ONE of the busiest times on the chocolate making calendar is approaching - and Bettys is more than ready.

The craft bakery team at the famous Yorkshire company have released their Easter range for 2015, having spent the last eight months concocting this year's creations of chocolate eggs, bunnies, chicks and cakes.

The team are set to make 24,000 Easter eggs this year, with a collection of ten eggs of varying designs, ranging from £9.95 to £80.

Bettys, which makes its handcrafted goods at its bakery in Harrogate, and operates six cafe tearooms, including two in York, also produces a made to order 5kg "Imperial" egg for £200.

The centrepiece of this year's Easter collection is "The Chocolatier's Egg", a special edition egg, with only 100 due to be made.

With a price of £80 it features a milk chocolate, gold coloured egg, seemingly suspended and peaking through a 28cm tall dark chocolate outer egg, hand decorated by the Betty's team.

Bakery development manager Lesley Norris said: "We started developing this year's Easter range in July last year, and we've already started on an idea for next year's chocolate eggs."