Cadbury's Roses - Todays or Yesterdays ?

[Butts]

Sitting here in a post-christmas binge status I was considering the way Roses Chocolates seem to have deteriorated in both quality and quantity over the last few years.

Plasic Tubs with no little leaflet inside to guide you as to the selection (you have to look on the bottom now). Even worse each offering has a homogenous foil encasement rather than an individual wrapper that had various methods of being removed to get to the goodies.

The new style coverings have detracted from the individuality of each chocolate and the tin used to have a much bigger divergence of size and shape within. A lot of the diversity of choice has disappeared. Where are the mini bars of CDM and Bournville you used to get.They may be cheaper but are they any better ?

At least Quality Street still have individual wrappers although they have become less appealing as well.

 

[najaB]

Plasic Tubs with no little leaflet inside to guide you as to the selection (you have to look on the bottom now).

Mine had a leaflet.

 

[yorksrob]

Yes, this is a subject close to my heart.

i don't miss the coffee cream, but their strawberry and orange creams have always been preferable to other versions on account of being milk chocolate.

I bought a tub of Quality Street recently and I definitely feel that the chocolate on the quality street tastes better than on Roses (probably due to the change in recipe brought about by Cadbury's sale to a faceless multinational). i also agree that the Roses seem to have lost a lot of their individuality.

I also think that Quality Street manage to have modernised, without losing their essence. The new honeycombe crunch and (to me) newish orange crunch are welcome additions to the Quality Street cannon IMO.

To me, the best of them all are Terry's Segsations - I deeply regret not stockpiling a few more of their refill packs for the long winter months

 

[Butts]

Mine had a leaflet.

What size was it, a metal one ?

 

[najaB]

What size was it, a metal one ?

It was the large plastic tub - can't remember the size but the ones that were £5 in Tesco just before Christmas.

 

[Butts]

It was the large plastic tub - can't remember the size but the ones that were £5 in Tesco just before Christmas.

Did anyone manage to get a Metal Tin this year or have they gone the way of the mini CDM's and Bournville Bars ?

I think the introduction of Heroes has probably hit the Roses quality.

 

[Hornet]

Sitting here in a post-christmas binge status I was considering the way Roses Chocolates seem to have deteriorated in both quality and quantity over the last few years.

Not surprising seeing as Cadbury's are now owned by the company that has squirty cheese in it's product range. Cadbury chocolate is awful. It always was, but it has got worse since Mondelez got it's hands on it. (Just see what they did to the Creme Egg and Toblerone).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easy_Cheese

 

[Darandio]

Did anyone manage to get a Metal Tin this year or have they gone the way of the mini CDM's and Bournville Bars ?

I actually thought metal tins were gone altogether now and bought Quality Street in a plastic tub, no leaflet and different sweets were on the outside. Went to another supermarket later on and they had a larger metal tin, so bought that as well and it had a leaflet.

It does seem that metal tins are much fewer in number now.

 

[Busaholic]

Not surprising seeing as Cadbury's are now owned by the company that has squirty cheese in it's product range. Cadbury chocolate is awful. It always was, but it has got worse since Mondelez got it's hands on it. (Just see what they did to the Creme Egg and Toblerone).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easy_Cheese

Yep, as a kid growing up when chocolate rationing finally ended I always went for Fry's or Rowntree, or the wonderful Mars Bar, but if you went to the cinema it was always Cadbury's, at least in my neck of the woods. We also had the appalling Nielsen's ice cream 'manufactured' a stone's throw from two of the cinemas, and as far as I was concerned not enough stones could have been thrown at it! The factory was next to a graveyard, and rumour amongst us kids was that the contents of the grave accounted for the strange taste, and even worse aftertaste.

