I tried supermarket pistachio treats inspired by Dubai chocolate – and prices start from just £2.20
DUBAI chocolate is the sweet sensation that has taken the internet by storm.
It's racked up more than 120 million views on TikTok and sparked a craving for pistachios, even contributing to international nut shortages. Yes, really.
13
The original Dubai chocolate bar was made by luxury confectionery brand, Fix Dessert Chocolatier, in the UAE.
The treat is a nod to the traditional Knafeh dessert, which is made with spun pastry dough, layered with cheese, soaked in a sweet, sugar-based syrup and finished with a sprinkling of pistachios.
The chocolate bars are filled with pistachio creme, crispy Kadayif and a hint of tahini.
But the trend has sparked demand for all sorts of pistachio treats, including an M&S 'The Big Daddy Pistachio' bar, which also went viral.
Are these nutty treats worth your cash? LYNSEY HOPE investigates:
Lidl Deluxe Milk Chocolate Pistachios
£2.99, in Lidl stores
Lynsey says: "Small and incredibly more-ish. I opened the bag intending to try just one, but before I knew it, I'd scoffed a handful.
"These pistachios are small but tasty, with a delicious after taste, and they are generously coated in milk chocolate.
"The chocolate itself had a lovely shine and a delicate, creamy flavour. There was just the right amount of crunch in every one and no Dubai chocolate price tag. Loved 'em."
Crosta and Mollica Pistachio and Almond Tartufi Gelato
£4, ocado.com
Lynsey says: "Delicious gelato truffle ice creams with pistachio gelato is in the centre.
"That is surrounded by a layer of creamy almond gelato, and the whole thing is rolled in a pistachio crumb which I couldn't get enough of.
"The ice cream was rich with a deep, delicious flavour and a lovely creamy texture.
"As a whole, I thought the pudding was a little dry but I served to some guests who couldn't get enough. Everyone was asking where I got them from."
Ritter Sport Pistachio
Lynsey says: "Lovely chocolate flavour but the pieces of nut were too small. They could have been any nut and you couldn't easily tell they were pistachios.
"It's a smallish bar, 100g, so quite pricey especially when you consider you can get a 110g bar of Cadbury Dairy Milk Wholenut for just a £1."
Hotel Chocolat Pistachio and Honey Chocolate Slab
£5.45, hotelchocolat.com
Lynsey says: "I worried the honey would be overpowering in this little chocolate bar, but the flavour combination works together perfectly. To call it a slab is a bit of a push, it is very small.
"That said it is well laden with pistachios which had a delicate flavour and a lovely crunch. I enjoyed it - I just wouldn't pay nearly £6 for it too often. It would make a pretty gift."
M&S The Big Daddy Pistachio
£8.50, ocado.com
Lynsey says: "This is one chunky bar, weighing in at 280g, so there is plenty to go around if you can get your hands on one.
"I thought I'd struggle to snap it in half but it broke easily, revealing the pistachio and white chocolate cream centre and a generous layer of thick caramel oozing from the inside.
"The caramel took centre stage, it was sticky and chewy with a lovely hint of vanilla. It did make the bar as a whole quite sickly, you only need a few bites.
"the pistachio cream is smooth and nutty with a hint of white chocolate. Scattered pistachio chunks add a pleasant, salty crunch and help balance the sweetness. It's intensely sugary - but I loved it."
Monty Bojangles Pistachio Marooned Cocoa Dusted Truffles
£8.69, amazon.co.uk
Lynsey says: "Lovely truffles with a perfectly creamy texture and delicate taste.
"I loved the delightful crunch you got from the macaroon pieces scattered in them and the pistachio cream itself was soft and smooth with a perfect nutty flavour. Rich.
"You certainly don't many of them to get your pistachio fix."
Lindt Lindor Pistachio
£7.50, sainsburys.co.uk
Lynsey says: "Melt in the mouth balls of pistachio deliciousness. I actually preferred these to the standard Lindor chocolates as they were less sickly. Smooth, indulgent with a delicate nutty taste.
"The filling was delicate and nutty, not too strong. A winning flavour."
Maison Colibri La Madeleine Pistache
£5, ocado.com
Lynsey says: "Love madeleines but it was the almond flavour that really came through here, not pistachio. In fact, there is only five per cent pistachio in the ingredients.
