Marathon bars and 40 other retro chocolate bars from your childhood

Chocolate creations loved by all

It’s hard to beat a delicious bar of creamy chocolate – and luckily, the UK and Ireland are home to some of the world’s finest. From classic nutty creations and nougat-loaded treats enjoyed around the world to old-school favourites that are no longer available, we've rounded up the best British and Irish chocolate bars of all time, counting down to the most iconic of them all.

With Mars announcing the return of the Marathon bar, we take a look at the tastiest British and Irish chocolate bars ever – did your favourite make the cut? 

Our ranking is based on the popularity of each chocolate bar, taking into account sales, longevity and reaction to the products at their time of release. This list is unavoidably subjective.

41. Turkish Delight

Love it or loathe it, Fry’s Turkish Delight has been a part of British and Irish chocolate culture since its launch in 1914 – and over a century later, it’s still dividing the crowd. The bar features a silky, rose-flavoured Turkish delight centre, surrounded by a layer of smooth milk chocolate. Some people adore its nostalgic flavour, while others find the taste a little too floral (and even soapy).

40. Guylian Premium Dark 72%

Sure, we all love Guylian’s signature shell and seahorse-shaped chocolates, but the brand also delivers a delicious dark chocolate creation. Guylian Premium Dark Chocolate was designed with luxurious palates in mind, offering a slightly bitter, full-bodied aftertaste. In theory, you should be able to enjoy just one square of this treat and find your chocolate cravings satisfied.

39. Aztec

A simple bar featuring a nougat caramel centre and a milk chocolate coating, the Aztec was introduced by Cadbury in 1967. Inspired by the ancient Aztec civilisation, which famously valued its cacao beans, it's thought that the bar was released to compete against the classic Mars bar. Despite a huge marketing campaign and initial success, it was discontinued in 1978. Much to its loyal fans' delight, though, the bar was briefly brought back as the Aztec 2000 in the year 2000.

38. Tony's Chocolonely Milk Chocolate

Set up by Dutch TV producer and journalist Teun van de Keuken, it didn’t take long for this brand to win over British chocolate lovers after arriving in the UK and Ireland in 2019. Defined by its bold wrappers and fair-trade initiatives, each Tony's milk chocolate bar has a smooth, sweet and creamy finish. Tony’s Chocolonely comes in a variety of flavours and styles, including Milk Pecan Caramel Crunch and White Strawberry Cheesecake.

37. Double Decker

Launched by Cadbury in 1976, the Double Decker features two tasty layers of creamy nougat and crispy cereal, all finished with a smothering of milk chocolate. The brand plays on its name, with advertising campaigns often incorporating double-decker buses. The bar can be enjoyed as is, though some fans prefer sticking it in the freezer for an hour – that way, it hardens and becomes all the more delicious.

36. Animal Bar

Who remembers this milky treat from their childhood? Produced by Nestlé, the Animal Bar landed on supermarket shelves in 1963 and was popular with children for six decades. Once you’d torn through the colourful packaging you’d find a fun game waiting on the inside of the wrapper, as well as a friendly animal moulded onto the milk chocolate bar. It was sadly discontinued in 2023.

35. Aero

Much like Cadbury’s Wispa, this creamy milk chocolate bar features a bubbly, aerated centre. Launched by Rowntree’s in 1935, the bar went on to win over the nation, with approximately 8 million Aero products sold in the UK every year. The brand also launched additional flavours, including the equally popular Aero Peppermint (in 1959) and Aero Orange (in 1960).

34. Butlers Irish Atlantic Sea Salt Dark Bar

Chocolatiers since 1932, Butlers is one of Ireland’s best-loved brands. While it may be famed for its city cafés and selection boxes stuffed with ultra-rich truffles, the Irish Atlantic Sea Salt Dark Bar is a firm fan favourite. Decadent dark chocolate is finished with a sprinkle of Irish sea salt, creating an intense taste and velvety texture.

33. Fruit & Nut

Cadbury’s Fruit & Nut has been on the market since 1926 and, although it may not be such a hit with the younger demographic, you’re still likely to find a bar stuffed inside your nan’s kitchen cupboard. The old-school bar combines Cadbury’s signature Dairy Milk with a mixture of moist raisins and crunchy almonds.

