M&S is set to launch its own version of the viral “Dubai-style” chocolate bar – but there’s a huge twist.
That’s because the chocolate is actually an update on the supermarket’s insanely popular Big Daddy bar that had shoppers going wild last year.
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Just like the original Big Daddy, the new bar has layers of thick milk chocolate, gooey sweet and salty caramel and a light and crunchy biscuit crumb.
But it’s now got a new chunky pistachio layer made with real roasted pistachios, pistachio crème and white chocolate.
The sweet treat will be available in M&S Foodhalls from April 23.
That means shoppers will have to wait a while to get their hands on the snack – but M&S promises it’s worth the wait.
It says the bar was developed over nine months “to ensure absolute perfection”.
The original Big Daddy was priced at £6.75 for a 300g bar which served 10 people.
Shoppers at the time said it was the “best chocolate bar” and that it was “so good”.
The Big Daddy Pistachio will cost £8.50 for a big 280g bar.
While it’s not cheap, it is still less costly than the original “Dubai chocolate” it’s based on.
The original was created in Dubai by the Fix Dessert Chocolatier, and can cost up to around £20 for a huge tablet of chocolate filled with pistachio cream and kunafa.
Since the tasty treat went viral, retailers have been launching dupes and creating new pistachio products.
M&S director of product development Kathryn Turner said: “We’ve seen the pistachio trend explode in the past few months, both on restaurant menus and on social media, so it’s a real focus for us as one of our top flavour trends this year.
“For example, our new Collection Pistachio & Milk Chocolate Egg was flying off the shelves well over a month before Easter, while shoppers were snapping up 5,000 jars a day of our top-quality Collection Pistachio Crème when it launched – that’s 7 jars every minute.
“In fact the pistachio creme has been so popular that we’re now bringing it back all year round!”
She also teased that M&S has even more “exciting pistachio launches” in its stores for the summer and beyond.
This includes chocolate, cookies, desserts and even a Pistachio and Honey Baking Feta.
Other supermarkets that have jumped on the pistachio trend include Lidl, which had shoppers queuing outside its stores to try nabbing one of the £3.99 J.D.Gross Dubai Style Chocolate bars.
Meanwhile Morrisons has been selling larger 100g bars of Bolci Dubai-style chocolate for just £5.
The bar is available online but you’ll have to pay a delivery charge.
Those happy to spend a bit more can try Lindt’s Dubai-style chocolate.
It’s on sale at Waitrose, Sainsbury’s Ocado and direct off the Lindt website for £10.
How to save money on chocolate
We all love a bit of chocolate from now and then, but you don’t have to break the bank buying your favourite bar.
Consumer reporter Sam Walker reveals how to cut costs…
Go own brand – if you’re not too fussed about flavour and just want to supplant your chocolate cravings, you’ll save by going for the supermarket’s own brand bars.
Shop around – if you’ve spotted your favourite variety at the supermarket, make sure you check if it’s cheaper elsewhere.
Websites like Trolley.co.uk let you compare prices on products across all the major chains to see if you’re getting the best deal.
Look out for yellow stickers – supermarket staff put yellow, and sometimes orange and red, stickers on to products to show they’ve been reduced.
They usually do this if the product is coming to the end of its best-before date or the packaging is slightly damaged.
Buy bigger bars – most of the time, but not always, chocolate is cheaper per 100g the larger the bar.
So if you’ve got the appetite, and you were going to buy a hefty amount of chocolate anyway, you might as well go bigger.