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I dedicate this review today to ChocolateMission readers Lottie, Phil and Alan. These three must of had their ears to the walls of Cadbury HQ as they managed to alert me that this range was coming out even before I think Cadbury knew themselves :D Well thanks to those guys I managed to ping a few e-mails out early last week and within a matter of 24 hours I had some samples of this new Cadbury Dairy Milk Bar of Plenty range.
This new line of 140.0g bars includes three brand new Dairy Milk flavours that according to Cadbury themselves are aimed at a 30-40 year old, female demographic (See HERE) ... fantastic ... all I need is another twenty odd years and a gender change :D Luckily with my samples being delivered to me at work I did share these with some colleagues who are a little closer to that demographic target and I have mentioned their views below where I think necessary.
My first impression of the bars in my hand were that they were a very odd size - not in entirely practical for eating out and about yet still significantly smaller than the 230.0g bars that are supposed to be for in-home consumption. Moving on swiftly I thought the packaging looked pretty smart in the what are now standard purple Cadbury matted foil wrappers. Inside I thought some of the flavours looked more appetising than others, but I will get into that more below - lets get into it then ...
Cadbury Bar of Plenty Berry Fruit & Vanilla Shortcake:
Kcal 505 Fat 26.4g Fat(sats) 15.8g Carbs 60.5g (per 100.0g)
'Milk chocoloate with dried cranberries with natural strawberry and elderberry and vanilla shortcake pieces'.
This was the flavour that appealed to the majority of my fellow test panel the most and it did little convince anyone otherwise with the sweet chocolaty red berry aromas that greeted us when we opened the wrapper. Biscuit pieces in Dairy Milk chocolate is nothing new and like the past has proven I did still find it a little bland and dominated by the chocolate. What the biscuit did add though was a delightful crunchiness and the additional fruity element here did more than enough to liven up the taste no end. The different dried fruit red berries were surprisingly fresh tasting and really added some zingy, juicy fruit flavours that contrasted nicely with the sweet chocolate. In comparison to the Cranberry & Granola (See HERE) bar released last year I would say the fruit was on a par but the biscuit wasn't as good as the granola.
8.1 out of 10
Cadbury Bar of Plenty Toffee Apple:
Kcal 495 Fat 24.8g Fat(sats) 15.4g Carbs 61.5g (per 100.0g)
'Milk chocolate with dried spiced apple chunks with toffee pieces'.
Some might say this was the most adventurous of the new bars and the spicy cinnamon aromas did little to dispel this preconception. Cutting to the chase I thought this was the weakest of three flavours and I wasn't alone in thinking this. The combination of the spiced apple and toffee just didn't work with the chocolate as well as the others did and I would say this was mostly the fault of the toffee as it was surprisingly fake tasting and made the chocolate ridiculously sweet. Most people find Cadbury chocolate quite sugary in the first place but the toffee really took it over the edge for me and it was to the point that it started to irritate the back of my throat after only a few blocks. The apple fruit wasn't bad but the over dominating sweetness of the chocolate and the toffee heavily detracted from the spiced fruit side of the taste. This isn't a flavour I would buy again in the future it was just too damn sweet.
6.4 out of 10
Cadbury Bar of Plenty Roast Hazelnut & Honey Roast Cashews:
Kcal 540 Fat 33.5g Fat(sats) 15.9g Carbs 50.6g (per 100.0g)
'Milk chocolate with hazelnuts and honey coated chopped cashews'.
Did I save the best until last? Of course I did - this was the unanimous favourite of all three flavours. To be perfectly honest with you taste wise it differed very little from a Cadbury Dairy Milk Whole Nut (See HERE) but of course this was no bad thing whatsoever. Just as I thought it would the sweet and creamy Dairy Milk chocolate contrasted fantastically with the savoury flavours from the nuts. The whole piece hazelnuts in particular added delicious woody nut influences to the taste and fantastically crunchy and fresh when bitten into. Personally I thought the cashew nuts were a bit hit and miss as they were great at adding sweet buttery nut notes to the taste but were unfortunately not implemented or impactful as they could have been as they were chopped in nature and thus far smaller the hazelnuts. On the whole though this was definitely the most well rounded flavour out of the selection and would be the one I would buy again.
8.7 out of 10
'Milk chocolate with hazelnuts and honey coated chopped cashews'.
