M&S launching its own first-ever ‘Dubai-style' chocolate bar with a HUGE twist in hours

The Sun

22-04-2025

Olivia Stringer, Fabulous Digital Writer
Published: Invalid Date,
M&S is launching it's own version of the viral Dubai-style chocolate in just hours, but there's a huge twist.
After a bumper bank holiday weekend of Easter egg hunts, family get-togethers and i ndulgence, many of us have likely had enough sweet treats to last a year.
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But for chocaholics, keen to get another fix of tasty goodness, M&S has the perfect treat to tantalise your taste buds.
The upmarket supermarket's twist on Dubai chocolate is actually an update on the insanely popular Big Daddy bar that had shoppers in a frenzy in 2024.
Like the Big Daddy, this new chocolate treat has layers of thick milk chocolate, gooey sweet and salty caramel and a light and crunchy biscuit crumb.
However, it will also have a brand new chunky pistachio layer, inspired by the hugely popular Dubai chocolate trend.
The scrumptious treat will land on shelves tomorrow, April 23, so shoppers better set their alarms to avoid missing out.
And based on how popular other brands' takes on the Dubai chocolate have been, it is safe to say that the M&S product is likely to fly off shelves.
The posh supermarket has said it developed the new chocolate bar over nine months "to ensure absolute perfection."
The Big Daddy was priced at at £6.75 for a 300g bar which served 10 people when it hit shelves last year.
Shoppers raved about the product, calling it the "best chocolate bar ever."
The Big Daddy Pistachio will be pricier than the original bar, costing £8.50 for a big 280g bar.
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Although this may seem expensive, it is still much cheaper than the original Dubai chocolate, that the M&S bar is based on.
The decadent treat has gone viral on social media over the past few months, with videos on the pistachio filled snack amassing over six million views.
The indulgent chocolate bar, which has a green filling made from pistachio and a traditional Arab dessert called Knafeh, often comes with a hefty price tag, with single bars retailing online for more than £20.
Since the treat went viral, many retailers such as Lidl have launched their own versions of the bar, at much cheaper prices.
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Go own brand - if you're not too fussed about flavour and just want to supplant your chocolate cravings, you'll save by going for the supermarket's own brand bars.
Shop around - if you've spotted your favourite variety at the supermarket, make sure you check if it's cheaper elsewhere.
Websites like Trolley.co.uk let you compare prices on products across all the major chains to see if you're getting the best deal.
Look out for yellow stickers - supermarket staff put yellow, and sometimes orange and red, stickers on to products to show they've been reduced.
They usually do this if the product is coming to the end of its best-before date or the packaging is slightly damaged.
Buy bigger bars - most of the time, but not always, chocolate is cheaper per 100g the larger the bar.
So if you've got the appetite, and you were going to buy a hefty amount of chocolate anyway, you might as well go bigger.
M&S director of product development Kathryn Turner said: "We've seen the pistachio trend explode in the past few months, both on restaurant menus and on social media, so it's a real focus for us as one of our top flavour trends this year.
"For example, our new Collection Pistachio & Milk Chocolate Egg was flying off the shelves well over a month before Easter, while shoppers were snapping up 5,000 jars a day of our top-quality Collection Pistachio Crème when it launched - that's 7 jars every minute.
"In fact the pistachio creme has been so popular that we're now bringing it back all year round!"
M&S has also teased more "exciting pistachio launches" in the coming months, including chocolate, cookies, desserts and even a Pistachio and Honey Baking Feta.
Lidl's £3.99 version of the Dubai chocolate was so popular that it initially sold out in just 84 minutes.
Shoppers were queuing up outside stores to nab the bar, with Lidl even having to put a two-bar limit on the chocolate, due to its popularity.
Meanwhile Morrisons has been selling larger 100g bars of Bolci Dubai -style chocolate for just £5.
The bar is available online but you'll have to pay a delivery charge.
Those happy to spend a bit more can try Lindt's Dubai-style chocolate.