15 Most Popular UK Chocolate Bars and Candy

British candy is popular both at home and abroad. Read this article to find out which brands are the most popular.

Hershey’s vs. Nestle’s. Godiva vs. Cadbury. Which is better? These famous candy makers are popular around the world along with many others, but the various chocolate bars and sweet treats they produce and sell, differ from place to place.  

I found this out the hard way when a friend recently back from London offered me a dark chocolate Kit Kat, my first. I don’t eat a lot of candy but I like the crunchy texture of Kit Kats, plus the dark chocolate isn’t as sweet as milk chocolate. I assumed this was something new that Hershey was making and that I could buy more at my favorite local market. I was wrong.

The Australians have their version of Kit Kat too, made with dark chocolate and Tasmanian mint. The Japanese make a sake, matcha and wasabi flavors. I liked the matcha but I wouldn’t binge on it.  Finally, the Norwegians have a version of Kit Kat marketed as a quick lunch of 250 calories. Dubious marketing if you ask me. 

Generally, British candy is made with cane sugar and more milk fat than American candy, which utilizes the dreaded high fructose corn syrup. Score one for the Brits but…it’s still sugar. In another big score for the Brits they developed the first candy bar as we know it today.

They are still made under the name of the man who invented the chocolate bar, Fry. However, the Italians are responsible for the machine that makes the chocolate bars so—who should get credit?  The Italians have their own remarkable chocolate history starting in Turin.

We will probably never know the answer to that question but we can know which chocolate bars are the most popular, both in the UK, and the USA.

Full disclosure, I have friends that own a British import shop. Their customers are about 50/50 expats and Americans though holidays do tend to bring in even more Brits craving all the flavors of home. Most of my research was done in the shop and chatting with the owners and customers. By the way, the order I’ve listed the bars does not indicate place of popularity. It’s random. 

ps. I’ve added five more bars for a total of fifteen.  

Flake

Made by Cadbury, Flake is an interesting one. It’s like compressed sheets of milk chocolate that become this long skinny bar.  It’s designed to flake apart (hence the name) not melt. Flakes are best eaten with ice cream, usually vanilla, and you can even use the Flake as a sort of scoop. That sounds good to me. 

Malteser

Malteser is made by Mars. They are light and crunchy with an airy malt center covered in milk chocolate. I think they compare to Whoppers.  Whoppers were one of my favorites as a kid so I am looking forward to trying these. Malteseres were launched in the 1930s and are still a best seller.

Curly Wurly

Curly Wurly are braided caramel covered in milk chocolate. Made by Cadbury, the USA version was called Marathon but was discontinued.  You’ll want to be careful not to pull your teeth out eating caramel! Curly Wurlys are similar in taste to Rolos which I love. They’ve been around since 1970.

Smarties

Smarties are milk chocolate coated in a flavored sugar shell. Each color is a different flavor. Who knew? Smarties are popular everywhere but not available in the USA except in import shops. They are made in Germany by Nestle’s and are similar to M & Ms.  I have to admit I can’t detect a different flavor per color, but I still like them.

Cadbury Dairy Milk Bar

Cadbury’s Dairy Milk bar comes in a variety of sizes and flavors but the basic bar called simply Dairy Milk, is the best seller here in the US,  or at least in Texas. These bars are so popular they’ve survived since 1905. They are made with whole milk gathered from around the British Isles and Ireland.

At the holidays season, Cadbury Milk trays sell out as soon as they arrive in the store.

Visit Cadbury World in Birmingham

If you’re traveling with kids a fun day out would be a side trip Cadbury World in Bournville. Located about twenty minutes from Birmingham, Cadbury World is a hands-on, interactive experience with chocolate-making zones, a 4D ride, and (of course) plenty of samples along the way. Birmingham is only about 90 minutes from London by train, so it’s an easy day trip if you’re based in Birmingham or want to add it onto a London itinerary.

Cadbury Chocolate Buttons

These are sort of like a Cadbury Dairy Milk bar turned into bite-sized morsels of rich, creamy milk chocolate. They also come in flavors like caramel,  white chocolate, and orange.

Crunchie

Crunchies are milk chocolate-covered toffee with a honeycomb-like center. That means the center is light and airy like a honeycomb and it quickly dissolves in your mouth. Yum. The flavor reminds me a little of an Almond Roca, without the almonds. Bonus: the bar is made with sustainably sourced cocoa. It’s no surprise that it’s made by Cadbury. I think I’m going to buy some stock in the company.

Fruit Pastilles

Made by Rowntree, fruit pastilles come in pretty colors, and if that doesn’t perk you up, the sugar content will. They come in flavors like black currant, lemon, strawberry, lime, and orange. They do contain real fruit juice but not enough to measure. I think the main attraction is the combination of fruity and chewy. You can also use these to decorate gingerbread houses at Christmas time. These are great for a quick pick-me-up if you’re lagging before lunchtime. 

Kit Kat

Kit Kat comes in a wide variety of flavors but as I mentioned, you can’t get the dark chocolate Kit Kat in the USA except at import markets. If you live in the USA you will need to make a quick trip over the pond, order them online, or find a British import shop in your area. Kit Kat (under the Nestle label) is also credited with being one of the first companies to use sustainably sourced cocoa.

 In the USA the easiest to find is the milk chocolate covered bar, and it’s the most popular in the US. You can find other flavors but again, you’ll most likely need to find and import store though I do see them sometimes in places like Target. Hershey’s is the US manufacturer and is not allowed to make the dark chocolate version. 

Aero

Aero is described as airy or bubbly milk chocolate. Light and crisp, they are, well, full of air. Not sure if that’s a marketing trick to make more money but the bar is so popular capitalism wins.  It was first marketed in 1935 as bubbly chocolate in the UK and Ireland.  Today I think people might mistake that for a champagne (bubbles) and chocolate pairing. Aero also comes in flavors like mint and orange.

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Lion

This bar is very tasty indeed: layered wafers, caramel, puffed rice covered in milk chocolate. Lion was originally made by Rowntree in 1976 so not that old compared to most other UK chocolate bars. Made by Nestlé,  it is now manufactured in Dijon, France. 

Turkish Delight

This is one of the older candies dating back to 1914. You’ll notice the packaging says Frye’s on it but it’s now made by Cadbury so you get that delicious Cadbury chocolate.  It’s a milk chocolate bar with a distinctive square shape and has a rose flavored jelly-like filling. It used to be produced in the UK of course but since 2010 it’s produced in Poland. These candy companies move around a lot.

Picnic

This is one of my favorites. Picnic’s are made by Cadbury with milk chocolate, peanuts, chewy nougat, caramel, puffed rice and biscuit. I’m not sure what the biscuit is exactly. Either way this is a really good bar.  It’s similar in taste to a Payday which is made by Hersheys. The big differences are: Picnic is covered in a thin layer of Cadbury’s famous chocolate. The peanuts are chopped very fine and there is less caramel.  In South Africa it’s called a lunch bar…well, at least it has some protein in it. 

Coffee Crisp 

This is the bar to eat for breakfast or maybe a mid-afternoon pick me up. Made by Nestlé it’s described as a foamed coffee flavored soft candy, layers of vanilla wafer, covered in milk chocolate. 

Mars

Mars were first made in 1932 in Slough, England. A simple bar made of nougat and caramel covered in milk chocolate, it is sometimes compared to a Snickers bar without peanuts. Curiously, Mars original marketing was meant to appeal to females. Or maybe that’s not so curious, I tried it and I loved it. This is a good combination and somehow stands out from other chocolate caramel, nougat bars.