Chocolates

Ooh yes I remember Terry's Sparta GrannySomerset delicious

I mourn the passing of Terry’s Sparta, hard centred plain chocolate. Nothing else comes close.

Also like Milka keep it in the fridge 👌

MiniMoon I think you should write to them. If people don't complain they will think everyone prefers the new style.

My favourites were the lime barrel in Milk Tray and the butterscotch in Black Magic. I also used to like the hard centre ones called "cracknel." They were crunchy and I always chose them out of chocolate box selections when I was a kid.

Most chocolates are disappointing now. Even Thorntons, which used to be a treat. Hotel Chocolat is yummy but expensive. My favourite chocolates of all are rose and violet creams but again they're not cheap.

At Christmas my DH bought me a box of Green and Black's, containing small, differently flavoured bars. They were very nice. He was so pleased with himself for getting it right that I know he will have bought me the same thing for Valentine's Day, bless him!

Kathmaggie

Fry’s, Terry’s and Rowntrees all had their own lovely flavours - all been taken over now! As Carly Simon once sang - ‘ nothing stays the same’

Agree. Terry’s chocolate orange used to be delicious. Not any longer, full of nasty, cheap ingredients in order to make bigger profits for the manufacturer.

Chestnut

That's your opinion maddyone. I still enjoy Cadbury Twirl which comes in packs of four, each one with two twirls.

That is indeed my opinion Chestnut. Cadbury chocolate is absolute rubbish now.

Fry’s, Terry’s and Rowntrees all had their own lovely flavours - all been taken over now! As Carly Simon once sang - ‘ nothing stays the same’

Chestnut

cc

I had a moan at Ocado the other day because there wasn't a single decent box of chocolates for sale on there at a reasonable price. I don't like the boring pralines (though I'll eat truffles) but the expensive continental brands always seem to incude loads of them. I'm also not keen on caramels or toffees, just too sickly. So many of the selections are just downright dull - and none of them are in lovely boxes either.

I really don't know what to get for my daughter for Easter, I used to get her Milk Tray or something similar, but just reading the product description and the negative reviews on the various boxes puts me off.
There is a very expensive Hotel Chocolat box but I've had them before and they're just not our cup of tea. There was one Prestat box which looked nice (and was on offer so will probably be out of stock) so I've ordered that and will keep my fingers crossed that they have it.
I do wish they would bring back a simple old fashioned box of chocolates, like the old Black Magic or the Gold box one whose name I can't remember.

cc I'm not sure what you're complaining about. There have been loads of suggestions on this thread including Laudens and James Cadbury, Lindt, Thorntons and more. Have you checked them all out?

Chestnut, I'm not keen on Lindt I'm afraid, too many pralines and nutty things in all their collections. I looked at the James Cadbury site but it seems to be bars and truffles. Thorntons is OK, but even their "Classic" box has too many that we don't like - not really classic at all, it terms of English chocolates. Laudens does look nice but again don't look much like traditional chocolates. I'd rather pay for lovely old fashioned chocolates rather than a colourful outside.
I've ordered Prestat already as they do look more like the sort of thing my daughter likes.

Peaseblossom

CC Terry's All Gold. I had forgotten about those. Don't know why they are no longer available. Maybe we should do a petition and send it to Terry's!
Hotel Chocolat is amazing but too expensive. I've stopped giving it as gifts.

I sometimes take a couple of the tiny packs of Hotel Chocolat if I'm going out to friends for dinner but, I agree, the boxes are too expensive. The All Gold was lovely, just a nice mix and something for everybody.
I'll probably have to resort to going to an expensive department store and putting together a small box of nice chocs for my daughter.

That's your opinion maddyone. I still enjoy Cadbury Twirl which comes in packs of four, each one with two twirls.

Cadbury chocolate is absolutely disgusting since Cadbury was bought by an American company and the recipe changed. I no longer ever buy anything Cadbury make. You have to go for good quality chocolate now and pay more it. That’s fair enough because it is quality. Lindt, Suchard, Hotel Chocolate, Leonidas etc. Cadbury is horrible.

