts to display adverts for these little Easter treats. Yes, even though Easter is not until March or April, I have seen these beauties on sale in some places from Boxing Day.

Which is good, in a way. I remember when I was a kid that I could never get a Cadbury's Creme Egg until almost the day itself, although that might have been Mum rather than the shops. Nowadays they are one of the omnipresent staples of supermarkets and newsagents alike.

So the product itself. An egg shaped and egg sized chocolate confection which is filled with predominantly white fondant and a fondant egg "yolk". It used to amaze me how they put it all together without it all melting, given that I can't normally eat one without it doing a little of just that. And the taste? Well, thick Cadbury's chocolate covers this fondant cream to make it very, very sweet - too sweet for me unless I really need a sugar kick. The chocolate gives it a richness and mouth-feel that is unlike a lot of other things on the market.

Another good thing about these is the fact they are almost always subject to special offers. 3 for £1 in some places, buy-one-get-one frees and getting them in 6-packs make them ideal for Easter Egg hunts as their brightly-coloured foil wrappers are easy to spot.

And while they are such an enduring and iconic product, they are not entirely flawless. The thin foil covering it can, in spite of the best efforts of the manufacturer, tear in places leaving patches of chocolate visible in the display stands - not overly hygienic if lots of people handle it. Also, in my view, they can melt quite easily and be messy for smaller children to eat. Clever advertising and a tasty if overly sweet product make for a good seller year on year, I think, but I can honestly take or leave them.