As luck would have it, I came across some Jaffa Cakes in an American Aldi last week – so this week’s Wrapper Wednesday is a celebration of Jaffa! I present to you(The Original) ‘Jaffas’ from New Zealand.
These orange flavoured ‘lollies‘ have been around since 1931, and although no longer made by Cadbury, you can still purchase them under the name RJ’s (a kiwi confectioner, specializing in liquorice). Equally popular in Australia, they are produced by Allen’s (owned by Nestlé).
They consist of a firm dark chocolate center coated in a crunchy, orange-tasting sugar shell…and are very moreish.
All things ‘jaffa‘ are associated with ‘orange‘. The term derives from the jaffa orange; a popular variety grown in the Jaffa region of Israel, that has a vibrant colour, virtually no seeds and a sweet taste.
Whether or not these chocolate Jaffas, or my German Jaffa Cakes, have any middle-eastern origin, the name is now synonymous with tasty orange edibles.
These were sent to me by relatives living in New Zealand some time ago…yet the new RJ wrapper looks virtually identical to this one (they don’t claim to be the ‘original‘)! Just goes to show, you can’t mess with a classic…
I have four…count ’em…four wonderfully varied and flavoured Cadbury chocolate bars up for review today! Featuring Tazmanian-made ‘Snack‘ from Australia, and ‘Cashew & Coconut‘, ‘Top Deck Mint‘ and ‘Rum & Raisin‘ from South Africa. Now, let’s dig in!
Treats from abroad! Australian and South African Cadbury bars
In 1922 the combined British chocolate companies Cadbury and J.S Fry merged once again with Australia’s Pascall in order to open the first Cadbury factory in the land down under. Exports to the country began as early as 1881 and the Aussie Cadbury products have continued to grow and develop their own unique flavours.
‘Snack‘ is an indulgent, chunky tablet bar with six featured fillings. One-up from the previous ‘Snack 5‘, and reminiscent of the long lost Fry’s ‘Five Centres‘ this current form of Cadbury ‘Snack‘ contains orange, coconut ice, Turkish delight, pineapple, caramel and strawberry.
Each filling has its own decorative stamp on the chocolate, and on the back of the wrapper there is a handy decipher to help you munch your way through. If you’re a selective eater then this is most helpful. If you like to live life on the edge and just dive right in, then I’m sure you’ll find this bar a lot of fun, especially when snacking with friends and family.
‘Snack’ chunks with their identifying markers
Pineapple is by far my favourite of the six fillings. Bright yellow, acidic, sweet and an unmistakable flavour – it’s very exotic compared to the standard fruit fillings of most British chocolates and it’s so refreshing.
I do not like ‘Turkish delight’ that is runny, gooey, or in any form outside of the original powdered rahat lakum so I didn’t enjoy the pinky slime featured in this bar. But the caramel, orange and strawberry fondant are very similar to flavours we Brits can find in our selection of Cadbury ‘Roses‘.
As for the coconut ice, I found it sadly lacking in any real flavour or texture. I love coconut, and coconut ice. I grew up by the seaside and big bricks of coconut ice were always easily accessible to me. But the centre inside the ‘Snack‘ doesn’t have any of that sweet and creamy taste or bitty texture that I associate with the fruit.
All in all this is a really entertaining and pretty tasty bar of chocolate. I’m sure it’ll stir up fond memories of those who treasured the Fry’s ‘Five Centres‘ (1934-1992).
Some of the fillings included in the Australian ‘Snack’
Cadbury has been present in South Africa since 1903, but it wasn’t until the 1930’s that the company built a factory in Port Elizabeth, and began to produce their own chocolate in the country.
The texture of these South African chocolate bars is similar to that of the Australian – it’s a little thicker, a little more dense and claggy than the original Birmingham blend. This is probably down to the product being adapted to cope better in the extreme heat that both countries face. However these Dairy Milk adaptations lack this strange, smokey after taste I always get after eating Australian Dairy Milk…and I prefer that!
(left to right) Snack, Rum & Raisin, Top Deck Mint and Cashew & Coconut
The ‘Cashew & Coconut‘ is full of rough, shredded coconut pieces and little nuggets of cashews and is dangerously addictive! I personally love milk chocolate-coated cashews and I will always defend the ‘Bounty‘ bar even though it has so many haters…so this combination is definitely my favourite ‘foreign’ bar of Cadbury I’ve ever tried to date.
‘Top Deck Mint‘; Dairy Milk chocolate topped with ‘milky mounds‘ (white chocolate) and flavoured with mint. It has a very refreshing and scrumptious smell, although the chocolate itself is a little chalky. Tasty enough, but not as moreish or strong as other minty chocolates on the market.
And finally! ‘Rum & Raisin‘ is a classic, but this adaptation is a little underwhelming. The chew of the fruit is pleasant enough, but the taste of rum is lacking.
What a big bunch of bars that was! What’s your favourite Dairy Milk bar? Are you a traditionalist? Do you like real fruits and nuts thrown in? Or do you prefer another country’s Dairy Milk recipe entirely?