"The sponge was beautifully baked and delicate. Tasty but expensive and if its pistachios you're after - these might not be the treat for you."
Ombar Centres Pistachio
£3, tesco.com
Lynsey says: "A lovely, 60 per cent cocoa dark chocolate bar filled with a delicate and nutty pistachio cream centre.
"The flavour was quite intense, but in a good way, and this bar wasn't sickly sweet like many of the other options on offer.
"It's worth noting that this Fairtrade bar doesn't contain any refined sugar. It's also dairy and gluten free and suitable for vegans.
Waitrose No 1 Milk Chocolate with Hazelnut, Caramelised Cashew and Pistachio Nuts
Lynsey says: "Not a ton of pistachios in this bar, they were lost amongst the hazelnuts and caramelised cashews.
"That didn't stop me enjoying it though. The milk chocolate was delicate and smooth and it was well laden with all the nuts, which I enjoyed. Not too sweet. This is a winning recipe."
Farhi Dubai Chocolate Truffles
£20, farhi.co.uk
Lynsey says: "These truffles are designed to taste just like the viral Dubai chocolate - but in truffles instead of a bar.
"Encased in velvety chocolate, each truffle brings together the delicate flavours of traditional pistachio Knafeh, a beloved Middle Eastern dessert.
"The soft, melt-in-your-mouth centre is inspired by the sweet, aromatic essence of Knafeh, balanced with the nutty, slightly salty taste of roasted pistachios, all wrapped in a smooth chocolate shell.
"They are rich with a beautiful flavour and texture. Pricey, but a lovely gift for pistachio or Dubai chocolate lovers."
Hackney Gelato Pistachio
Lynsey says: "Quite a subtle pistachio flavour but a lovely smooth and creamy texture. It isn't overly sweet and there's a hint of sea salt in every bite.
"It's not cheap, costing nearly £6 for a 420ml tub (which is no way enough!) But it taste like a quality product and it's quite a nice way of eating pistachios without having to shell them first."
How to save money on chocolate
We all love a bit of chocolate from now and then, but you don't have to break the bank buying your favourite bar.
Consumer reporter Sam Walker reveals how to cut costs...
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.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Telegraph
Dawn French's moronic outburst on Israel spells the death of celebrity virtue-signalling
There's no denying that Dawn French's video about Israel was mind-bogglingly crass. In particular the bit when she put on a silly, babyish voice and referred to the October 7 massacre as 'a bad fing'. Even so, let's not be too hard on her. In time, I believe, we may end up owing her our deepest gratitude. Because, thanks to the sheer, blistering ferocity of the backlash she's received, other mush-brained luvvies may finally take the hint – and stop inflicting their witless political views on the rest of us. To be clear: I'm not suggesting that these people deserve to be cancelled for their opinions. Cancel culture is a blight on our age, and famous actors have got just as much right to free speech as anyone else. The problem is that, all too often, what they say is so cluelessly conformist. It's obvious that they're only passing comment because they think trotting out the fashionable line on a given topic – Israel, gender identity, net zero or whatever – will make them look good. With any luck, therefore, Ms French's experience will deter them from expressing a view on such issues until they've bothered to give them some actual thought. And if that sounds too much like hard work, and they'd prefer not to say anything, that's absolutely fine. Why on earth should we expect actors to have intelligent opinions on current affairs, anyway? Their day job is to recite words that have been written for them by other, much smarter people. It doesn't require them to think. So you might as well seek geopolitical analysis from a performing seal, or a parrot. Ms French, however, seems to have believed she had some kind of duty to air her criticisms of Israel's military strategy. In a subsequent statement apologising for her 'tone', she wrote: 'I have felt my silence is complicit or even somehow sanctioning.' Allow me to put her mind at ease. Dear Ms French, I promise you: your previous 'silence' was not responsible for a single death in the Middle East. Even if you'd published your video months ago, Benjamin Netanyahu would not have said, 'Stand down, everyone – I'm ordering an immediate ceasefire. Look, I know we want to defeat Hamas and save the hostages. But, as a nation, we simply can't afford to incur the wrath of that woman from The Vicar of Dibley.' So please, dear Dawn, try not to feel guilty. In fact, be proud. Because if your calamitous own goal does indeed prompt other celebrities to abandon their narcissistic virtue-signalling, it will be the greatest contribution to human happiness you'll ever make.