Stick to good quality fair trade chocolate like Divine. By buying only fair trade marked chocolate you can gather cocoa producers aren't exploited and no chold labour. I visited a fir trade cocoa farm in Ghana a few years ago and saw first hand the difference fair trade makes to communities. This was on a ' meet the people ' tour with Traidcraft, the Christian based fair trade organisation which many of you wknow through your churches. Sadly, after 44 years, it's just folded.

cc

I had a moan at Ocado the other day because there wasn't a single decent box of chocolates for sale on there at a reasonable price. I don't like the boring pralines (though I'll eat truffles) but the expensive continental brands always seem to incude loads of them. I'm also not keen on caramels or toffees, just too sickly. So many of the selections are just downright dull - and none of them are in lovely boxes either.

I really don't know what to get for my daughter for Easter, I used to get her Milk Tray or something similar, but just reading the product description and the negative reviews on the various boxes puts me off.
There is a very expensive Hotel Chocolat box but I've had them before and they're just not our cup of tea. There was one Prestat box which looked nice (and was on offer so will probably be out of stock) so I've ordered that and will keep my fingers crossed that they have it.
I do wish they would bring back a simple old fashioned box of chocolates, like the old Black Magic or the Gold box one whose name I can't remember.

cc I'm not sure what you're complaining about. There have been loads of suggestions on this thread including Laudens and James Cadbury, Lindt, Thorntons and more. Have you checked them all out?

House of Bruar sell coffee creams, violet creams and many others..

I remember in the 70’s being brought a box of chocs that was half milk/half plain called Good News by Mackintosh, they were really good. I also loved getting a box of Weekend at Christmas. I totally agree chocolates aren’t as good now, all the the centres in Milk Tray taste the same to me. I love a Thornton’s Sicilian lemon truffle, you can also buy that in a bar.

Since Kraft took over Cadbury the chocolate taste different. I used to look forward to my first Creme Egg after christmas - I don’t touch them now.

My husband subscribed to the hotel chocolat chocolate tasting club for a couple of years. The first two or three boxes were lovely, probably because they were a novelty. The following boxes didn't seem to have anything different so he cancelled his subscription.
I do like chocolate, but I think I'll give it a rest for a while.
Maynard's fizzy fish make a nice change.

I don’t have boxes of chocolates now but do eat dark chocolate slabs 70% plus. Never liked soft centres. Was given a.box of liquor chocolates for Christmas and enjoyed those. I like chocolate biscuits and have a cup of hot chocolate every evening.
Don’t eat sweets.

As I detest Strawberry and Orange creams, they taste of sugar and chemicals to me, I would be perfectly happy if Milk Tray removed them from every box.

Lucky I’ve never liked chocolate …..am I the only person in the world!?

Salted caramel seems to be everywhere at the moment. I don't mind it in small doses, but it's everywhere. I quite like to have some of the sachets of flavoured coffee in the house just for a wee change every once in a while, but accidentally picked up a box of salted caramel mocha instead of the normal mocha. I'm making myself finish them because I hate to waste them, but they're not great.

I'm another one that can't abide salted caramel! The sad thing is that caramel is my favourite flavour, not only as a chocolate centre but as a sauce on ice cream, or in cakes or desserts. So whoever decided that salt and caramel were a suitable match has completely spoiled meals out for me. I recently went out for a special lunch and 4 out of the 6 desserts on the menu included salted caramel!

CC Terry's All Gold. I had forgotten about those. Don't know why they are no longer available. Maybe we should do a petition and send it to Terry's!
Hotel Chocolat is amazing but too expensive. I've stopped giving it as gifts.

Chestnut I haven't bought Cadbury's Roses for years. They're horrible. So sickly. Just not like they used to be. Cadbury's chocolate has really deteriorated. It's pasty. I have been buying Quality Street for years, which are nice. I like orange cream centres (particularly with dark chocolate as it is less sickly), but strawberry is too sickly. I like the toffees and coconut too, and most of the others. Most of the Quality Street selection is good.