Did I save the best until last? Of course I did - this was the unanimous favourite of all three flavours. To be perfectly honest with you taste wise it differed very little from a Cadbury Dairy Milk Whole Nut (See HERE) but of course this was no bad thing whatsoever. Just as I thought it would the sweet and creamy Dairy Milk chocolate contrasted fantastically with the savoury flavours from the nuts. The whole piece hazelnuts in particular added delicious woody nut influences to the taste and fantastically crunchy and fresh when bitten into. Personally I thought the cashew nuts were a bit hit and miss as they were great at adding sweet buttery nut notes to the taste but were unfortunately not implemented or impactful as they could have been as they were chopped in nature and thus far smaller the hazelnuts. On the whole though this was definitely the most well rounded flavour out of the selection and would be the one I would buy again.
8.7 out of 10
Overall this new range from Cadbury encompassed everything that most other chocolate ranges do ... the good, the average and the ugly. Whereas the description of 'good' for the Hazelnut & Cashew is perhaps a little understated and the 'ugly' a little harsh on the 'Toffee Apple' this was a range that I thought varied in quality quite considerably. What was consistent across all three of course was the Dairy Milk chocolate and it was it's usual delightful creaminess. Of course what sorted the wheat from the chaff here was the quality of the stuff in the chocolate and I thought the savoury nuts, and sharp red fruits worked with the chocolate far better than the poor quality toffee and apple combination. Whilst my preferences are quite clear what I am still quite unsure about is where this range came from!?? Personally I am all for manufacturers releasing seasonal limited edition bars to keep consumers interested but what I don't quite get is why Cadbury has chosen to release three new flavours all at once!? Didn't last year show Cadbury that releasing two new flavours was pretty ambitious!? If the past is anything to go by new variants have a tough time sticking around so surely three new ones at once is just insane!? Thw questions are endless ... where will they sit on the shelf!? What are they going to be pushing out? I look forward to hearing what you all think of these new variants ... drop me a comment with your thoughts.
Posts
42 comments:
Huh? Since when were these out? I haven't seen them before.
Maggs
P.s. Update from yesterday my husband gave me some flowers and a card in the evening.
It is funny the flavour I most wanted to try was the apple one so I am a little disappointed to hear you didn't like it. The hazelnut and cashews sounds a bit dull to me. I will just have to give them a try.
Woah you sure hunted these down fast. Wasn't it only last week that you told us about them? I read that article you posted for us just yesterday so I surprised to see a review up already. I can't wait to try them the shortcake flavour sounds amazing.
Great review thank you Jim.
Rxxx
I think you raise some great points at the end Jim. No doubt Cadburys are going to have to get rid of some of their current range in order to get these in the stores. From what I would guess it would probably be the likes of the Bubbly and two fruit (cranberry and apricot) chocolates that they released last year that would be chopped. I can't think of any others?
Does anyone think Kraft had anything to do with this? These aren't what I would call typical Cadburys flavours are they.
I saw an advert for these in the paper at the weekend and look forward to testing them myself. What sort of price are they going to be?
Toffee apple sounds amazing I hope you are wrong about it lol.
I love dairy milk it is about time they did us some different flavours. They had become to get all rather boring.
The one I fancy trying the most is the biscuit and berry but I also want to try the toffee apple flavour when I can find it. Does anyone think Kraft had something to do with these new bars? Like Richard said above they aren't what I would normally expect from Cadburys.
If I eat one of the Toffee Apple bars does that count towards being one of my five a day lol. same goes for the wildberry one hehe.
Dx
Thanks for the dedication Jim :)
Very interesting review, like the others the one that most intrigued me was the toffee apple, I guess because it's not very often you get such a flavour combined with chocolate. Perhaps now we know why! I can't wait to try all of these. At first I thought the name "bar of plenty" was a silly idea, but on reflection I can see the idea behind it now.
As for where they fit in on the shelves, I suppose they're meant to be for those who like different flavour combos but not in a big bar. The cranberry and granola bars were too big IMO, maybe that's why they weren't so succesful. If you're gonna buy a big bar of something, you want it to be something you love, hence the most popular ones (ie. caramel, wholenut) being in big bars. Just my long-winded theory anyway! I wonder if they'll do more flavours in this range...
It is about time Cadbury tried putting some Cashews in their chocolate. I have been looking at buying an expensive cashew dairy milk from cybercandy for ages (Australian I think) but now I won't have to. I can't wait to try it.
