Although more than 80 million Easter eggs are sold each year in Britain, it is only now that an Easter egg has been made available making any meaningful reference to the Christian festival.

Supermarkets initially refused to stock The Real Easter Egg but u-turned after a campaign backed by the Church of England’s Bishop of Manchester made national headlines.

Morrison’s, Waitrose, Co-op and Booths have agreed to stock a limited ‘trial listing’ of the Real Easter Egg in their largest supermarkets.

When church schools, churches and individuals were invited to place early mail orders for the eggs last October, more than 70,000 were ordered in the first few weeks.

The eggs are retailing at £3.99 and have been developed by the Meaningful Chocolate Company with packaging that explains the meaning of Easter.

Part of the package reads: “Many believe that chocolate eggs represent the boulder that sealed his tomb.”

David Marshall, of the Meaningful Chocolate Company, said: “We are delighted that our customers have made The Real Easter Egg such a success.

“I think we have proven that people are not afraid to buy The Real Easter Egg and we hope we have changed the face of Easter forever.”

The Real Easter Egg is made from Fairtrade chocolate and part of the profits will go to charities Traidcraft and Baby Lifeline.

The Bishop of Manchester, the Rt Rev Nigel McCulloch, said: “It is great news that for the first time people will have the chance of buying an Easter egg from a shop that explains the significance of the festival on the box.

“Through the charitable donation and its Fairtrade chocolate the egg brings to light the Easter themes of hope and new life.

“I believe there will be widespread support for the product from the faith community with many others likely to be interested.”

With demand expected to outstrip supply, Google Maps is providing the ‘Virtual Real Easter Egg Hunter’ to help people find independent shops or churches in their area selling the Real Easter Egg. Visit www.realeasteregg.co.uk