BOUNTY hunters have been left disappointed after the dark- chocolate version of the coconut bar vanished from shops.
TalkTV host Piers Morgan was stunned to hear that confectionary giant Mars had decided to pause production.
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With the red-wrapper Bounty gone, fans will have to settle for the blue milk-chocolate version.
Mars told The Sun it “temporarily had to delist Bounty Dark for operational reasons”.
The move comes after mini-bars of the choc treat were removed from Celebrations boxes last Christmas – while Time Out, Toffo and Mars Delight bars have all been axed in previous years.
As Bounty Dark fans pray for their favourite treat to return, I pick out old faves that I’d like to see brought back . . .
Topic
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Boasting a hazelnut in every bite, the Topic was a throwback to the golden age of chocolate bars.
It was rich and indulgent but also refined. One of the all-time greats.
If you sliced one into bite-sized chunks you would have a perfectly serviceable petit four that wouldn’t look at all out of place alongside brandy and cigars as the finale of a 12-course tasting menu at a fine- dining establishment in Mayfair. Classic.
Toffo
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“A MAN’S gotta chew what a man’s gotta chew” was the advertising slogan.
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These individually wrapped toffees were once a mainstay of the sweetie counter and a firm favourite of mine.
At the height of their popularity, there were three different varieties available.
The “assorted’ tube featured apple, strawberry, pineapple, banana and mint flavours and was ultimately banned by Brussels for being just too much fun. Possibly.
Treets
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launched in the 1960s, this cornershop classic came in peanut, toffee and chocolate varieties.
The peanut Treet was a chocolate-covered peanut coated in glazed candy. Does that sound familiar?
The food of our childhood conjures powerful memories, which is why I recall these as an entirely superior product to M&Ms.
Texan
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Television and sweets were the two best things about being young in the 1970s.
Anyone my age will have fond memories of the gun-slingin’ cowboy in the ad for this one which featured the strapline: “A Texan takes time a-chewin’.” It certainly did.
This one makes me feel the most nostalgic for my childhood.
There’s no way it could have survived in today’s world of healthier snacking for kids.
Mars Delight
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THEY used to sell Mars bars at my school during the morning break. Frozen ones.
It took the whole breaktime to gnaw your way through one. It was an all-boys school and Mars is quite a blokey choice.
The Delight was basically a lady Mars. My wife loved them and they were recently voted the most missed chocolate bar, having been axed in 2008.
Dark Chocolate Bounty
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PERHAPS the most Marmite of all chocolate bars. My dad loved them, my mum hated them.
I can see the appeal of the red-wrapper version – the satisfying bitterness of the plain chocolate takes the edge off the sweet, cloying coconut goo.
Keeping milk-chocolate Bounties in the fridge will help take the edge of the sweetness, too.
A chilled milk-chocolate version plus a strong cup of tea with no sugar gives a good punch of bitterness. Problem solved.
Banjo
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THE original Banjo bar, a chocolate-covered wafer along the lines of a Kit-Kat, was discontinued in 1954 but brought back in the twin-bar Twix-type format in 1976 with an interesting twist.
“Light and crispy wafer plus roast-nut flavour, too” sang the TV advert, telling you everything you needed to know.
It had a good run and there was even a coconut variety for a period.
But times changed and they are now defunct once more.
The fact that the big firms are willing to reintroduce enhanced versions of old favourites should give us all hope, though.
Cabana
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HOW could this fail? The coconutty taste of paradise but with glacé cherries and caramel as well.
It was intensely sweet and pleasingly gooey without being a workout for the jaw muscles like some of the chewier toffee bars.
Sadly, it wasn’t helped by some dodgy racial stereotyping in the TV ad campaign, which featured the Harry Belafonte track Day-O (The Banana Boat Song).
Penguin Flipper Dipper
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IT was no Club biscuit, but I’d never have turned a Penguin down as a kid.
This was a chocolate-filled chocolate Bourbon dipped in more chocolate, yet somehow not quite chocolatey enough to be considered a true chocolate bar.
The Flipper Dipper version was an attempt to up the chocolate ante to the max – a lunchbox- friendly snack featuring Penguin-shaped biscuits with milk-choc and white- choc dips. Yum.