Toffee Apple WANT. How can it possibly be as bad as you say it looks amazing. I thought someone like you who has to eat some mabny similar chocolates would appreciate something a bit different.
These all look delicious although the ones I'd go for most are the fruit n shortcake and toffee apple! The nut one sounds nice but doesn't appeal in the way the others do. I don't find Cadbury chocolate particularly sweet (im always surprised when people do lol) so I doubt I'd have the problem with the sweetness :)
It's tempting to think Kraft had a hand in these new bars but I suspect they were in the creative pipeline quite a long while before all this takeover business. after all it takes many many many months indeed for things to reach the shelves from the initial ideas.. I think they could've released them seasomnally first though, like autumn (toffee apple, nuts etc) and summer (berries, shortcake).
I've just had a thought, if these new flavours are down to Kraft now owning Cadbury, I wonder if we will get a peanut butter Dairy Milk? Now that would be amazing!
Maybe they don't intend to keep all three, and putting out all at once is a kind of market-test for which one sells best and should go into major rotation??
The nut one is the only one I'd want to try - I generally find Cadbury too sweet, so the gimmicky flavours of the others would be a bit beyond me, I think!
Who stocks these cos i cant find them anywhere............
Someone please tell me where I can buy these now I am desperate to try the toffee flavour. I wont believe for a second that it is the worst out of all of them.
I wish cadburys would run a competition like the walkers "do us a flavour" campaign. That was so good and being able to try all the different reader flavours for a limited time was really exciting. I can't see them doing something that cool in the near future with the takeover.
Ooo the intrigue!
My you didn't waste any time getting stuck into these, go you!
I was also mostly gunning for the toffee apple, if only because it's nice to see a bit of a daring flavour being brought out. Quite mad for ole Cadbury don't you think! I still am an excited child to try it, even though it seems a case of 'sounding' better than it is.
I'm also liking the shortcake one because I used to love the old plain biscuit bar, it was comfort food finery.
It's disappointing to hear the cashew one isn't very,..cashew-y, I was so looking forward to it! But still, woohoo, I'm just glad they've thought to include them. Yay for cashews.
I concur though I don't really see how these are going to 'fit' with the rest of the range. And yeah, why release all the flavours in one go? Seems like they've missed a good "limited edition/seasonal special" oppurtunity, since that usually sends people into a purchasing frenzy. This is a slightly superficial and childlike view but I can imagine people trying one, maybe not liking it and being put off the rest. Ho hum.
As for the size, I actually love the 140g bars, I can have half in one go (what!? Yes I am a piggy, what of it?!). Suffice to say I shall be keeping watch for the appearance of these in shops, like an eager-beaver.
P.S. Is it just me or do these look like some of the aussie cadbury bars, format-wise? Probably just me.
Good pictures but I think you should have made the review a bit shorter. I felt like I had read a book by the time I had finsihed it geez.
I love how some people are forming opinions on things they have never tasted. Cadburys have been trying a lot of things with fruit in the last year or so haven't they.
Bournville Orange
Cranberry and granola
Apricot and biscuit
and now two more.
Phil, you can get those cranberry and apricot bars in small sizes though, I've never bought either in the big sizes :)
These are an intriguing size, I imagine they have something technical to do with the wierd 'target demographic' perhaps?
I like the funky lettering and the 'upright' wrapper, Cadbury used to use the upright style wrapper quite alot here and they do abroad (like australia) but rarely here now.
Yummy toffee apple sounds amazing. I think they have missed out on a decent oppertunity by doing a limited edition though. I bet if they sold them one at a time they would have sold far more than releasing all three at once. I never understand why we don't have more limited edition chocolates in the UK. It seems to work in America at least.
Ooh, the packaging looks so lovely! I'm pleased there's cashews in the 3rd bar, I love cashew nuts but they're not nearly as popular as they deserve to be.
I still feel awkward that Cadbury is no longer a British company, but maybe these bars will be delicious enough for me to get over it, haha.
Well this is a nice surprise you certainly managed to get hold of these pretty quickly.
Looking at all three it was the toffee apple that chaught the eye first but reading what you have to say about them I would probably now go for the nuts one. If anyone knows where we can buy these I hope they will share the knowledge.
