There are several great foods that you can only get in the UK. The candy in this European nation, however, is second to none. They know how to produce some great sweets, as they call it, across the pond. But which candies are the best?
It's strange that despite some of these candies being absolute favorites across the UK, they have never made their way to the United States. We're taking a look at ten of the best sweets in the UK that you really need to try if you ever go and visit!
While some of these candies are exported to other countries, they are far more readily available in the UK. They are tough, if not downright impossible, to find in the United States.
UPDATE: 2023/06/08 11:47 EST BY KHYATI DAND
More Candies That You Can Only Get In The UK
Britishers have a soft spot for candies, as one can tell from a visit to the confectionery aisle in any grocery store in the U.K. There are rows and rows of gummies in all shapes, sizes, and colors, bars of sweets that you can only get in the UK, and even versions of American chocolates that Britishers simply make better. This list was updated to include more British sweets that aren't in America and for which, hopeful candy eaters will just have to make a trip across the pond.
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15 TERRY'S CHOCOLATE ORANGE
Oranges with a piece of chocolate
To those who haven't been to the UK, the country's obsession with Terry's chocolate oranges may seem utterly fascinating. Shaped like a whole orange which breaks into 20 neat wedges to resemble orange segments, this orange oil-infused chocolate is incredibly popular in the UK. The chocolate oranges even have thin vein-like impressions on them to resemble an actual orange and come wrapped in orange-skin patterned foil! It's an orange-flavored chocolate unlike any other in the world.
14 CADBURY TWIRL
A pile of Cadbury chocolate
Hershey's may own Cadbury in the U.S., but some of Cadbury's best creations are UK-exclusive sweets that are yet to make their way to America. Much like Flake, Cadbury Twirl is a mix of flaky, creamy, biscuity, and chocolatey flavors and textures that one must taste to truly understand. Each finger-style bar has two bars of crispy swirls and curls which are all coated in ribbons of Cadbury's sweet milk chocolate.
Although TikTokers have claimed that Twirl and Flake are essentially the same chocolate bars under two different names, Cadbury officially released a statement saying they were two entirely different British sweets. Those skeptical need only taste both bars (preferably several times) to tell the difference.
13 LIQUORICE ALLSORTS
Liquorice allsorts candies
Liquorice is an acquired taste even in the UK. It's not a favorite of every person, but it has a really niche market. Liquorice Allsorts, which often emerge more around the Christmas period of the year, are an all-time classic.
The box that brings these sweet yet bitter treats is full of different Liquorice snacks. There are several bizarre shapes and designs, but they are pretty fun to try. The smell is also pretty iconic, and the variety of Liquorice on offer across the UK is astounding.
According to tales, it was a sales representative of the British confectionery George Bassett & Co., also known as Bassett's, that accidentally chanced upon liquorice allsorts. The Bassett's brand of liquorice allsorts continues to be the best of its kind even today.
12 ROCK
A stick of rock candy
Rock candy is a classic in the seaside areas of Britain, especially the coastal city of Brighton. As the name suggests, rock is a hard candy often shaped in large, thick sticks. People usually chew on one throughout the day as they walk along Brighton's famous pier.
While you could break a tooth on the candy, the flavors are lovely. The most classic is peppermint, and the colors are always bright and in your face. You can actually watch the candy makers create this seaside treat in many confectionery shops.
Not to be confused with rock candies made of colorful crystalized sugar that is a popular sugar substitute to sweeten drinks even in the U.S., the UK's rock candies are thin cylindrical sticks of sugar mixed with glucose syrup and food coloring. These toffee-like sticks will often have letters, patterns, or numbers in the center which are usually the initials of the candy shop.
11 SMARTIES
A pack of Smarties
There is a version of smarties in the United States but nothing like the smarties in the UK. Smarties are brightly colored, round, hard shells that crack when you bite into them. Inside there's some of the UK's best chocolate.
Each color actually tastes different, meaning a box of smarties gives you a variety of flavors. You can also get different types of smarties. You can get big and small ones, and you can now also buy chocolate bars with smarties inside of them!
While American Smarties are small disc-shaped sugar wafers, British Smarties contain chocolate and are similar to M&Ms.
10 CADBURY CHOCOLATE
Pieces of Cadbury chocolate
Cadbury is some of the best chocolate globally due to its unique and creamy recipe. It is arguably superior to American candy, ironically, since the company is now owned by a larger American business. Nothing quite beats the richness of this candy, however.
There are so many different types of Cadbury bars to choose from. With nuts, Turkish delight, or perhaps even just a classic dairy milk flavor. You can even visit the Cadbury factory and see how these iconic chocolate bars are made. In the United States, Cadbury's chocolate products are actually made by Hershey, which leads to a different taste.
Although Cadbury is owned by Hershey's in the U.S., the biggest difference between the two candy giants is their ingredient lists. The British candy lists milk as its first ingredient whereas the Hershey's-made bar in the U.S. has sugar at the top. This makes the American version sweeter but less silky and creamy than the British one.
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9 KINDER SURPRISE
A Kinder egg
Kinder Surprise eggs did exist in the United States at one point in time. Indeed, they are still in existence across some parts of the world. However, they were banned in the States because children kept swallowing the small toy inside.
