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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Zahna Eklund

Retro chocolate bars we miss - including Cadbury's answer to the Mars Bar

When you wander down the sweet aisle at your local supermarket, there's usually a specific bar of chocolate that you're on the hunt for. We all have our favourites, and while some of us like the classics that have been on the shelves for decades, others love nothing more than trying out the newcomers.

But what about the bars that have been forgotten over the years? Every time a new chocolate snack is released it inevitably means that a less popular treat will be discontinued, and for some people, that means losing their go-to guilty pleasure.

So if you used to be a fan of Texan bars, or you couldn't get enough of Cadbury's answer to the ever-popular Mars Bar, then take a trip down memory lane with us as we look at five discontinued chocolate bars that we wish would make a comeback.

Secret bars were discontinued in the 90s (Rowntree Mackintosh/YouTube WS)

Secret

If you were a kid in the 80s and 90s, then you might just remember the Secret bar, which was manufactured by Rowntree Mackintosh. The bar consisted of a bird's nest-style chocolate coating with a creamy mousse centre, and was similar to the filling of a Walnut Whip, which you can still find on the shelves of some shops today.

You may also remember the 90s advert for the bar which saw a lady riding a train when a man rushes into her cabin, hands her a Secret bar, and tells her to "guard this with your life". Once he leaves, the woman can't resist the temptation to eat the delicious chocolate treat, leading to the slogan of the advert - "You can't trust anyone to keep a Secret".

Unfortunately, just a few years after the advert in 1994, the bar was discontinued due to high production costs and low volume of sales. Petitions on Facebook over the years have called for the relaunch of the Secret bar, but they've been unsuccessful so far.

Texan

The Texan bar was an American-inspired chocolate that was a staple in shops in the 70s and 80s, and consisted of a nougat and toffee bar covered in chocolate. The bar was discontinued during the 80s, and has been dearly missed by fans ever since. In fact, in 2004 a survey of sweet shop customers rated the Texan bar as their favourite sweet of all time, leading to Nestle bringing it back for a limited edition "nostalgia" run in 2005.

Anyone old enough to remember the Texan bar might also have fond memories of the catchphrase, "Sure is a mighty chew!", which was made popular in the adverts for the bar involving a cartoon cowboy.

Aztec bars were Cadbury's answer to the Mars Bar (Sunday Mercury)

Aztec

If you love a Mars Bar, then you probably would have enjoyed an Aztec bar, which was launched by Cadbury's in 1967 in an attempt to compete with the hugely popular signature bar from the Mars company. The Aztec was made of nougat and caramel covered with milk chocolate, and sold in a purple wrapper.

However, the bar lasted for just over a decade before it was pulled from shelves and discontinued in 1978. There was a brief revival of the bar at the turn of the millennium when Cadbury's relaunched it as the Aztec 2000, but it was axed again soon after and hasn't made another comeback since.

In Australia, New Zealand, and the Middle East, Cadbury's do sell a bar named Moro, which is a similar product to the Aztec bar that has been a more successful competitor to the Mars Bar.

Fry's Five Centres

You might be aware of Fry's Chocolate Cream and Peppermint Cream bars that you can still find on the shelves of some shops today, but did you know the company also used to make a unique bar called Five Centres?

The bar was produced for decades after it first launched in 1934, and made it possible to enjoy five different flavours in one bar of chocolate - something which hasn't been replicated since the bars were discontinued back in 1992. The chocolate was split into five segments that each had a different creamy centre, allowing you to enjoy raspberry, coffee, lime, blackcurrant and orange flavours all in the same bar.

Fans of the unusual chocolate are still desperate to bring this one back to shelves, and in 2016 one man launched a Change.org petition to bring back the bars, which gained over 400 signatures.

Banjo

The Banjo, originally known as a Trophy, began life as a Kit Kat-style wafer bar that was originally only available in London, before it was axed in 1954. The bar then received a relaunch in 1976 where it received wider distribution across the country, and was changed to be more like the classic Drifter, but with a chopped peanut layer.

There was also a coconut version available that swapped out the peanuts for a Bounty-like flavour - but both products were discontinued in the 80s and haven't made a comeback since.

Which chocolate bar would you like to see make a comeback? Let us know in the comments!

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