 

[Hornet]

the wonderful Mars Bar

I was born just over 800 yards from the Mars factory, which meant on a good day I could smell the chocolate process. (Even today when visiting my folks, if the wind is in the right direction, that smell is there). Mars Bars are an integral part of my 60's childhood, from the illicit trade of stolen Mars Bars, Topics, Spangles, Opal Fruits, etc, in my Primary School, to the clear plastic bags of Orange Revels, rejected from the production line, but still edible, to the Christmas Hampers full of Mars produce that the local Posties, (my Dad being one), would get when they did deliveries coming up to Christmas. Now I live in a place where Cadbury's are the primary confectionery in all the shops, (Dublin). Mars products are there, but are not easy to find sometimes, (try finding a Topic or Plain Chocolate Bounty, almost impossible), but Cadbury's have all sorts of horrors. Still a few bars of personally imported bars of Galaxy, plus a couple of bars Twin Peak satisfy my cravings.

 

[SS4]

Both are good, if anyone doesn't want the new ones send them this way

 

[GusB]

Asda were selling 1.5kg metal tins of Quality Street just before Christmas, and I was quite surprised when I was in Tesco last week as they still had some of the smaller metal tins - I've often seen them completely sold out before Christmas. I definitely prefer tins over the plastic tubs.

 

[Butts]

Asda were selling 1.5kg metal tins of Quality Street just before Christmas, and I was quite surprised when I was in Tesco last week as they still had some of the smaller metal tins - I've often seen them completely sold out before Christmas. I definitely prefer tins over the plastic tubs.

Although the lack of Tins is annoying, the substandard (compared to old) contents is a far greater problem.

 

[Butts]

I was born just over 800 yards from the Mars factory, which meant on a good day I could smell the chocolate process. (Even today when visiting my folks, if the wind is in the right direction, that smell is there). Mars Bars are an integral part of my 60's childhood, from the illicit trade of stolen Mars Bars, Topics, Spangles, Opal Fruits, etc, in my Primary School, to the clear plastic bags of Orange Revels, rejected from the production line, but still edible, to the Christmas Hampers full of Mars produce that the local Posties, (my Dad being one), would get when they did deliveries coming up to Christmas. Now I live in a place where Cadbury's are the primary confectionery in all the shops, (Dublin). Mars products are there, but are not easy to find sometimes, (try finding a Topic or Plain Chocolate Bounty, almost impossible), but Cadbury's have all sorts of horrors. Still a few bars of personally imported bars of Galaxy, plus a couple of bars Twin Peak satisfy my cravings.

I take it that was Slough you were born in ?

 

[507021]

I stopped buying Roses and Quality Street a while ago, they just don't seem to appeal to me anymore. I personally prefer Cadbury Heroes or Celebrations, going for the latter between those two. I usually buy a tub of Celebrations for Christmas although I forgot this year unfortunately, although with having toothache over the festive period, that probably wasn't such a bad thing.

 

[Cowley]

I stopped buying Roses and Quality Street a while ago, they just don't seem to appeal to me anymore. I personally prefer Cadbury Heroes or Celebrations, going for the latter between those two. I usually buy a tub of Celebrations for Christmas although I forgot this year unfortunately, although with having toothache over the festive period, that probably wasn't such a bad thing.

I’ve got a hole in one of my teeth too. It’s amazing what it does for the wasteline

 

[507021]

I’ve got a hole in one of my teeth too. It’s amazing what it does for the wasteline

I've got a wisdom tooth which doesn't seem to want to come through, annoyingly, particularly as the three which have didn't give me any problems at all. I'll see what happens, although if it carries on for much longer I'll (reluctantly) go to the dentist to get it checked out. I haven't been to a dentist since I woke up in the middle of having one of my teeth out about 14/15 years ago, and it wasn't the nicest of experiences.

 

[Cowley]

I've got a wisdom tooth which doesn't seem to want to come through, annoyingly, particularly as the three which have didn't give me any problems at all. I'll see what happens, although if it carries on for much longer I'll (reluctantly) go to the dentist to get it checked out. I haven't been to a dentist since I woke up in the middle of having one of my teeth out about 14/15 years ago, and it wasn't the nicest of experiences.

Ooh that made me shudder.
I need to get this tooth removed but to be fair I haven’t got any fillings and I’m 44 now so it could be worse...
I didn’t buy any chocolate this Christmas. But I have been offered Quality Street and I resisted through sheer willpower.

 

[Cowley]

And the worry of toothache...