So, I decided to pop into Morrisons today and they were selling them there, £1 each :)
My favourite by far is the vanilla shortcake and berry one, it's lovely! It actually does taste of vanilla and the fruit is delicious. My next favourite was the toffee apple, I liked the softness of it and the cinnamon taste. I wasn't too fussed on the cashew nut one, it just tasted like Cadbury Wholenut with extra crunch to me. Overall I'd definitely have the shortcake one again.
The only place I've seen them so far is on the Cadburys website on the 'giftsdirect' section, though I'm sure they will work their way into the shops fairly soon :)
PART 1
Woah ... where to start .. :O
Maggs
Anounced last week and instore now! Good to hear your husband sorted you out in the end!
David
Don't just take my word for it. See what others have to say or try it for youself. I am just one person after all.
Rachel
I was informed about this time last week. It is amazing what a few e-mails to the right people can do for you.
Steven
Shelf space wise I think you could be right that the apricot and cranberry ones will get the chop. I think the Bubbly is here to stay though it just got new packaging.
Richard
I am 99% sure Kraft had nothing to do with these. The takeover will have to pass through the courts before it is 100% signed off.
Tony
£1 introductory offer according to Phil! No idea on the RRP though.
Emma
These flavours came out the blue huh!? Let me know what you think of the toffee apple! You might think differently!
Daisy
Unfortunately not I don't think. It would be rather good if they did mind you.
Lauren
See what I said to Richard above. I think it is highly unlikely that Kraft were involved in these.
Phil
No problem whatsoever! Thank you for the heads up.
Good work on finding them in Morrisons and telling us about the price! Informative and useful and always chap.
I would think Kraft had no input in to these whatsoever as takeovers take months (if not years!) to happen ... as Alan said Iam sure these would have been in the pipeline for a great amount of time.
Good to hear some second opinions on the bars already. I think the shortcake one is going to the best selling SKU out of the lot. Time will tell I guess.
If Kraft's first move was to bring out a peanut butter flavoured Kit Kat I think that would make people warm to them somewhat more :D
Tricky
They have a cashew bar in Australia? That is new to me! i will see if I can track one down to compare like for like.
Alan
I agree with you about both your points about Kraft's involement (or lack of!) and that these would have been better released as seasonal variants. I look forward to hearing what you have to say about the flavours. If you don't mind the sweetness then you could end up liking the toffee apple a hell of a lot more than I did.
Thanks for providing us the info about the Cadbury Gifts Direct. They look pretty expensive on there huh!?
Hannah
You could be right but there are far easier ways of testing products for markets nowadays! They could have just released them in a small region of the country and seen how they sold through there. I look forward to hearing your views aswell.
Anon
Morrisons as far as we know at the moment!
Sarah
See above! Tell me what you think of the toffee when you try it.
Paul
That is a damn awesome idea isn't it. I guess it wouldn't be seen as very original though would it!? I would enter that competition for sure.
Lottie
I didn't waste anytime at all :D Thank you for telling my about them in the first place - I look forward to hearing what you have to say about them.
I defo agree they should have gone down the limited edition route. I think they would have a far greater chance of sticking around if they came at one at a time. I can also see that people could be put off by one!
You aren't going mad thinking they look like the Aussie bars either! They are normally presented in this fashion but in groovy looking cardboard sleeves.
Chloe
Thanks for the nice words about the pictures. It was a real challenge getting all three reviews in to one! I hope i didn't bore the pants off people.
PART 2
Kim
Fruit chocolates are the in thing from Cadbury aren't they!? They seem to be really keen on them at the moment.
Alan
Is it me or are those smaller bars pretty much gone now!? I never seem to see them anywhere ... though I guess I am never really looking out for them either.
I similarly think the packaging is pretty good. I just love the look the matter pruple packaging. There is just something so wonderfully .... cadbury about it! It gives me a nice warm feeling.
On that note over the past few days I have been taking some pictures to go in some of my older reviews. You should see them all start appearing soon. I will update you all on Saturday which reviews have new pictures.
Rachel
I am normally not the greatest cashew lover but I do like seeing nuts other than the normal hazelnut and almonds used. The cashews were definitely a nice little change up from the likely lads but still it would have been better if they were whole.
Phil
As I said to you above mate the I am predicting the shortcake one is going to be the most popular.
Alan
I am sure they will mate! They looks blooming expensive at that price online don't they. Best off waiting for the supermarket deals I reckon.
Thanks for all the feedback everyone. I look forward to hearing what you all think about the different flavours. Should be interesting to see.
