Easter chocolate creation boosts charity funds

Abraham Padmanaban, aged 36, head pastry chef at the hotel in the Old Oxford Road, created an Easter confection of chocolate which featured a bird’s nest in a tree, daffodils, tiny sheep and birds and Easter bunnies - complete with carrot.
Visitors were invited to guess the weight of the sweet treat in return for a donation to the West Berkshire children’s charity Swings & Smiles.
“We had two people guess the weight of the display to the nearest weight. The weight of the display was 30 kilos. Tracy Griffiths from Southampton and Kai Nathwanj from Feltham both guessed at 30.5 kilos,” said Jennifer Charlton-Yates, a spokeswoman for the hotel, adding: “They have won a personalised chocolate treat from Mr Padmanaban.”
The confection took 24 hours to make.
“It was all made by hand and of sugar and chocolate - white, dark and milk,” said Mr Padmanaban, adding he wished to thank his boss, head chef Kelvin Johnson for his support.
A similar competition was held at The Vineyard, Stockcross, and a total of £144 was raised for the charity.
The confections are to remain on display in the hotel reception areas for about a week after the competition closed on Tuesday (Apr 10).