Scottish Sun
3 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
M&S shoppers race to buy £3.50 margarita in a can that's has a new and improved feature that fans are going wild for
Read on for more summer cocktails launching in M&S DRINK UP M&S shoppers race to buy £3.50 margarita in a can that's has a new and improved feature that fans are going wild for WITH summer now here, we're all dreaming of relaxing in the park or the garden with a cheeky drink in hand. And shoppers are going wild for the latest collection of tinned cocktails from Marks & Spencer. Advertisement 3 M&S fans are stocking up on their new cocktail collection Credit: 3 The new margarita has fans going wild Credit: 3 There are some more experimental drinks on offer to Credit: The new collection of goodies has launched in store and there's something for everyone. The M&S store in Heswall shared the summer drinks on TikTok writing: "Look like summer." The original collection includes favourites such as mojitos, pina coladas and cosmos, but they've gone more experimental this time. M&S has some fan favourites up for grabs this summer, like Apertivio Spritz, which is made from bitter orange flavours and sparkling white wine. Advertisement There's also a mint and elderflower Hugo Spritz and a Limoncello Spritz. Also up for grabs is an exotic Sake Spritz, made with a blend of the Japanese liquor in a tropical lyche flavour. But there's one cocktail that has everyone excited to try. Included in the new range of drinks is a margarita made with blanco tequila, zestty limes and sweet agave syrup. Advertisement While M&S has released the iconic cocktail before, in the past it has been a fizzy version. But now shoppers are thrilled to see it come without the fizz and it costs just £3.50. The £3.50 M&S buy that'll make your whole house smell like a 'boujee candle' The TikTok video was a hit with viewers who couldn't hide their excitement over the new collection. One person wrote: "Hope this means M&S are finally selling a proper margarita that's not fizzy!" which the store liked, hinting it was. Advertisement Another commented: 'Those little 14% ones are chef's kiss." "M&S STAYS WINNING," penned a third. NHS guidelines on drinking alcohol According to the NHS, regularly drinking more than 14 units of alcohol a week risks damaging your health. To keep health risks from alcohol to a low level if you drink most weeks: men and women are advised not to drink more than 14 units a week on a regular basis spread your drinking over 3 or more days if you regularly drink as much as 14 units a week if you want to cut down, try to have several drink-free days each week If you're pregnant or think you could become pregnant, the safest approach is not to drink alcohol at all to keep risks to your baby to a minimum. You read more on the NHS website. Meanwhile a fourth said: "Omg the Hugo." "Heaven,' claimed a fifth. Advertisement Someone else added: 'Yumm." Fabulous will pay for your exclusive stories. Just email: fabulousdigital@ and pop EXCLUSIVE in the subject line.
The Sun
3 hours ago
- The Sun
M&S shoppers race to buy £3.50 margarita in a can that's has a new and improved feature that fans are going wild for
WITH summer now here, we're all dreaming of relaxing in the park or the garden with a cheeky drink in hand. And shoppers are going wild for the latest collection of tinned cocktails from Marks & Spencer. 3 3 3 The new collection of goodies has launched in store and there's something for everyone. The M&S store in Heswall shared the summer drinks on TikTok writing: "Look like summer." The original collection includes favourites such as mojitos, pina coladas and cosmos, but they've gone more experimental this time. M&S has some fan favourites up for grabs this summer, like Apertivio Spritz, which is made from bitter orange flavours and sparkling white wine. There's also a mint and elderflower Hugo Spritz and a Limoncello Spritz. Also up for grabs is an exotic Sake Spritz, made with a blend of the Japanese liquor in a tropical lyche flavour. But there's one cocktail that has everyone excited to try. Included in the new range of drinks is a margarita made with blanco tequila, zestty limes and sweet agave syrup. While M&S has released the iconic cocktail before, in the past it has been a fizzy version. But now shoppers are thrilled to see it come without the fizz and it costs just £3.50. The £3.50 M&S buy that'll make your whole house smell like a 'boujee candle' The TikTok video was a hit with viewers who couldn't hide their excitement over the new collection. One person wrote: "Hope this means M&S are finally selling a proper margarita that's not fizzy!" which the store liked, hinting it was. Another commented: 'Those little 14% ones are chef's kiss." "M&S STAYS WINNING," penned a third. Meanwhile a fourth said: "Omg the Hugo." "Heaven,' claimed a fifth.