32. Old Jamaica

A dark chocolate delight featuring rum-like flavouring and raisins, Cadbury Bournville’s Old Jamaica was only meant to be a limited-edition release when it first went on sale in 1970. Due to popular demand, it has made several comebacks – most recently in 2020, after Cadbury launched a poll asking fans which classic creation they’d like to see return. It’s still available today and makes for a great after-dinner treat.

31. Time Out

Launching in the UK and Ireland in 1992, this creation from Cadbury featured two wafer fingers covered in smooth milk chocolate. It quickly became a fan favourite, usually packed inside school lunchboxes or enjoyed as an after-school treat. Despite its loyal following, the bar was discontinued in 2016, and replaced with a single-bar version called the Time Out Wafer.

30. Bar Six

Can you remember this classic Cadbury favourite from your childhood? Introduced in the 1950s, Bar Six was easily distinguishable thanks to its bright orange wrapper and popped up in vending machines all over the country. Complete with a hazelnut cream and wafer centre, the bar acquired its name thanks to its six snappable fingers.

29. Boost

While this bar’s ingredients have changed a handful of times over the years, it’s still worthy of a place on this list thanks to its longevity and undeniable deliciousness. Landing on corner shop shelves in 1985, the Boost bar initially featured a sweet coconut and caramel centre and a milk chocolate coating. A peanut variation and a biscuit and caramel version soon followed. By 1994, the original coconut option was discontinued, and the peanut bar was rebranded as Starbar. In Ireland the bar, with its chewy caramel and nougat centre, was known as Moro before being remarketed in 2015.

28. Bounty

Another treat known to divide the crowd, Bounty was first introduced by Mars in 1951 and was initially only sold in the UK and Canada. The bar, featuring a sweet coconut centre covered with milk chocolate, played on its tropical ingredient's roots, launching several holiday-inspired advertisement campaigns over the years. More than seven decades later (and with a dark chocolate iteration in tow), it’s still popular around the world.

27. Drifter

This popular bar from the 1980s – defined by its crisp wafer, gooey caramel centre and silky milk chocolate coating – was one of Nestlé’s unsung heroes. Despite this, the Drifter continued to gain a loyal following over the years, before the brand sadly discontinued it in 2018. Complete with two fingers and its distinguished blue wrapper, fans still regularly call for its return, though it's yet to resurface.

26. Curly Wurly

Joining the Cadbury family in 1970, the Curly Wurly has been a permanent fixture – and delightfully chocolatey choice – ever since. It was actually made by chance, when Cadbury researcher David John Parfitt started experimenting with leftover toffee. The plaited creation features a chewy caramel centre with a rich milk chocolate casing. While it’s not the easiest treat to eat (the caramel gets stuck in your teeth), there’s no denying how tasty it is.

25. Starbar

Another delicious Cadbury creation, the Starbar combines a silky milk chocolate coating with sticky caramel and a crunchy peanut centre. Unveiled in 1976, the bar was rebranded as Peanut Boost before returning to its original name just five years later. Now packaged inside a purple and yellow wrapper, the bar pairs well with an afternoon cuppa.

24. Picnic

A crunchy, chewy and super-sweet concoction, the Picnic bar was first introduced in the 1950s – and it went on to become a popular choice for lovers of chocolate-covered raisins. Now produced by Cadbury, the bar continues to feature a chewy caramel, peanut and raisin centre, finished with a delicate layer of milk chocolate.

23. Club

First produced in Dublin in the 1910s, the Club has been a part of British and Irish culture for over a century. This chocolate-covered biscuity bar is sold by McVitie’s in the UK and Jacob’s in Ireland and has become renowned for its core flavours: Original, Mint and Orange. Still a firm favourite today, UK fans can even get their hands on cake bar versions.

22. Twirl

The less-crumbly sibling of the Flake, the Twirl was invented at a Cadbury factory in Dublin in 1985 and quickly became popular throughout the UK and Ireland. Though it was initially released as a single finger, it wasn’t long before Cadbury saw sense, relaunching it as a two-finger option just two years later. The bar, which features a flaked centre covered in smooth milk chocolate, comes in two additional flavours: caramel and mint.