 

[507021]

Ooh that made me shudder.
I need to get this tooth removed but to be fair I haven’t got any fillings and I’m 44 now sow it could be worse...
I didn’t buy any chocolate this Christmas. But I have been offered Quality Street and I resisted through sheer willpower.

It was awful mate. To be fair, I always brush my teeth once a day (twice if I've eaten a lot of sugary food) and have had very little problems with them. I have broken a tooth before (on a ham sandwich of all things), but that was one of my first set of teeth thankfully.

 

[Tetchytyke]

Although the lack of Tins is annoying, the substandard (compared to old) contents is a far greater problem.

Controversially, I prefer the plastic ones. I use them to store cakes that I've made, and they can go through the dishwasher afterwards without going rusty.

I do miss the metal tins though, for nostalgia.

As for the chocolate, yes. Smaller pieces, cheaper chocolate, nastier chocolate. I had a tub of Roses bought for me, and I wish they'd got me Celebrations instead.

With family in Halifax, I still can't look past Mackintosh's though!

 

[Hornet]

I take it that was Slough you were born in ?

Nope. Born in the Parish of Burnham (Bucks). Never been a Sluffian. Place is a sh*thole. Always has been, always will be.

 

[Butts]

Nope. Born in the Parish of Burnham (Bucks). Never been a Sluffian. Place is a sh*thole. Always has been, always will be.

Sorry for the insult !! - I just remember seeing Slough on Mars Product Wrappers - perhaps their Corporate HQ was there rather than the Factory ?

 

[CarltonA]

Sorry for the insult !! - I just remember seeing Slough on Mars Product Wrappers - perhaps their Corporate HQ was there rather than the Factory ?

The main Mars factory was and still is in Slough. Burnham (Bucks) is adjacent to the Slough Trading Estate so got a whiff of chocolate that could be smelled for a mile or two away if it was a damp day.

 

[cactustwirly]

Sorry for the insult !! - I just remember seeing Slough on Mars Product Wrappers - perhaps their Corporate HQ was there rather than the Factory ?

The factory is in Slough, and so is Burnham Station. Not too sure about Burnham itself though.

I 100% agree with the comments about Slough, and I'm glad Hornet was born in Burnham instead.

 

[tsr]

Never been keen on Quality Street since I got food poisoning off a weird-tasting one about 11 years ago. Since then I have had several others which haven’t exactly seemed to have shone through quality control...

 

[Hornet]

Sorry for the insult !! - I just remember seeing Slough on Mars Product Wrappers - perhaps their Corporate HQ was there rather than the Factory ?

As others have said Burnham Station (which was originally named Burnham Beeches, then Burnham Bucks), is closer to the Mars factory than Slough Station. Burnham Station is now in Berkshire but Burnham Village (and the Beeches ancient woodlands) are still in Buckinghamshire, (all due to the 1974 boundary changes). Burnham is on my Birth Cert. Co-incidentally Burtons Chocolate Wagon Wheels use to made in a factory less than a half a mile from the Mars factory, and many of the great Supermarionation TV programmes were filmed within 200 yards of the Mars Factory. Burnham Beeches is delightful, but Slough, well Betjeman was bang on!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wagon_Wheels
https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/thi...common/visitor-information/Pages/default.aspx

 

[Butts]

It's time to bring back the Metal Tins in the original size with the original contents wrapped individually.

Roses Classic Collection ?

 

[Busaholic]

I got given three lots of chocolate over Christmas, and one present remains uneaten - Ferrero Rocher. I've not eaten these in twenty years, and I have to say I regard their existence as a marketing triumph. Thirty or so years ago TV advertising had a supposed British embassy in France offering this sub-standard product to French ministers/diplomats who swooned at the sight of them. This was also a time when we were told 'the French adore Le Piat d'Or', a red wine concoction that the French wouldn't have fed to their pigs.
Now, I'm in a position where I'm getting chocolate withdrawal symptoms - I've a Co-Op 50 yards from my door open to 11 p.m. Should I give Ferrero Rocher another try or go and buy a Bounty bar or whatever? In other words, has FR improved over the years, or should I donate it to someone more appreciative of it?

 

[najaB]

Should I give Ferrero Rocher another try or go and buy a Bounty bar or whatever?

Get the Bounty.