!Easter is just around the corner. If you're as loco for cocoa as me, you're probably already drooling over the idea of a long weekend devouring chocolate. But we couldn't wait that long... We're getting into the spirit of Easter early and are giving away a delicious cruelty-free Easter pack to one Unleashed member now. Read on to find out how this lucky person could be you ;)

While Easter can be a sweet deal for us, it's often a sour deal for animals. But it doesn't have to be. By going dairy-free you can be sure to have an awesome Easter while also being sweet to animals.

Here's why...

Because dairy-free chocolate is amazing!
Don't take my word for it. If you're a chocoholic, you owe it to yourself to try Bonvita Rice Milk Chocolate (they even do white chocolate!). And that's just the tip of the iceberg. There are loads of other delicious dairy-free chocolates out there.

Then there's this...

Most Aussies don't realise that over 700,000 dairy calves (called 'bobby calves') are killed as 'waste products' in the dairy industry every year. But going dairy-free means chocolate doesn't have to be a death sentence for dairy calves.

You might even be surprised how easy ditching dairy can be. Not only is there a great range of dairy-free chocolates in most supermarkets, we've got the (dairy-free)-cream of the crop in the Unleashed shop, to make it super-easy for you to get the perfect prezzies to put on your own wishlist this Easter!. Check out these goodies:

How amazing are they! And what's even more amazing is you could score one of these for free. Just tell us who you'd most like to share dairy-free chocolate with and why. Leave a comment below, and the best answer will score an 'Easter Chicken Gift Pack', including 2 delicious bonvita rice milk egg packs and an adorable chick adoption.

-----------------------------------------------------------

2nd April 2012 And the winner is ....*em* who plans on using this choccie to start a new dairy-free chocolate addiction in her workplace!

Huge thanks to everyone who entered the comp - what a generous bunch you all are!

Don't be too disappointed if you missed out - remember you can grab dairy-free chocolate in most supermarkets in the health food aisle... See it must be good for us!

I figure that I'm gonna be pretty popular when I announce that we have chocolate for you! Well, ok not all of you! But 5 lucky peeps who can tell me what amazing dairy free delights they have discovered this year.

I can tell you what my favourite is right now -- Constant Cravings incredibly, immensely delicious and decadent Chocolate Truffles! We've got gift packs of 8 (EIGHT!! I just dribbled on the keyboard) Constant Craving truffles valued at $18 to win.

And victory will taste all the sweeter knowing that no cows (or calves!) were harmed in the making of those chocolicious treats!

In the pack are Scorched Almond, Coconut Rough, Apricot Dream and Coffee flavoured truffles. Now if any of you are worried about a little guilty pleasure, I am quite prepared to get on a flight to anywhere and help the winners polish off their prize. I'm considerate like that ;)

So, go on, tell me what your fave dairy-free snack is and make my tummy grumble even more. Good luck!

-----------------------------------------------------------

November 2011: And the winners are Laratilly13, Lars, xAshlee, Arix and AubergineBean

Well done and thanks to everyone who entered, I may need to write another blog reporting on how delicious all these suggestions are!

It's almost that time again - Chocolate time! Oh, I mean Easter time, yup Easter! But really, chocolate is aaall I can think about this time of year. And since ditching dairy, I've discovered so many delicious and delightful chocolates that I am certainly spoilt for choice!

I know you're dying to hear about them, so without further ado:

Bonvita (Karen's fave by a country mile!) have released little half eggs made from rice milk this year, so creamy and so YUM! You can grab these at Vegan Online.

Constant Craving have also gone all out by encasing their incredible chocolate truffles inside a chocolate egg. And with truffle flavours jaffa, coconut and almond there is certainly one to suit everyone! Order these from The Cruelty Free Shop.

Now my fave - The ever amazing Sweet William has come up with new Easter products this year. Along with the tried and true chocolate bunnies, they also come in a sugar free variety (still just as sweet, I can vouch for that!) and ... this is so exciting ... a rice crackle Easter bunny! You can order these online too, or just pick them up at your local supermarket.

Also in the supermarket aisle you'll find the Lindt Gold Bunny (in dark chocolate only!), Lindor pouches of dark chocolate eggs and Whittaker's dark chocolate blocks which are great for melting down and making your own little choc bunnies or eggs with.

For those with someone they really wanna treat this Easter (don't forget - that 'someone' can absolutely be YOU!), you can grab a gorgeous plush bunny with his own assortment of dairy-free fun, including Plamil and Rawganic chocolates and those delicious Constant Craving truffles from the Unleashed shop. (Of course all proceeds go towards helping save the Easter bunny's relatives and furry friends.)

Now remember, that there's no reason to limit this amazing choccy goodness to just one time of year. All these chocolatiers (I love that word!) sell their mouth-watering treats all year round. Hip Hooray!