It’s time for another round of ‘Who Does It Best?‘ – a comparison of two versions of Cadbury’s famous chocolate ‘Mini Eggs‘.
In the yellow corner we have the British-born (now Polish-made) Mini Eggs. And in the purple corner we have the American-made Mini Eggs, made under the Cadbury licence by the Hershey Company.
The original British Cadbury Mini Eggs were first manufactured in 1967. These egg-shaped chocolates, coated in a candy shell come in pink, purple, white and yellow and have an adorable brown speckle pattern in order to further mimic a small bird’s egg.
Notably, the Hershey variety lack this distinctive speckle splatter and as such the colours are less muted. They share the same colour scheme as their British cousins, but also include a blue egg in the mix (a colour that was dropped from the British line-up).
Both wrappers use a similar ‘Mini Egg’ font, feature images of the similar-looking treats, and make use of the gold ‘Cadbury’ signature…but do they taste the same?
British Mini Eggs (yellow) American Mini Eggs (purple)
In short…they’re similar! But not the same.
Like with most Hershey-made versions, the chocolate is less creamy and silky compared to British-made chocolates. There is a strong sweet, artificial smell when you open the bag, and the chocolate (for me at least) leaves an almost smoky aftertaste.
The British Mini Eggs have a sweeter aftertaste, and the milk chocolate, is, well, ‘milkier‘.
But, the crunch from breaking the sugar shells on both versions is crisp and makes for a pretty good eating experience. I just find British Mini Eggs so much more moreish! Once again, that probably comes down to me preferring the types of confectionery I grew up with (ingrained bias perhaps).
Spot the difference…
There is good American chocolate out there! I just can’t taste it in Hershey-made imitation Cadbury.
But you tell me if I am wrong! Which Mini Eggs do you prefer? British? American? Or how about Canadian, or Australian Mini Eggs? Either way, have a tasty Easter!
It’s my birthday next week, so I thought I’d get the party started with this birthday-themed sleeve by Love Cocoa!
A relatively new company, Love Cocoa was created in 2016 by James Cadbury: the great-great-great grandson of John Cadbury, who in turn, was the founder and patriarch of the Birmingham-based chocolatiers.
The Cadbury family are no longer involved with the running of their well-known name sake, but James Cadbury has developed Love Cocoa in respect to the founding principles that built the Cadbury business, with a focus on ethics and sustainability.
Love Cocoa, Birthday edition
Some of you might even remember when James Cadbury appeared on ‘Dragon’s Den’ in 2018!
Anyhoo, I received this as an addition to a bunch of birthday flowers that was sent to me via post, so, initially I was skeptical about the quality despite how stylish and contemporary the cardboard sleeve looked (with its embossed lettering and gold foil back shadow)…but, it was real tasty!
Tasty chocolate with a rich heritage, quality wrappers and a conscious to boot – Happy Birthday to me!
Did you know that the famous Cadbury colour purple has a name?
It’s called Pantone 2865c!
In 1914 (allegedly as a tribute* to the late Queen Victoria) Cadbury began to use a royal purple colour on its chocolate bar wrappers.
In the latter part of the 20th and early 21st century Cadbury has repeatedly trademarked the colour and fought competitors (and lost in some cases) in court to protect the rights to Pantone 2865c.
Pantone 2865c
I think many people would agree that this specific colour makes the Cadbury brand universally recognizable across the globe, regardless of where the chocolate product originates from.
*Queen Victoria died in 1901 – the thirteen year gap between her death and the common argument for the use of purple in 1914 seems a little stretched to me. Other sources have suggested a connection to ancient Rome as to why purple was chosen in 1914…perhaps we’ll never really know!
Cadbury Australia has a bit of a reputation for their inventive and creative products, including mash-ups. Once such Aussie colab up for review is the Cadbury Dairy Milk bar featuring Perky Nana.
The Perky Nana (say nah-na in my accent), also known as the ‘Mighty Perky Nana’, is a bar of light, almost foamy, banana chew coated thinly in Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate. Whether you’re a fan of banana and chocolate confectionery or not, this bar is a fun and popular candy in both Australia and New Zealand.
Dairy Milk ft. Perky Nana
This chocolate bar is a block of Tasmanian Dairy Milk interspersed with yellow chunks of banana flavoured marshmallow. These little golden nuggets are much firmer than the mallow in a regular Perky Nana and add great texture to the bar of silky chocolate.
As with most Dairy Milk products from Australia, I find that the chocolate has a slightly odd aftertaste – slightly earthy and not as rich. But Dairy Milk from different countries do vary in taste – this is simply due to different milk being being used. I suppose I am just accustomed to how UK Dairy Milk tastes!
Yellow nana nuggets
That’s not to say that this bar is disappointing – far from it! I love chocolate and banana, and there is a large scattering of nana mallows throughout the bar to ensure that there’s a good fruity chew in every bite.
The banana flavour (for me) is a nice distraction from the lingering aftertaste, and I quite happily ate this bar. I just wish that Cadbury UK was as inventive and creative with their chocolate bars – Australia wins for originality!
