M&S just launched 'sensational' new chocolate bars — here's our definitive ranki (2024)

rarely misses when it comes to launching new products —from their summer dips to the return of Reversy Percy sweets, it’s been one hit after another lately.

And the retailer’s latest range is proving to be another major winner with customers, despite having some rather high price tags.

M&S has just dropped a brand new confectionery collection in its Foodhalls, which includes some brand new chocolate bars, and a chocolate treat known as ‘The Big Daddy’.

The Big Daddy doesn’t come cheap at £6.50, but it’s a thick milk and dark chocolate bar filled with peanut butter, caramel, and roasted peanut pieces. Some have compared it to the viral pistachio-filled Dubai chocolate bar, although it’s worth noting it’s a little different.

TikTokers have gone wild over the massive bar, hailing it ‘unreal’, the ‘best chocolate [they’ve] ever had’, and suggesting it’s like ‘Reese’s Pieces’ in terms of flavour but ‘10 million times better’ — that’s some pretty high praise!

As for the new chocolate range, the bars are called ‘Marks Choc’ and come in six flavours — your classic milk, white, and dark, as well as fully loaded bars such as Caramel, Shortbread and Chocolate Crispies, Chocolate Candy Beans, Orange Jellies, and Popping Candy, and Pretzels, Caramel Sea Salt and Almond Nougat.

After seeing the new range described as ‘sensational’ the team at Metro.co.uk had to give the chocolate a try and see if it lives up to the hype. Here’s the verdict…

The Big Daddy, £6.50

Metro.co.uk’s assistant lifestyle editor Jessica Lindsay gave this beast of a chocolate bar a go.

She said: ‘The Big Daddy certainly lives up to his name; it’s a real slab of a thing. What also struck me initially was the fact it doesn’t have any of the usual markings a chocolate bar of this size has, meaning you have to either awkwardly rip a piece off (messy) or bite into it (bad for sharing).

‘Despite its lack of delicacy though, it was incredibly tasty, with a soft and sweet filling punctuated with salty pieces of nut.

‘It is rich – after a small bit my cravings were satisfied. But if you want to treat yourself, this fits the bill.’

Courtney Pochin, Metro.co.uk’s specialist food writer added: ‘It’s certainly a big chocolate bar and it’s rammed full of filling. The flavour is overwhelmingly of peanut butter, so if you aren’t a fan of that, this won’t be one for you.

‘It’s very much like an oversized Reese’s Cup, in a slab format, so if you’re expecting something more luxurious, this might not fit the bill.

‘It’s definitely very tasty, and I agree with Jess, a little bit of this bar goes a long way — but sorry M&S, I’m not convinced it’s worth the £6.50 price tag.’

Marcs Choc range

We tried three of the fully loaded chocolate bars from M&S and couldn’t help but notice how much they reminded us of Tony’s Chocolonely bars. However, these had more inclusions than Tony’s ones, with bits of pretzel, shortbread, and jelly sweets added in.

Deputy lifestyle editor Kristina Beanland was a little disappointed with the appearance of the chocolate itself once the bars were unwrapped. She felt that all three resembled ‘cooking chocolate’, as they didn’t possess that wonderfully glossy shine tempered chocolate usually has.

She added: ‘I wanted a bit more from these chocolate bars, they were really chunky and they looked like they were going to be packed with flavour but they didn’t live up to expectations.’

Bud did others agree? Here’s what the rest of the team thought:

Caramel, Shortbread, and Chocolate Crispies, £3.50

Community journalist Jeremy Ullmann was a big fan of this sweet chocolate bar which combines chocolate, caramel, shortbread, and crispies.

He said: ‘It’s a really pleasant eat, it’s got just the right amount of crumble to it, a nice mix of textures and none of the flavours are too overpowering, they compliment each other. Plus, who doesn’t love shortbread?’

Chocolate Candy Beans, Orange Jellies, and Popping Candy, £3.50

Courtney thought the Popping Candy one was the most appetising of the bunch, as it’s speckled with rainbow coloured Candy Beans (like Smarties). ‘It’s a very pretty bar, and one that is likely to please fans of Cadbury’s Marvellous creations,’ she said.

‘If you love the Marvellous Creations and are a big Terry’s Chocolate Orange fan, this could be your new favourite chocolate. The orange jellies definitely give it strong citrus flavour, which kind of overpowers everything else, but there’s a satisfying crush from the chocolate candy beans and a nice fizzle from the popping candy.

‘Overall, it’s good fun to eat and I’d definitely buy this one again. I think it’s going to prove very popular with M&S shoppers this summer.’

Pretzels, Caramel Sea Salt and Almond Nougat, £3.50

Kristina wasn’t overly impressed by this as she only really got the pretzel flavour, and didn’t feel there was much salt. However, she did flag that M&S’ new Swiss Caramel & Milk Chocolate Crispy Clouds (£3 a bag) were little ‘morsels of joy’ and recommends trying those instead if you love chocolate and caramel as a pairing.

Courtney thoroughly enjoyed this one though, liking the ‘bite’ from the pretzels and the chewy nougat. She could taste the sea salt, and thought all the ingredients worked really well together.

‘This one is my favourite of the three,’ she said. ‘It’s got the most filling, it’s crunchy, salty, and sweet, and I just love anything that combines chocolate and almond.’

These aren’t the only new items on the shelves at M&S, there are also a selection of Mocktail Gourmet Gummies in flavours such as Peach Paloma, Pina Colada, and Raspberry Martini, as well as Milk Chocolate Nutty Clouds (chocolate clusters with either hazelnut or almond), and a range of chocolate coated fruit and nuts.

Have you tried the new chocolate range at M&S? Which was your favourite? Let us know in the comments.

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Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.

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