Despite this, Kinder Surprise eggs are still part of the UK candy scene. They are a treat for any kid, as the chocolate is completely different from any other bar you could buy and the toy inside is always a fun bonus. It's difficult to imagine this candy not being on the menu. Nowadays, it is possible to find a Kinder Joy egg without the toy in the US, but the UK's versions are banned.
8 WINE GUMS
A bowl of wine gums
Wine Gums are a very UK-exclusive sweet. Much like jelly babies, which also exist in the UK and are not found in many other places, wine gums use techniques found in a variety of different candies. The name suggests that they are based on wine flavors, although they contain no actual alcohol.
Wine gums are chewy but absolutely packed with flavor. Like so many candies here, they are brightly colored and often favored by an older generation. They could be comparable to gumdrops, although with their own unique design.
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7 BOUNTY
Bars of Bounty chocolate
Bounty bars are a staple of any candy tin in the UK. In fact, they actually come as part of a combination pack that's really popular at Christmas. There's something unique about a Bounty bar that doesn't seem very common in the United States.
A Bounty is packed with coconut, with the shredded coconut becoming the prominent flavor of the chocolate bar. For lovers of coconut, this will quickly become a favorite and is comparable to a Snicker Bar in terms of niche but brilliant flavors. While no longer distributed in the US, Bounty can be typically found in supermarkets focusing on international cuisine.
The Great Bounty Debate: Britishers have mixed feelings about this rich coconut-filled chocolate bar. After a survey revealed that nearly 40% of Britishers found Bounty to be the worst chocolate in a Celebrations tub, the chocolate manufacturer released limited edition no-Bounty Celebrations boxes before Christmas in 2022. On the flip side, other surveys have found Bounty's to be the third-best chocolate in the entire country, coming next to only Cadbury's and Snickers. Chocolate enthusiasts will only have to eat the bar themselves to find where they stand on the Bounty debate.
6 FLAKE
A Cadbury Flake
A Flake is produced by Cadbury, although it's had a life of its own. It's really unique compared to other candies. It's become popular because many ice cream vans will serve you a vanilla 99, with a flake sticking out the top. This is classic ice cream in the UK.
As the name implies, a Flake is incredibly flaky when you bite into it. It's a stick of chocolate that looks a little like tree bark. Cadbury also creates Wispa bars, essentially a flake with chocolate-coated around the outside. It's difficult to describe the melt in your mouth texture without giving you one to try!
Cadbury proudly claims that the recipe for Flake is "a closely guarded secret" which is why no other chocolate manufacturer has even come close to replicating its delicate, crumbly, melt-in-your-mouth texture. It's a chocolate found only in the UK and one that's made only by Cadbury.
5 MALTESERS
Balls of Maltesers
There are many misconceptions about candy in the UK and the flavors on offer. Some may think that the chocolate here is far too sweet or that many candy bars are quite similar. Well, Maltesers absolutely stand above the rest.
These small balls have an incredible secret inside. They are full of biscuits coated in that amazingly silky and milky chocolate. Maltesers are a universal favorite and have even sparked the creation of hot chocolate and other variations on the candy. Let them melt in your mouth or crunch through them!
Maltesers are very similar to the Whoppers sold by Hershey's in the U.S. except, they have a more light, airy, and honeycomb-like biscuity center and the outer coating has a milker, more chocolate-like flavor whereas Whoppers tend to have a more sugary, candy-like shell.
4 AERO
An Aero bar snapped in half
The bubbly Aero isn't easy to describe. It has a texture that can't be compared to any of the other candy bars on this list. The inside of the bumpy chocolate is full of air bubbles that give it that unique texture and look.
There are quite a few Aero flavors to choose from, but there have really only ever been two classics that stand out. Besides a traditional Aero, the orange and the mint versions of this candy are the ones that you have to try if you ever stop by in a UK shop. Aero is available in Canada but is hard to come by in the United States.
3 MARS BAR
A sliced bar of Mars
This chocolate bar is similar to US's Milky Way candy bars. Coated with a layer of chocolate, the Mars Bar is made of nougat and caramel. Mars originated in Slough, England, in 1932. While there is another version of the candy bar sold in the US, most of the fans of Mars are in the UK, and people visiting the country must try the unique taste of this candy.
2 RHUBARB & CUSTARD
Fruit candies
Suckie Sweet is what this UK candy is known for in the country. On the other hand, it is known as hard candy in the US. While Rhubarb & Custard is not chocolate, it's still worth a try because of its delicious dish. The Rhubarb, which has a slightly sour taste, is the half-red part of the candy, while the creamy and sweet-tasting Custard is the half-yellow one. Rhubarb & Custards are a must-try when visiting the UK since those are traditional British sweets.
1 CURLY WURLY
A box of chocolate bars
This candy is covered with Cadbury milk chocolate and filled with thick golden caramel. Moreover, it has a unique shape like DNA, a flattened curl, or a ladder. Additionally, the Curly Wurly is a bit hard to eat and gets stuck in the teeth because it's chewy. However, it is worth trying this candy when visiting the UK.
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