Nestlé has launched an all-new Quality Street flavour for Christmas, and it’s already got people talking. The dark chocolate sweet comes wrapped in golden yellow foil, but the catch is, Nestle won’t confirm what’s actually inside until December.
The mystery has had shoppers guessing everything from pineapple to lime and banana, although nobody knows for sure. Whatever it is, the flavour has a big reputation to uphold, joining the classic icons like the crowd-pleasing Green Triangle, the nostalgic Toffee Penny and divisive Strawberry Delights. I decided to taste test it with a few friends, and it is fair to say the flavour is not the only thing we disagreed on.
One friend described it as “amazing” and that it was “artificial, but I love it”. It reminded them of childhood sweets called Banany from Slovakia — banana-flavoured jellies coated in dark chocolate.
This matched another taste tester, who immediately said it was banana, however, they weren’t quite so enthusiastic. While I actually thought the flavour was lime, I had to agree with her enthusiasm.
Nestlé Confectionery’s Marketing Manager for Gifting and Seasonal, Rachael Mundy, said the team is always eager to launch a limited-edition sweet to “excite and delight” Quality Street fans.
But it sadly didn’t “delight” my taste buds. For me, it was the flavour I would avoid, and that’s coming from someone allergic to nuts.
The sweet has a creamy, fruity centre similar to Strawberry Delight, and was covered in dark chocolate. I actually enjoy the strawberry and orange flavours, but this one reminded me of those lime chocolates you’d accidentally pick up in a pick-and-mix.
It wasn’t the beautiful contrast of orange and chocolate, but rather a tart and sour flavour that clashed. Someone else noted the strong aftertaste, which I had to agree with.
Some chocolates are always the last to go, and this would be one of them in my house. While it’s not completely unpleasant — it’s still chocolate at the end of the day — it’s not worth eating when there are so many other better treats at Christmas.
Fingers crossed they don’t make it a permanent fixture in the tins.
The flavour will be exclusively available at John Lewis and Waitrose stores nationwide at pick and mix stations, which will be returning for the festive season.
