11 of the most popular lost sweets you can no longer find in chocolate selection boxes

• Quality Street, Roses, Heroes and Celebrations are among the nation’s favourite chocolate selection boxes
• But their contents have changed considerably over the years, with many fan favourites removed
• We’ve put together a list of the most popular lost selection box treats you’d love to see make a comeback

The chocolate selection box is as much a part of Christmas tradition as trees and turkeys in some families.

Everyone has their own favourite box, and there are always some sweets which disappear almost immediately, while others linger into the new year.

Quality Street’s Toffee Penny is perhaps the Marmite of the selection box world. To some, it is a classic, loved for its simplicity, while to others, it is the dullest sweet in the box, with its inexcusable lack of chocolate.

The four big hitters when it comes to chocolate selection boxes, or tins, are, in no particular order, Roses, Quality Street, Celebrations and Heroes.

Quality Street was first on the scene in 1936, launched by Mackintosh’s and taking its name from a play by Peter Pan creator J. M. Barrie.

Cadbury Roses followed two years later, in 1938, while Mars Celebrations and Cadbury Heroes, containing miniature versions of our favourite chocolate bars, were introduced much later, in 1997 and 1999, respectively.

The original Quality Street tins included the likes of the Gooseberry Cream, Fig Fancy, Peanut Cracknell and Apricot Delight, all of which have long since been removed.

Many sweets have come and gone over the years from tins and boxes of Quality Street, Roses, Heroes and Celebration, but some of those lost varieties are missed more than others.

Below are some of the most popular old sweets that you can no longer find in chocolate selection boxes, with their removal having sparked outrage in several cases.

Galaxy Truffle (Celebrations)

The Galaxy Truffle was one of the most popular chocolates in a box of Celebrations, so fans were bemused and outraged in equal measure when Mars decided to remove it and replace it with the Twix in 2011.

There have been many calls since to restore the Galaxy Truffle, with its rich, creamy centre, but they have been to no avail.

One fan called the Galaxy Truffle the ‘absolute best’, adding that it was ‘gone but not forgotten’.

Time Out (Heroes)

Mini Time Outs were removed from boxes of Cadbury’s Heroes in 2007, with the full-size version discontinued in 2016.

Many chocoholics miss this bite-sized treat, with its ripples of milk chocolate sandwiched between two wafers and smothered in more chocolate.

Coffee Creme (Roses)

Coffee Cremes have been missing from Roses selection boxes since 2019, with one disappointed fan branding the decision to remove it ‘absolutely shambolic’.

Quality Street also briefly removed Coffee Creams from its tubs, only for them to return following a customer backlash.

Toffee Deluxe (Quality Street)

The Toffee Deluxe, with its chewy toffee centre encased in milk chocolate, was replaced in 2016 by the Honeycomb Crunch.

It was briefly reintroduced, only to be replaced again, this time by the Chocolate Caramel Brownie.

Many fans are still mourning its removal and dreaming of another comeback.

Topic (Celebrations)

The Topic chocolate bar was removed from boxes of Celebrations in 2006.

The bar, with its delicious combination of hazelnuts, nougat, and caramel, was then discontinued completely by Mars in 2021, nearly 60 years on from its launch in 1962.

Mint Fondant (Quality Street)

The Mint Fondant has been absent from boxes of Quality Street since the noughties, and many chocoholics have never completely got over its removal.

It was the mint equivalent of the Strawberry Creme and came in a pale green wrapper.

Picnic (Heroes)

The Picnic bar was removed from boxes of Cadbury Heroes in 2007, to the great disappointment of many fans.

You can still buy the full-sized version of the chocolate bar, with its winning combination of chocolate, peanuts, chewy nougat, caramel, biscuit and puffed rice, and its distinctive bobbly shape.

Turkish Delight (Roses)

The Turkish Delight has long divided opinion. It was removed from Roses selection boxes some years back but has since made a return in Australia, where it was reinstated following a fan vote.

There are many fans in the UK who would like to see it back in boxes over here too.

Noisette Whirl (Roses)

The Noisette Whirl, which came in a green and transparent wrapper, is another old favourite that is still missed by many fans.

One person recalled how it was ‘hands down the best’ of the old selection.

Chocolate Toffee Cup (Quality Street)

The decision to replace Chocolate Toffee Cups with the Caramel Swirl is one which still rankles with many chocolate lovers.

People loved the gooey toffee centre encased in chocolate, and the stylish gold, red and white wrappers.

Fuse (Heroes)

The full-sized Fuse bar was launched in the UK in 1996, and became Cadbury’s fastest-selling new chocolate bar since the Wispa in 1983.

It consisted of milk chocolate with peanuts, raisins, crisp cereal and fudge pieces.

Miniature Fuse bars were part of Heroes boxes until they were removed in 2004. The full-size version was discontinued in 2006.

Is your favourite on this list? Which lost sweet from the nation’s favourite chocolate selection boxes would you most like to see brought back?

If you enjoyed this slice of nostalgia, you might like our look back at popular biscuits which have been discontinued.