21. Lindt Lindor Milk Chocolate Bar

This Swiss brand may be better known for its gold foil–wrapped bunnies and creamy, red-packaged truffles, but its Lindt Lindor Milk Chocolate Bar is worthy of its place on our list. Lindt has been producing chocolate for over two centuries, so when the brand released this bar – which evolved from the first solid Lindor bars developed in 1949 – it was guaranteed to impress chocolate lovers. Finished with a red and gold wrapper, the bar showcases the brand’s signature silky-smooth texture in a tasty individual serving.

20. Toblerone

This bar may originally be from Switzerland, but its impact on British and Irish chocolate culture is indisputable. The triangular bar, created in 1908 by Theodor Tobler, combines milk chocolate with honey and almond nougat. Its distinctive shape and yellow and red packaging have become easily recognisable, with Toblerones of various sizes lining duty-free shelves at airports around the globe.

19. Toffee Crisp

Biscuity, sticky and all-round delicious, the Toffee Crisp has been sitting pretty in its orange wrapper on sweet shop shelves since 1963 – so you can probably remember finding one of these inside your school lunchbox. Each chocolate-coated bar has biscuit, crispy cereal and chewy caramel at its centre.

18. Bournville

Known for its intense flavour, the first product launched under the Bournville name was Bournville Cocoa, in 1906. Following huge success, the brand launched a bar form just two years later – and it's been a proud part of the Cadbury canon ever since. The chocolate bar takes its name from a model village in Birmingham, which was designed by the Cadbury family for its factory workers to visit and enjoy.

17. Kinder Bueno

Despite originally being sold in Italy and Germany in the early 1900s, the Kinder Bueno has firmly established itself as one of the UK and Ireland's chocolate bars of choice. The brand was traditionally marketed towards children – the name Kinder even translates to ‘children’ in German (while Bueno translates to ‘good’ in Spanish) – but it’s adored by adults, too. Each orange and white packet comes complete with two crispy wafer fingers, finished with a smooth milk chocolate layer and stuffed with a velvety hazelnut filling.

16. Yorkie

First produced by York-based confectionery company Rowntree’s in 1976, the Yorkie was initially launched to compete against Cadbury’s Dairy Milk. The bar has traditionally been heavily marketed towards men via a slew of macho advertising campaigns – including 2002's ‘It’s Not For Girls!’ slogan. This one-sided marketing stance was finally dropped in 2011. Other flavours have been introduced over the years, including Raisin & Biscuit, Orange, and a now-discontinued Almond variety.

15. Lion

The Lion bar has changed significantly since Rowntree’s first rolled it out in 1976. Initially featuring a chocolate-covered wafer filled with chewy caramel and cereal pieces, the jagged-edged bar was completely rebranded in 2004 to target teenagers. The recipe changed almost entirely, with only the wafer remaining the same. Now produced by Nestlé, the Lion bar's signature lion mascot still makes quite an impact on the wrapper.

14. Flake

Having amassed a loyal following since its launch in 1920, the Flake has been a popular confectionery choice for over a century. The bar was actually made by complete chance, after a Cadbury worker began experimenting with leftover sheets of flaky chocolate found at the bottom of the factory’s ovens. Nowadays, fans typically enjoy one of these with a cup of tea, or as a smaller bar slotted into the top of a 99 ice cream.

13. Fry's Chocolate Cream

Dating back to 1866, Fry’s Chocolate Cream was the world’s first mass-produced filled bar – and what a legacy it still holds. Originally made by Bristol-based chocolatiers J.S. Fry & Sons, the bar is now owned by Cadbury, but it continues to feature a plain fondant centre covered with rich dark chocolate. The company went on to produce popular Orange Cream and Peppermint Cream flavours, which launched in 1934.

12. Caramac

This pale golden bar made its debut in 1959 and quickly became a beloved treat. Produced by British confectionery brand Mackintosh before being sold to Nestlé, Caramac was known for its rich caramel flavour and iconic red and yellow packaging (although it wasn't technically classified as a chocolate bar, as it didn't contain any cocoa). In late 2023, Caramac was sadly discontinued due to declining sales. Happily, it made an epic return in summer 2024 for a limited time across the UK and Ireland.

11. Milkybar

Who can remember spending their pocket money on a bar of this milky delight? Produced by Nestlé, the Milkybar has been enjoyed by children across the globe since 1936. Alongside its creamy white chocolate flavour, the bar is probably best known for its mascot, the Milkybar Kid, who has been part of its branding since 1961.

