There's a Star Bar, living in the sky (Cadbury's Star Bar)

Member Name: davidbuttery

Product:	Cadbury's Star Bar
Date:	04/11/09 (53 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Satisfying and tasty, cheap, vegetarian, fun retro-style wrapper

Disadvantages: Can still be hard to find in some places

Now here's a bar with an interesting history. Cadbury's Star Bar might almost be called the bar - and brand - that wouldn't die, it or something very similar having spent periods of its existence as, variously, Nudge, Nunch, and Boost Peanut, as well as being called Moro Peanut in Ireland (despite the fact that the British Star Bar is *made* in Ireland!) and Wunderbar in both Germany and Canada. Until a few years ago, it was notably difficult to find in the shops, but these days it always seems to be in stock in my local Co-op for around 48p. You still never see it advertised on TV, though.

The wrapper is highly distinctive, and is a far cry from the understated elegance of the mostly (and, thanks to advertising laws, necessarily) adult-orientated bars of today. It's a blazing orange-yellow, with the bar's name printed in bold capitals in a typeface strongly reminiscent of the Star Trek era of TV science-fiction programmes. Oh, and there's a star, of course. Yes, it's all very obvious, but I think the cheerful, retro look works extremely well. It also helps that Cadbury have resisted the temptation to splash purple everywhere.

On the wrapper you can find the Star Bar catchphrase: "Shot through with peanuts and caramel". It's not entirely clear what "shot through" actually *means*, but if you're looking for any sort of deep meaning then this bar is not the one for you. This is a vegetarian bar, but - rather obviously - is not suitable for those who cannot eat nuts or milk. The bar weighs 53 grams, which is quite generous, and provides 260 kcal of energy, which is also quite high. This is not a bar for dieters, unless you're using it to replace a six-course banquet!

Undo the wrapper, and the smell that hits you is not bad at all: the chocolate covering is not true Dairy Milk, as evidenced by its 14% milk solids content (Dairy Milk has 20% milk solids), but nevertheless there's an enticing smell of sweetness mixing with the nuttiness. It gets better, though: the chewiness of this bar is wonderful, with plenty of resistance from the nicely thick caramel but not so much as to make you fear for the future of your fillings. The peanuts are of good consistency too, but it really is the caramel that shines here. The chocolate itself, as mentioned, is not quite up to Dairy Milk creaminess, but it's a pretty solid effort and the layering (especially on the top) is satisfyingly thick.

The Star Bar is about the closest approach in existence to a Snickers bar with Cadbury chocolate, which would be one almighty combination, and though it's not *quite* as filling as a Snickers bar I do think it's the better bar. The way in which Cadbury have balanced the taste of chocolate, caramel and peanuts is highly successful, and it remains a mystery why the Star Bar is still treated with something approaching disdain by the company management. Go out and prove them wrong!

Summary: An oft-overlooked gem