LONDON – Hate or love the Coconut and Chocolate Bounty bar, perhaps the most controversial confectionery in Britain, the kind of subject matter that can split a country in a much less damaging way than nations usually divided into two.
Realizing Bounty’s less-than-stellar reputation and perhaps trying to profit from those who talk about it, Mars Wrigley said on Wednesday that it will be testing versions of the Celebration bathtub, a collection set of popular chocolates during the festive season, no coconut concoctions. The news sent Britons fleeing to either side of their fences, with broad but unclear debates breaking out.
Usually, the bathtub mini chocolates will be eaten in order of preference: Twix and Maltesers are safe bets to go fast. The Milky Way, the Snickers, and the Galaxy might be going, and someone might want the Mars bar.
But the Bounty bar is often unwelcome, also full of sweets, a sad leftover.
“I noticed most people leave Bountys” in the Celebrations baths, said Kadir Hussen, 37, as he was walking in South London on Thursday.
If a reporter offered him a free full-size bar after the interview, would he want one?
“No,” he said immediately.
It’s certainly a trifle to argue about, as are most interesting things to argue about. Like arguing about pineapple on pizza or whether jam or cream go first on the scones, the stakes in real life are as low as they get. But it is a much finer thing to argue than political, and there is no shortage of opportunities to do so elsewhere.
(Imports aside, Bounty is no longer sold in the United States. Americans might compare it to Mounds, a similar chocolate and coconut candy made by Hershey. does not rank among American favorites. But be aware that many Britons will object to any comparison to state chocolate, which is almost unanimously considered very low.)
Mars Wrigley says the coconut-free tub will be available for a limited time at 40 Tesco grocery stores, so most shoppers will continue to receive Bountys. The company relied on parts, saying in a statement that 39% of Britons in a survey of 2,000 people said they wanted Bountys to be scrapped. (No methodology for the survey was given, so it’s unclear how scientific the results are.)
Last year, the company made a similar attemptallows people to exchange their unwanted Bountys for the more popular Maltesers in some locations.
Annoying for Bountys works well for those on the other side of the fence. Outside a Tesco in South London, Jennifer Garcia, 50, said she enjoys that other people don’t like them, leaving more to her.
“I’m the lucky one, because people like to drop it,” she said. “I’m the one they always pass the Bounty to.”
Penny Averill, 70, said Bounty had “very, very poor quality chocolate” and was “too sweet”. But it takes her back to her days as a schoolgirl, when she bit off the chocolate, leaving the coconut – the tastiest bit, in her opinion – until the end.
“For me, with food, having joy is good food, and the joy of memory,” she said. “And for me, Bounty is the joy of memory.”