And knowing that no newborn baby calves were harmed in order for me to satisfy my sugar craving just sweetens the deal!

Which choccies are you gonna try this Easter? Have you discovered one I didn't mention? Tell me, so I can stuff my face with it! I mean, so I can sample it and give you a review ..ahem.

Want to be let in on a secret? Here's one the dairy industry would rather you didn't know...

Pretty bad, right? Can you believe the dairy industry is now quietly trying to make it perfectly legal to deny a bobby calf any feed for 30 hours before he is killed. Even criminals on death row get a last meal!

Outraged? Good! If you want to stop this awful cruelty, then the most important choice you can make is to go dairy-free! It's simple, healthy and as an added bonus, good for the planet! To make things even easier, we've already prepared a dairy-free shopping list for you!

And now it's time to make your voice heard!

• Click here to tell the dairy industry how much you think their treatment of bobby calves sucks.
• Then click here to share this video on Facebook and let all your friends in on dairy's dark secret.
• Then go here to find out how you could win some delicious dairy free chocolates!

And keep an eye out in major papers this week for something else we've got cooking up for this campaign ;)

Personally, I can honestly say that since dropping dairy, I've never gone without. I mean - have you tried a Tofutti Cutie? Heaven! I still drink 'milk', eat 'cheese', chocolate, yoghurt and ice cream but I leave the cows out of it.

Tell me... what's your favourite dairy-free treat?

I think Easter is a pretty sweet deal -- holidays and a chocolate supply big enough that I have some to spare after a whole week of stuffing my face. Sadly Easter isn't quite such a sweet deal for the cows who have to produce all that milk for dairy Easter eggs. Not only have they been selectively bred to produce a whopping 10 times the amount of milk their calves would naturally need, but to add insult to injury their calves (who are born just to keep the mums producing milk) are taken away from them within 24hours and most are trucked off to slaughter. Hmm... that's enough to kill that sugar high.

But once you know the dirt on dairy, the big question is how to be sweet to yourself and the cows at Easter...? Well let me tell you, this used to be a challenge! But these days there are so many amazing cruelty-free, dairy-free chocolates around that you probably don't need a blog to point them out. But since you're here...

Our top 5 Must-Have-Eat Vegan Easter Treats!

5. Lindt Dark Choc Bunny
Why? 'Cause these cute little guys are smooth, delicious and available pretty much everywhere (Note only the dark bunnies are vegan, but they're the best, anyway ;)).

4. Alpha Chocolate Eggs
Something to get eggxcited about (first and last egg pun, I swear)! Alpha have a range of fine dairy-free chocolates including large and small eggs. Look out for them at DJ's or TheCrueltyFreeShop.

3. Sweet William Chocolate Bunnies
All Sweet William do is make chocolate. And all Sweet William chocolates are vegan! This Easter they've brought out Easter bunny multi-packs available at Coles, Darrell Lea, Franklins, Independent Groceries and Health Food Stores.

2. Vegan Snickers, Bounty, Milky Way and Mars Bar Doppelgangers
These delights are new to Australia and are to die for. If you're lucky your local health/specialty store will stock them, or pick them up from TheCrueltyFreeShop.

1. DIY Vegan Chocolate Treats
My favourite 'cause there's nothing quite like getting your hands dirty and making your own chocolates! Grab a bar (or five) of your favourite dairy-free chocolate*, melt in a bowl sitting in a pot of shallow boiling water, then scoop the melted chocolate into chocolate moulds and place some roasted nuts (macadamias are my fave) in the centres. Cover with sprinkled nuts or desiccated coconut. You don't need to hold out for Easter -- these make great gifts at any time of year actually! *Here are a few of the brands to look out for:

• Whittaker's Dark Chocolate Block (confectionary isle of supermarkets)
• Tropical Source (fair trade, and lots of yummy varieties! At some supermarkets and heath food stores)
• Bonvita Rice Milk Chocolate (also fair trade. Words can't express how amazing Bonvita is. Their white chocolate is incredible. At health food & specialty stores)
• Sweet William (their range of chocolate bars are in most supermarkets. They now have vegan white chocolate bars too!)

So now you know what to get me for Easter :) If you have any favourites to add to the list please comment below!

If you're like me and haven't even started your xmas shopping yet, you might like the idea of suggestions for presents to take all of the hard work out of it. So here are my top 10 tips for xmas gifts:

1. Buy a TV Ad (or have one bought for you): Remind your family that Christmas is a time of joy and celebration, and giving kindness to those who are stuck in factory farms. By donating an ad, you can make their Christmas by keeping our ads on television to give animals a voice.
2. Aesop gift packs: All of Aesop's products are vegan meaning you don't have to worry about your products being used in cruel animal experiments. They have gift packs for both men and women (perfect for Mum and Dad) that range from $30 to $150. This is what my mum's getting for chrissy.
   