At the moment you can find a wide array of these big Aussie Cadbury bars in B&M, including, Dream, Rocky Road, Mint Creme, Birthday Cake, Perky Nana, Neapolitan, Top Deck, Picnic, Caramilk and Marble. So many to choose from!
Did you know that the Quaker chocolate company Cadbury once produced a product that was a blend of chocolate and moss?
Throughout the 18th century cocoa drinks were often promoted as a healthy, nutritious food – containing (mostly) natural ingredients such as cacao and sugar, and once mixed with fresh and creamy milk, the end result would produce a nourish warm drink that would both fuel the hungry, and satisfy the elite.
In the late 1850’s, John Cadbury had the vision of mixing his cocoa with lichen (yes, that fluffy green stuff that you can see growing on trees) with the aims of producing a vitamin-rich and healthy chocolate drink. Lichen was thought to have beneficial properties and was also used in chest and cough remedies. Not only could his new cocoa be tasty, helping to bind the fats in the production process, but it could also be nutritionally better than his competitors. He and his sons, George and Richard, would call this invention ‘Iceland Moss’.
Cadbury’s design for Iceland Moss Cocoa
Iceland Moss was made into a solid, plain chocolate bar that was to be grated up, then added to hot milk or water. But even with its bright yellow packaging and image of a reindeer on the wrapper, the curious mix of moss and chocolate failed to entice the British public enough to make it the best seller the company was hoping for!
But they weren’t the only ones producing mossy cocoa! Rowntree (York), Fry’s (Bristol) and Dunn & Hewetts (London) also produced Icelandic Moss cocoa!
Advert for Fry’s Iceland Moss Cocoa
Move over orange – lichen could very well be the next Christmas chocolate flavour! …maybe…
It’s Wrapper Wednesday! This week brings you a kiwi Cadbury candy, the chewy chocolaty ‘Perky Nana’.
Cadbury chocolate first made its way to New Zealand in 1881, when the Cadbury brother’s lone travelling salesman Thomas Elford Edwards was dispatched to sell their chocolate wears. His territory included the whole of New Zealand and Australia! It wasn’t until 1930 did the company in New Zealand start producing Cadbury Dairy Milk.
Perky Nana (treatsize) wrapper
The Perky Nana (say nah-na in my accent) is a bar of light, almost foamy, banana chew coated thinly in Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate. In my experience they are best eaten frozen – just be careful not to get any teeth stuck in the banana nougat as it begins to soften up!
Even though the sweet is positively tropical compared to our own British chocolates, you can definitely recognise this as a Cadbury product with their strong purple branding (purple Pantone 2685C to be exact) and milky-swirl of a signature!
This product is quite similar to Pascal’s Pinapple Lumps in terms of texture (also best frozen or chilled) and look. This wrapper contained fifteen ‘treat size’ bars.
Did you know that the brothers George and Richard Cadbury would give workers an extra penny a day if they did not succumb to the temptation of eating any chocolates before they left the factory?
This scheme was known as ‘pledge money’, and was used to encourage honesty and reward hard work in their chocolate factories, first in Birmingham city, and then later at the purpose-built model village and chocolate works of Bournville in the early 1880’s.
Pledge money was paid out every three months – one worker apparently saved up enough to buy himself a brand new pair of boots!
The business’ fortunes turned around with the invention of their Cocoa Essence chocolate drink
The young brothers (Richard 25, George 21) took over the running of the Quaker owned family business in 1861 from their ailing father John. From humble beginnings these tea and cocoa merchants defined the tastes of British milk chocolate – a legacy now well over a century old. Their religious and moral upbringing also meant that the welfare and well being of their workers was paramount, and the two brothers were determined to lead by example with such reforms as group school studies, outside sports, fair pay and rent within the Bournville village, half days on Saturdays, and the ‘pledge money’ pennies.
George Cadbury (21) and Richard Cadbury (26) shortly after they took over the family business in 1861
Could you resist pinching fresh chocolates off the Cadbury line for an extra penny?
Did you know that BAFTA award winning actor Miriam Margolyes was the voice of the Cadbury Caramel Bunny?
Compilation of the Cadbury Caramel Bunny adverts
During the 1980’s and 1990’s, Miriam Margolyes (Blackadder, Doc Martin, Merlin, Dickens in America and Professor Sprout in Harry Potter) voiced the sultry west-county Cadbury chocolate mascot in a series of animated commercials. Her dulcet tones, big eyes and sensual patter encouraged other woodland animals to ‘take it easy’ and to enjoy the smooth and indulgent confectionery treat.
Bunny and her voice actor Margolyes
Bunny became the pin-up for Cadbury Caramel chocolate, and made a brief return into its marketing campaign in 2009 sporting made-up lips and sometimes a dress with the sensual tag line ‘Still Got It x’.
Bunny was certainly a confusing and alluring anthropomorphic chocolate sex symbol back in her day…
The British Candy Connoisseur 