JIM
I just tried the Toffee Apple one of these, my sister spotted it in our local Spar (they had the nut but not the Shortcake grr, hopefully they will get that in too!). I have to say I thought it delicious! :) It reminded me of apple strudel in fact. I didn't find it overly sweet and the tofee was just right, although the flavour was more spiced apple dominated I'd say. I think this would have done well over Christmas/autumn!
Definitely on the buy again list for me lol
I just tried the Toffee Apple one of these, my sister spotted it in our local Spar (they had the nut but not the Shortcake grr, hopefully they will get that in too!). I have to say I thought it delicious! :) It reminded me of apple strudel in fact. I didn't find it overly sweet and the tofee was just right, although the flavour was more spiced apple dominated I'd say. I think this would have done well over Christmas/autumn!
Definitely on the buy again list for me lol
Alan
you are spot on I think it would have done far better as a Christmas variety. The spicy cinnamon edge makes it suitable for that sort of period.
I look forward to hearing about your thoughts on the shortcake when you can track it down. It is always good to hear others perspectives.
Cheers
JIM
Thye are on offer in Morrisons for £1. They only had the Toffee Apple and Berry Fruit one. I have just tried the Toffee Apple and it is ok but I can't taste the toffee. I can feel it crunching but no flavour. The spiced apple flavour is quite strong and very chewy. In fact it is that chewy that after I have finished the small square of chocolate I find myself still chewing the apple for about a minute later.
I've just bought the berry one, and thought that was also delicious lol I'm really enjoying these new bars I have to say. I liked those cranberry and apricot ones but think these are more interesting.
Anon
Thanks for the heads up. I seem to be in the minority not liking the toffee apple very much.
Alan
I thought you would like the shortcake one. It is great trying all the new flavours isn't it. I do love the classics (Cadbury Caramel etc!) but having something new to taste every now and again makes things exciting.
Thanks Guys
JIm
Hi, This is a follow on from my Anon comment on the 23rd Feb(I was the one who also does not like the toffee apple one). I have just tried the Roast Hazelnuts and Honey Roast Cashews. I really like it. You can really taste the honeyroasted flavour in the cashew nuts and there are plenty of them and it has a nice crunchy texture. Its not overly sweet either but I will just try another piece to make sure :). I will be trying the Berries one over the weekend but it will have to taste really special to knock the cashews off the top spot
Tried the Berry and Vanilla shortcake one. Its nice but I could only really taste the berries if I got a piece and mashed it between my teeth. It just tasted like the biscuit one they used to make. There were plenty of berries and biscuit though. My fave is still the nut one
I got all three at the local Budgens, and tried the Toffee Apple one first - and have to agree with you, it's a bit meh.
Debby
Hi Debby,
Thanks for sharing your views on these bars.
My fave is also the nut one and I have tried it a few times since I wrote this review.
Personally I think the most popular one will be the shortcake chocolate but it will be interesting to see in a years time which (if any!) are still on the market.
MilliMilli
Phew ... at last someone that doesn't think I am wrong about the toffee apple one :D
Thanks both
JIM
I've finally tried all three bars and I'm rather disappointed. I think your scores are very generous. Probably doesn't help that I don't like Dairy Milk very much to start with. Maybe I had a foul bar but I could hardly taste any berries. Toffee & Apple really is a let-down, and apart from the hazelnuts I couldn't detect any other nutty flavours. I guess I'm spoilt by Ritter Sport's amazing range of flavours, but I'll choose them over these bars any day.
lol every time I revisit a review there are extra comments to catch up on :) I finally bit the bullet and got a Bar of Plenty, the apple & toffee one. I tried it today and was surprised at how amazingly good it was. Something in there tasted a little fake but other than that it was delicious, especially with the cinnamon, and it didn't taste too sweet to me at all. That said, I did only have a few squares, since this was shared with no less than a table full of people lol. Comments ranged from "interesting" & "it's really good", to "wicked" and "What is this, it's incredible?..and normally I don't even like Cadbury's!" to "I'm writing the name down and saving it to buy for after Lent"! Seeing that this flavor rated lowest, my expectations are now sky high for the other two...
Ugh. I had such high hopes for the shortcake & berry and it tastes so awfully artificial to me that I can't finish the bar (drastic). I wasn't even going to share it in fact until I read the CM rating and realized someone else may actually really appreciate the gift of the rest...maybe I just don't like elderberries.
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