Finding America

Me and Tarah

Post Page Advertisement [Top]

Americans with a penchant for British chocolate know all about the State-side prevalence of various Cadbury's items - Mini Eggs, Fruit and Nut etc.

But what about those Cadbury's chocolate bars (candy bars to my American readers) that got lost in The Pond?

While you can almost certainly purchase the following names in novelty British stores throughout America, you won't (for the most part) see them on the confectionary aisle at Wal-Mart.

Here are 5 Cadbury's bars that you cannot get in American stores.


1. Crunchie
Introduced to the British public in 1929, The Crunchie uniquely combines chocolate on the outside with a honeycomb toffee sugar centre. It is one of those chocolate bars that one should eat in steps: first bite off the chocolate coating and then crunch (aptly) on the centre. If this were widely available in the United States, one imagines it would sell rather well at fairgrounds, where sugary treats such as candy floss (cotton candy to my American readers) are sold en masse.

2. Twirl
Somewhat of a late comer to the Cadbury's machine, the Twirl - in its current form - was first launched in 1984 and has been a mainstay ever since. Nothing more than twirly chocolate flakes wrapped in a dairy milk chocolate, the Twirl is one of Cadbury's best-selling brands of its kind. The perfect chocolate bar for those who like it light.

3. Flake
Similar in make-up to the Twirl, the Flake - having been launched in the United Kingdom in 1920 - is the oldest entry on this list. As a matter of fact, it was created quite by accident, when a Cadbury's employee noticed that excess from production had formed folded chocolate with flakes. Perfect to dip in ice cream, the Flake is famously used as the Pièce de résistance in the 99 Flake, an ice cream cone whose etymology is unknown to this day.

4. Wispa
Launched in 1981 as a rival to the now Nestle-owned Aero, the Wispa bar has endured something of a roller-coaster existence. This bubbly chocolate bar was discontinued in 2003, only to be reinstated some 4 or 5 years later following what some believe to have been a staged internet protest by Cadbury's itself. The closest America has ever come to making confectionary of this nature is Hershey's Air Delight,  which is, admittedly, more like the previously mentioned Aero.

5. Double Decker
Named after the bus of the same name, the Double Decker is decidedly British and the perfect double-act of nougat-whip and Rice Crispies served over two layers. Given its name and the notable lack of double-decker buses throughout America, it was never likely to catch on stateside, but Americans could do worse than this 1976 model.


Sometimes, it's better hearing me in a British accent. Subscribe to me on YouYube.


Laurence Brown is a British man writing his way through the truly bizarre world of America - a place he sometimes accidentally calls home and a place he still hasn't quite figured out after seven years. Thankfully, his journey is made 12% easier by the fact that his accent makes him sound much smarter than he is. For evidence of this, subscribe to his popular Lost in the Pond web series over on YouTube.

25 comments:

  1. UGH! Hershey's are UGH! But you know what I am addicted to? Reese's Peanut Butter cups.
    OMG - they are addictive and so delicious, I have been known to buy 4 packs of 3, and eat them all in one go :0/

    I dunno if they sell them in the UK as I've been living in Athens, Greece for a while and if you go to the expat areas in Athens, they stock Reese's...so I am happy.

    Any thoughts?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They sell them in sainsbury's and asda now

      Delete
  2. Damn it! I love Whispa & Flakes!

    Agree with Leaving Cairo that Hershey's is not so good - it tastes very odd to me but I also found that when I was last in the US, I did like the Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.

    ReplyDelete
  3. they don't sell any reese's things in uk (well I don't think so). i've never ever seen them nor tried any.

    ReplyDelete
  4. You can find some of these delightful treats at World Markets in the U.S., but you'll pay an arm and a leg for them. They are worth it though!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I think I've seen Reese's products in our local Asda (as well as quite a few Hershey's too).

    ReplyDelete
  6. That would make sense, since Asda is owned by Walmart.

    ReplyDelete
  7. ASDA IS WALMART?!!

    Mind - fucking blowwwwwwwn.

    Also I am drinking a massive cup of tea out of my oversized Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Mug

    ReplyDelete
  8. Sainsbury's sell a range of Reece's products, including: Reece's Peices, Peanut Butter Cups, Peanut Butter Cup Minitures and Nutrageous! Every Sainsbury's I've been to sell at least 2 of these products.

    Although I am not an expat I do love the differencs between 'English Speaking' cultures and find this blog fascinating! Thank You it's simply spiffing! :D

    ReplyDelete
  9. My favorite is the Cadbury Dairy Milk with Crunchie bits! I always ask my bf to send me some. lol

    ReplyDelete
  10. These are all available in NYC, though not necessarily readily so. I can think of two places that carry them--one in Greenwich Village, one on the West Side. At the same locations, I can get non-Cadbury selections, too, like Murray Mints, Jelly Babies, and All Sorts. At one of these two locations, I buy tins ("cans") of Ambrosia Devon Custard, too. :)

    I'd be incredulous if someone told me they weren't available in any other U.S. city besides New York, but I don't know for a fact that they are.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Laurence, I buy Crunchies and Flakes at my local Wegman's in Maryland.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Of course you can find them in the U.S. I live in the 'burbs of NY, and our local Stop 'n Shop has a very well-stocked section of British goods, including a very nice collection of chocolate bars. Also, other stores in town have some as well. And then there's Fairway.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Wegman's carries all of these. Fortunately.

    ReplyDelete
  14. ME WANTS FLAKES!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  15. I can get all these at a food truck in the Midwest city where I live that sells delicious pasties and sausage rolls (except the Double Decker; they don't have those in their rotation--yet). It's run by a Brit and he gets imports all the time. And I swear I saw Reese's Peanut Butter Cups at a petrol station in Surrey just last autumn. I avoided them, as I was after Crunchie and Lion bars. :) Mmmmmmm Lion bars...

    ReplyDelete
  16. Wispas were available everywhere in the US during the 1980s. I can find Flake and Crunchie at my local grocery store today, but only in the English section. Wispas were widespread, but slightly different in the US. I remember them being slightly narrower and slightly taller than the ones you have in England.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Unfortunately the writer here didn't educate themselves. We don't have honeycomb toffee bars by Cadbury in the USA, we have "sponge candy" which are sqaure cuts of honeycomb toffee covered in chocolate.

    ReplyDelete
  18. I love the way you write and share your niche! Very interesting and different! Keep it coming!
    Best Food Truck In LA

    ReplyDelete
  19. Twirls are good and so are flakes

    ReplyDelete
  20. Interesting that three of the five are attempts to effectively sell you air (Wispa, Flake, and Twirl).

    ReplyDelete
  21. I've since Reese's and Hersey products all over the Midlands - very common product around in Sweet Shops, Supermarkets and Shopping Centers. They're really not that hard to come by.

    I know this is off-topic, but does anyone know if you can get Quality Street in America as my mates out there had never heard of them?

    ReplyDelete
  22. I recently went to Sydney and tried many of the Cadbury candies down there. They're awesome and I think most Americans would love them. I brought home a mixed box and my wife absolutely love the Crunchie. I wish it were sold in America.

    ReplyDelete
  23. while not in every store they are available in the USA, Amazon and International Food Markets sell them, I know of 3 stores here in Vegas that sell them

    ReplyDelete

Bottom Ad [Post Page]