First Impressions

Usually when I buy a chocolate bar it’s because I am stranded somewhere starving and knowing I have a long wait till I get home. Therefore I really want to get something substantial that is actually going to satisfy the hunger pangs for a while. I discovered that a Double Decker was the best thing for this a few years ago. It was bought for me when my requested Bounty bar was out of stock and after an initial mock sulking period I tucked in. I had always been put-off by the Double Decker’s packaging I think. It is a relatively obscure bar and except for a rare and boring advertising campaign a while ago I had never really registered it. Therefore for it to have been noticeable to me on a chocolate stand it would have had to have been quite pretty. With the purple and orange stripes however it just seems a bit garish and not really worth looking at. Furthermore the name Double Decker never really did much for me. It just isn’t at all enticing like Galaxy etc and a bit on the macho side. Therefore it wasn’t really with great enthusiasm that I accepted it.

Taste

However all the same I once you have got past this visual obstacle, things started going uphill. Some people out there are also going to reject it because it isn’t a pure chocolate bar and for these I agree they should stick to their Dairy Milks or Yorkies etc. However for the rest of us who want something a bit different and are more drawn to say a Mars Bar than a Galaxy this is the way forward. Usually when I choose a chocolate I have to make a choice between biscuit (Kit Kat usually) or nougat (Mars Bar). However with a Double Decker you get both of these things except that they call the biscuit cereal, but let’s face it they are basically the same thing when saturated with chocolate. I expected it to be a bit too much at first, after all simplicity is usually key. However I was pleasantly surprised. At first when the bar enters your mouth your teeth break the chocolate coating and sinks into the nougat, then midway they meet the cereal base, before approaching more nougat and a repeat of the cereal, then you can finish your first bite. The variety of tastes and textures amalgamating in your mouth is unusual and a nice change from the monotony of other chocolate bars. The chocolate is prominent and not overridden by other flavours, which is great as first and foremost you are after chocolate. The nougat then arrives, sweet but not sickly and beyond that is a faint tang of coffee which intensifies the flavour and heightens the pleasure even more. The cereal is tasteless but gives a satisfying crunch and nice variety with the soft nougat. Therefore each mouthful is actually a little bundle of joy.

Effects

The bar is quite large at 60g and keeps you satisfied for far longer than normal chocolate bars. It’s great in that the nougat, which is really just refined sugar, attacks your cravings immediately, the chocolate have their happy chemical effect on the brain and the cereal keeps you full up for quite a while, so it really does fulfil all of your chocolate needs.

As far as health goes this isn’t the ideal bar. This is the nutritional profile taken from the Cadbury website. (Sneakily it’s not on the packaging).
Nutrition Information (per pack)

Energy (KJ)
1155
Energy (KCal)
275
Protein
2.6g
Carbohydrate
41.0g
(of which Sugar) 32.4g
Total Fat
11.3g
(of which Saturated Fat) 5.9g
Fibre
0.4g
Sodium*
0.04g

Hmm well at least it’s low in salt I guess. So as with all other yummy foods eat in moderation (heavy sighs). On the plus side however it is vegetarian but restrictive for some other people with dietary requirements:
Dietary Requirement Information
Colour Absent: Yes
Egg Absent: No
Milk Absent: No
Nut Absent: No
Peanut Absent: No
Salt Absent: No
Soya Absent: No
Vegetarian: Yes
Vegan: No
Sulphites Absent: Yes
Sesame Absent: Yes
Gluten Absent (Suitable For Coeliacs): No
Wheat Absent: No



Cost

The price of chocolate bars is widely varying, from shop to shop and region to region. However I have consistently found that a Double Decker is cheaper than Cadbury’s Dairy Milk, even though it is much larger. It is usually in the region of 40-50 pence, however in shops like Woolworths it is regularly a member of their 4 for 99p deal and so in such cases it is sensible (and enjoyable) to stock up.

Overall

I have fallen in love with this chocolate bar and to me it will always be number one. I appreciate that others have different tastes but I still advise at least one try and hope that you too will be bowled over!