10. Crunchie

This UK-born bar first landed on shelves in 1929 and became instantly recognisable thanks to its honeycomb centre. Finished with a layer of milk chocolate, the combination of sticky and smooth has proven to be a real winner (if a little tough on the teeth, at times). It’s easy to spot too, thanks to its bright purple and gold packaging.

9. Wispa

Similar to an Aero, this Cadbury bar is made using special technology which helps to produce its aerated milk chocolate centre. The Wispa first landed on supermarket shelves in 1981 and quickly gained a loyal following – so much so that when Cadbury discontinued the bar in 2003, fans began campaigning online for its return. They eventually succeeded and the Wispa made a triumphant return in 2007. Alongside the original plain chocolate flavour, a few variations have been released including the caramel-filled Wispa Gold.

8. Twix

Released by Mars in 1967, the Twix has gone on to become one of the world’s most iconic chocolate bars. Each packet features two biscuit fingers laced with caramel and finished with a silky milk chocolate coating. In mainland Europe, it was initially introduced as a Raider bar, before changing its name in line with its global branding. These days you can enjoy a whole range of Twix flavours, from Salted Caramel to Cookies & Creme.

7. Freddo

Originally produced by Australian confectionery company MacRobertson’s, the Freddo bar was an instant hit when it launched on UK soil in 1973. While many may remember the days when a bar would cost as little as 10p (10c), the price has increased alongside inflation over the years, causing a lot of controversy in doing so. Despite this, however, it continues to be a big hit with kids across the globe.

6. Galaxy Smooth Milk

Introduced in the 1960s, Galaxy (known as Dove in other parts of the world) has gone on to become one of the world’s bestselling bars. The bar is known (and loved) for its velvety texture and balance of sweetness – it’s said that around 23 million Galaxy Smooth Milk blocks are sold in the UK each year. Owned by Mars, there are a handful of other varieties available, including Smooth Caramel, Cookie Crumble and bite-sized Galaxy Minstrels.

5. Milky Way

Produced by Mars, the Milky Way appeared on sweet shop shelves in 1936 and went on to become one of the brand’s bestselling bars. The petite treat, sold in single and double-bar packets, is made up of a creamy nougat centre and a coating of milk chocolate. Confusingly, in the US, there’s another style – also named Milky Way and produced by Mars – which features a caramel layer alongside the nougat centre.

4. KitKat

Originally known as Rowntree’s Chocolate Crisp, the KitKat (now produced by Nestlé) has flourished beyond its humble British roots, developing into a global sensation. In 2014, Time magazine in the US named KitKat one of the ‘most influential candy bars of all time’ – and we'd happily agree. The bar’s distinguished two or four-finger format and crispy wafer layers have been satisfying fans since 1935, and these days, hundreds of flavours and styles are available around the world.

3. Snickers (Marathon)

Invented in the US, the Marathon bar landed in the UK and Ireland in 1968 – and it went on to become a beloved treat. Each bar has a nougat, peanut and caramel centre and is coated with a generous milk chocolate layer. In 1990, the name was changed to Snickers in order to align with the bar's global identity. Much to UK fans' delight, Mars announced the return of the Marathon branding for a limited period in September 2024, with the bars available exclusively in supermarket chain Morrisons.

2. Mars

You may be surprised to find out that the classic Mars bar we all know and love was invented in the English town of Slough, Berkshire in 1932. Today, it’s still one of the country’s most popular chocolate bars. Though its original toasted almonds (shown in this vintage ad) may have been removed, the bar continues to delight those with a sweet tooth thanks to its nougat and caramel centre and creamy milk chocolate coating. More than 200 million Mars bars are sold each year in the UK and Ireland alone.

1. Dairy Milk

Perhaps Britain’s most iconic chocolate bar, Cadbury’s Dairy Milk was created in 1905 and continues to delight sweet treat lovers around the globe. In fact, around 350 million bars of Dairy Milk are sold worldwide each year – and it’s continually named Britain and Ireland’s favourite chocolate bar in surveys and online lists. This simple bar features indulgent, ultra-creamy milk chocolate and it tastes so good that it’s almost impossible to limit yourself to just one square.

Now discover America's best candy bars of all time

Last updated by Lottie Woodrow.