To just want old chocolate back

[SideEyeSally]

I really rarely eat chocolate these days but thought I'd treat myself over xmas. All the ones I used to love and remember fondly Roses, Dairy Milk, Heroes, Quality Street just tasted greasy and dissapointing. My sister has suggested splashing out on high end Hotel Chocolate next year but I don't want posh chocolate I want cheap chocolate from 20 years ago. I would pay good money to a company that could sell me a perfect dupe of the Dairy Milk I grew up with.

Think I have seen these in some world food aisles. Thanks for recommending, I will try them

This is when Roses were at their best imo

Does anyone remember when Thorntons were really nice, back in the 70s and 80s. They were quite expensive but worth it. They've gone down the really really cheap route and they taste absolutely foul.

Im quite happy I’m no longer tempted - everytime I have chocolate I’m disappointed - not tempted to buy again. Someone bought us a big box of Hotel Chocolate last year - they were really awful, felt bad because they were quite pricy.

I got a selection box from M&S a few weeks ago. The chocolates had that odd shiny look and mediocre taste. I checked the ingredients and sure enough, palm oil. Gross.

So true. American tastes are weird - sweet bread and plastic cheese. Hershey's choc is utterly gross - smells like cat sick and tastes worse.

I like some Lindt (although have to pace myself as can get a bit sickly) and we had the M&S Big Mix this year which was very good for the price (£6 for a big box).

Whittakers chocolate from NZ is great and I’ve just found this place that sells it in the UK. Possible other places too.
www.sanza.co.uk/new_zealand_brands.asp?brand=Whittakers&srsltid=AfmBOorihw3Lxdkd31mtgYuJrjeoONFyLb4acSbAmtfho4e6cpa-Ziih

I saw chocolate will get much more expensive next year due to issues with cocoa and places might start using more chocolate flavourings instead.

I frequently look at but refuse to buy lots of chocolate these days due to the price and I just don't think it's worth it taste wise.

It's true, buying chocolate is a minefield now
Green and blacks is good imo, and Tony's chocolooney but I don't really like their flavours.

Inspired by this thread I went and cracked open a box of those sea shell chocolates I can't spell that were given to me at Christmas. Pleased to report no palm oil or soya and they tasted as I remembered.

That picture posted above of old school roses has made me feel quite nostalgic.

Morrisons used to sell it in the Irish bit of their World food aisle. Theyve just got rid of the Irish section though. No more mint crisp 😩 No more red lemonade, Tayto crisps, or curry sauce mix either 😡

My favourite supermarket chocolate at the moment is J. D. Gross from Lidl, and, even nicer, the co-op's new-ish Chocoalte for Change range. I also really like Monty Bojangles occasionally.

I agree that most chocolate has gone downhill in quality :-( . I would much rather have a small amount of really nice stuff than a large amount of mediocre stuff.

Following for recommendations of really nice treat chocolate!

There is a global cocoa shortage. Manufacturers are cutting offerings and reducing cocoa in their products to compensate.

Old school roses were the best. I had forgotten the Noisette Whirl! They were my second choice, Brazil nut toffee/caramel were first.

Are you sure it's red lemonade you mean not brown?
Can't beat a brown lemonade.

Red lemonade in Ireland. Never heard of brown lemonade, where do you get that?

Willies Cacao is lovely. Especially Milk of the Gods

Original Coke is still aspartame free.

Fever Tree is another aspartame free brand (and iirc they've promised to stay aspartame free), a little more expensive but so worth the extra money. I love their lemonade and hadn't realised how much I'd missed being able to drink it.

If you miss Dr Pepper, Fanta etc. you can buy imported cans but they're expensive and often contain HFCS (although I'd still rather that than aspartame).

If it's only aspartame you're avoiding and you're OK with sucralose (I think it's sucralose), Home Bargains has a load of interesting soft drinks. I can't vouch for any of them as I avoid sweeteners completely.

I still remember the smell of a Cadburys cream egg through the blue foil 30 years ago. A box of them smelt like heaven.
Opening a box or tin of roses was so exciting, you could smell the foil and the chocolate.
Opening a box of maltesers and the smell would hit you! And kitkats
It's so depressing 😂
Most of it tastes so samey but I still love a twirl.

Wow I'd forgotten about the mini dairy milks and bournville 🖤

Might just be NI. C&c one is the best. Given to even sick child in the 80's as a cure all!

Yes, totally agree that the new chocolate is more melty greasy.
I sometimes buy the very thin small bars of Cadbury and pop it into the freezer.
It tasts so much better crisp and cold.
It keeps it's integrity and, like the olden day cheap chocolate, it breaks off cleanly.

I detest American chocolate and I feel that many cheaper brands are emulating the American over sweet, over greasy brands.

I really love Green & Blacks milk chocolate. It has been my go to now for a few years. It's richer than the normal milky chocolate and I feel I don't need a lot of it to keep me satisfied.

I'm pleased for the lucky Irish people who can still get proper Cadbury's chocolate; but what have we come to in the UK when the only proper, original version of a historic top British brand is only sometimes available in the UK in the 'World Food' aisle?

Can't Jamie Oliver or somebody else famous - anybody would do - get the government to introduce a huge tax on palm oil? As well as being much better for the environment and ecosystems, the big manufacturers might actually see no other option than to go back to using proper chocolate ingredients in their chocolate.

Terry's All-Gold were one of my favourites, and I haven't seen them anywhere for years now. Did one of the big boys buy Terry's and drag them down to their own new level, or just get rid of the brand (except for chocolate oranges)?

I'm another one who is baffled as to why you would buy a highly-respected brand and then kill the golden goose by deliberately destroying it. I'd rather they just increase the prices, if they really must, and keep the proper old stuff, rather than reducing it to a shadow of its former self.

This is the problem with most big companies: they have no pride and couldn't care less if their customers are not delighted by or even particularly happy with their products; as long as people just about tolerate them enough to not stop buying them - maybe there's no longer much alternative anyway - is more than good enough for them.

I binned our quality street this year, it tasted awful. It's not the same anymore especially with the awful waxy wrappers