Autumn is finally here, but chocolate lovers are already looking ahead to Christmas, and there’s one product on their minds.
Cadbury fans have been looking forward to stocking up on the Festive Friends biscuits ahead of the festive season, but they’ve been struggling to find the beloved biscuits in supermarkets.
As such, many have taken to social media to seek answers from the confectionery giant about the product, which are festive shaped biscuits, coated in Dairy Milk chocolate on one side.
Lauren Mannell asked @CadburyUK on X (formerly Twitter): ‘Hello have you discontinued festive friends?’
In response, a spokesperson for the chocolate brand said: ‘Hi there. Our Cadbury Festive Friends aren’t returning this year, but don’t worry, we have our new Cadbury Festive Animals for you to try.
‘They are the same Animal biscuits you know and love, but with new festive shapes! We enjoy them best dunked in a hot chocolate.’
Cadbury chocolate Animals are biscuits with animal shapes marked on them, as opposed to the Festive Friends which were shaped like snowmen and Santa, etc.
Lauren wasn’t pleased to learn about the change, claiming that Christmas was ‘ruined’ because of it — and she wasn’t the only one who felt this way.
A user known as @Tom88209494 agreed, saying: ‘WTF is festive about Festive Animals other than the box? You’ve ruined Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!!!’
@laurentalitha also shared her upset, arguing that the old biscuits were the ‘best’ Christmas treat in the Cadbury range.
She wrote: ‘I’ve had Festive Friends since I was a child. Getting rid of them is like getting rid of Santa. Animal biscuits are a darker biscuit compared to Festive Friends, they are also a lot smaller biscuit. They were the best item of the festive range, why did you pick these over others?’
@SamanthaMi13143 posted: ‘Well this is total BS!’ And @TomSkolzy added: ‘First you changed how they tasted. Unnecessary. Unacceptable. Of course I still bought them. And this is how you repay me? With total betrayal? This means war. I’m buying a Twix today just to spite you, you will receive none of my Christmas chocolate funds this year. Heathens.’
Metro.co.uk has contacted Cadbury for further comment.
This comes after another Christmas favourite came under fire this month, despite the launch of an exciting new item by the brand.
Quality Street unveiled its limited-edition vintage tin for 2024, but fans couldn’t help but complain about what was inside.
, in a bid to go green. This came as Nestlé pledged to be more eco-friendly and remove two billion pieces of packaging material by 2023.
So instead of the eye-catching wrappers we all knew and loved, the sweets are now packaged up in paper, as they first were in 1936. These new wrappers are better for the planet as they can be recycled, but fans still aren’t happy about the switch.
Sanette Van Der Merwe said: ‘I will never buy again. The quality in Quality Street is gone… I think forever. I will never forget the opening of a tin to see the glamorous shiny wrappings, the taste of Christmas. So SAD.’
And Sarah Heron agreed, confessing she’d switched to an alternative brand as she missed the nicer wrappers.
‘Switched over to M&S chocolates at Christmas,’ she replied. ‘Nice shiny recyclable wrappers. Look just as good as QS did under the tree and taste better.’
A few social media users were also a little gobsmaked by the price of the tin, which is thought to cost £12, and is available nationwide from retailers such as Asda, Co-op, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Ocado, and B&M. (Prices may vary between stores as retailers can set their own price).
However, not everyone had a bone to pick with the brand, with some feeling very pleased about Quality Street’s latest launch.
Those who plan on buying the tins might want to take note of any signs if they shop at Tesco, as certain branches of the store recently implemented new ‘rules’ about buying festive sweets, with shoppers being limited on the number of tins they can purchase in one go.
While you might not be able to buy loads of tubs at Tesco, you can take advantage of tubs at lower prices as part of a new Clubcard promotion.
The price of big tubs of the likes of Roses, Heroes, Celebrations and Quality Street (ranging from 550g to 600g) have been slashed, from £6 to just £4.50.
It’s not clear how long the discount will be running for, so those wanting to take advantage may need to be quick.
However, as with all Christmas shopping and deals, perhaps give yourself a moment to pause before loading up your trolley and consider whether you really want or need the product, or if you’re just being influenced because it’s out there in front of you and the deal seems too good to pass up on. If not, you might find yourself spending money you don’t have or want to part with.
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