Cadbury axes 'one of the best' chocolates from its Heroes boxes this Christmas

Christmas is well and truly coming, but not everyone's feeling merry, with one classic festive choc left out in the cold. No coffee table is quite complete without a box of Miniature Heroes to share, preferably in front of a roaring fire or a Christmas film you've seen at least twenty times already.

Everyone has their individual favourites, which is just as well, as nobody wants to be fighting over treats at this jolliest time of year. For some, only the Dairy Milk Caramel will do, while for others it takes the honeyed bite of the Crunchie to light up their tree.

And of course, a firm favourite has long been the satisfyingly chewy Cadbury's Eclair - a delight for those who prefer to linger over their sweets rather than chomp them down in quick succession. But sadly, in a move that has sparked nationwide outrage, the Eclair has been turfed out of the famous purple tub to make way for a controversial newcomer - the Flake.

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As pointed out by quite a fair few indignant fans, the Flake bears more than a few similarities in texture to the Twirl, which is already accounted for in the tub. As one person sighed via social media platform X: "Of course they are removing one of the best ones! (Eclairs) Why replace them with flakes? There are already Twirls in the tub; they are basically Flakes!"

Another Eclair enthusiast declared: "There is nothing like a Cadbury’s chocolate Eclair. On my deathbed, I will roar for them even if I have no teeth!"

Referencing Miniature Heroes' iconic slogan, 'Share Good Times', a third person lamented: "I’ll try, @CadburyUK, but your ludicrous decision means that there aren’t too many good times left."

There were, however, persuasive arguments on the other side of the debate, with plenty of chocolate lovers more than happy to see the back of what they deemed to be a "jaw breaker of a sweet" and "the dentist's choice". One person applauded: "Cadbury Éclairs are getting ditched from the Heroes tubs. I'm taking that as a win."

Another approved: "Eclairs are great, but twirls are greater. Great choice, there's a reason why the chocolate is usually last in everyone's boxes, it's not very popular. Although it is nice TBF."

This comes as Cadbury, in an effort to reduce plastic waste, tests new paper tubs in selected Tesco stores, with these 300,000 paper tubs being the only ones that swap out Eclairs for Flakes. In what will surely be good news for die-hard Eclair enthusiasts, the plastic tubs remain unchanged.

These paper tubs, unveiled by Cadbury as part of Mondelēz's global 'Pack Light and Right' strategy, can be found on shelves from late October, for a limited period.

Christina Bland, brand manager for Cadbury, said: "For 25 years, Cadbury Heroes has been a beloved brand, bringing friends and loved ones together with its iconic assortment.

"The Heroes paper tub trial represents a step in our active work to explore new packaging solutions for our portfolio. This trial will inform our long-term packaging approach, and we are also excited to introduce Cadbury Flake to the assortment for this trial, offering a new favourite for consumers to enjoy."

Do you have a story to share? Email me at julia.banim@reachplc.com

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