3. LUSH Handmade Cosmetics: While also on the topic of cosmetics you cannot go past LUSH, one of the coolest and conscious companies around. These guys have decadent smelling hand-made cosmetics, with a great range of vegan options, that are all natural and perfect for gifts for mum, dad, bro or sis. Just find your closest store.
   
4. Macbeth's vegan line of shoes: Macbeth shoes are pure style. And a pair of cow friendly kicks is enough to put a spring in anyone's step.
   
5. The Cove: One of the biggest animal films of the year, which shone a light on the secretive dolphin slaughter in the small town of Taiji in Japan. Definitely one of the best films I have ever seen. It's very much like Animal Planet meets James Bond. So if you're Dad likes espionage films, then this is definitely for him. Available from JB Hi Fi around Australia.
   
6. Sponsor a needy animal: Adopting a family companion is a big decision and one best left to the person who will be looking after him/her. So giving an animal as a present usually isn't a good idea. But that doesn't mean you can't help a needy animal and make your friend or family member fall head over heals in the process. Sponsoring an animal at a sanctuary (such as Edgar's Mission or Brightside Farm Sanctuary) on behalf of a friend/family member will leave the recipient feeling proud that their helping to give a needy animal a home. And that experience can be all the more rewarding if you can visit the sanctuary!
7. Cook a delicious vegan supper: Remember that old saying "it's the thought that counts?" Well whoever coined the phrase was right. Why not save Mum/Gran the time slaving away in the kitchen this xmas by whipping out your vegan masterchef skills with one of our Christmas recipes. In doing so, you'll give animals the kindest gift of all - not eating them, and show your family how great vegan food is!
8. Music: Really, who doesn't love music! And of course it's 100% animal friendly. And you could make this gift even more animal friendly (110% animal friendly?) by supporting a band that helps animal **cough Kisschasy cough**. Their new album Seizures is currently at all good music stores.
9. Tart n Round: These Melbourne based cake pioneers have a range of delicious chocolates, cakes and sweets that would make a great small gift for someone such as in a Kris Kringle/Secret Santa. They are open Thursday 12-6pm so you'd better be quick. If you don't live in Melbourne, just pick up some other vegan treats from a local vegan store in your area.
10. Stella McCartney perfume: Perfect for mum or your lady friends, Stella McCartney is vegan so you can rest assured that her products aren't tested on animals and that they don't contain any animal by-products. A little bit pricey, but definitely worth what you pay. Available at most Myers around the country.

If you can think of any other last minute Xmas ideas, post your ideas below!

Earlier in the week we appealed to the chocolate admirers out there with the promise of free Constant Craving Truffles. So began the hunt for Unleashed's most worthy chocoholic. But sheesh – you didn't make it easy on us – the competition was fierce! After reading the responses from so many worthy candidates, we were so overwhelmed by the heartfelt pleas for chocolate that we realised we couldn't choose just one winner...

So it's time to congratulate our two most worthy chocoholics, Matt.Y, who promises to give the chockies to his Mum (we want photographic evidence, Matt), and chaha33, the super-keen-vegan-cocoa-bean-eating-poetry-machine! Congratulations Matt.Y and chacha33 – your bundle of 10 Constant Craving Truffles are zooming from the Unleashed office to your doorstep right now! But that's not all. We've also thrown in some free stickers for good measure :-)

In truth we believe everybody deserves chocolate, and really there's no reason to miss out. If all this chocolate-talk has you salivating at your keyboard, then follow me to the Unleashed shop where you can pick up your own bag of truffles for just $10 (or $20 if you're really serious). All the money raised through the shop goes towards helping animals and fighting animal cruelty.

And just for you lovely folks, postage is free :-)

I can hardly contain my excitement as I write this... There has been so much chatter about dairy-free chocolate on the forum recently that we thought we would share the love even further and give away some vegan chocolate.

That's right – FREE CHOCOLATE!

In fact, we've all gone a little chocolate-mad with two new chocolate gift packs for sale in the Unleashed shop. And believe me, there's a good reason they call them 'Constant Craving' truffles. If you want to impress someone, I promise you, the only thing you'll ever need to do is get them some of these...

Constant Craving Truffles - 5 pack ($10)

Constant Craving Truffles - 10 pack ($20)

Each pack includes five dreamy varieties including Jaffa Delight, Coffee, Scorched Almond, Coconut, and Apricot Dream.

Ok ok ok, back to the free chocolate :-) If you want to get your hands on free pack of these melt-in-your-mouth truffles simply leave a comment below and tell us why you deserve them. We'll send the most worthy candidate a chock-filled gift to satiate those constant cravings...

Update: most worthy chocoholics announced! Click here to find out who won.