Review: Fry’s Orange Cream chocolate bar

In case you hadn’t noticed, I kind of like the combination of orange and chocolate flavours. I also love British candy, a vice that has been cheerfully fed by a new U.K. specialty import shop in Edmonton, just south of Whyte Ave.

My latest find isn’t entirely new to me. I got a Fry’s Orange Cream chocolate bar in my Christmas stocking last year, which must have been picked up earlier in Santa’s run over England.

What does it taste like? Sweeeet! The dark chocolate shell only marginally protects the super-sweet orange fondant filling, which oozes all over if you’re not careful. Both of the Fry’s Orange Cream bars I’ve encountered have been smushed somewhere between England and my apartment, so opening the package revealed a sticky mess. Talking pictures, I was paranoid about touching the camera after touching the fondant-covered bar. There was much hand washing.

Sweetness aside, most of the flavour comes from the lovely orange fondant filling. It’s a genuine orange taste, which is clearly a result of the “natural orange flavouring” listed on the ingredients panel.

The chocolate is good, albeit sweet. It doesn’t get in the way of the orange. A nice pairing, certainly.

Also of note, the packaging claims there are no artificial colours to be found in the bar. The package also asserts that the manufacturer, Fry’s, has been around since 1761, which makes it more than one hundred years older than Canada. Crazy!

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RATINGS AND DETAILS

Cost: $1.64 per 49-gram bar at Hub Cigar in Edmonton.

Value for cash money: Not bad for an import.

Availability: I’m pretty sure I’ve seen them at Bulk Barn, too. Check British import shops.

Nutrition?: Per 49-gram bar: 200 calories, 6.5 grams of fat, 32.2 grams of sugars. It’s sweet and chocolatey, so this isn’t surprising.

God save the Queen!: There’s the mark, right there on the back. “By appointment to H.M. the Queen.” I’m sort of hoping she enjoys one of these every week, possibly on a Wednesday, with afternoon tea. If so, she has impeccable taste.

The verdict: Good. If the bar is at all smashed – a real possibility during the long steamship crossing of the Atlantic – then you’re going to have a messy snack. As long as you’re prepared to wash your hands of sticky fondant after your treat, go for it. It’s a happy little piece of chocolate-orange bliss.