Latest news with #MarsBar
Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Daily Mirror
Tiny Scottish town that's home to two of the UK's best fish and chip shops
Stonehaven, on the Aberdeenshire coast, has a population of 11,000 but boasts four chippies, two of which have been named among the best in the UK by a prestigious industry body For lovers of fish and chips in Scotland, Stonehaven on the stunning Aberdeenshire coast is the ultimate destination. This town, known as the birthplace of the legendary battered Mars Bar, has secured its place in British culinary history. Despite its modest population of just over 11,000, Stonehaven boasts four chip shops catering to locals, tourists, and day-trippers alike. Impressively, two of these were named among the UK's top 40 by the National Federation of Fish Friers, as reported by the Scottish Daily Express. Redcloak Fish Bar and Carron Fish Bar both earned spots on the list, with customers praising the quality of their fare. Redcloak, nestled away from the famous harbour, is famed for its particularly tasty fish, while the Carron claims to be the birthplace of the legendary deep-fried Mars bar, although it was known as Haven Chip Bar at the time, according to the Daily Record. Google reviews suggest that the Carron shares the top spot in the town with Bay Fish and Chips, a firm local favourite that has collected more than 90 awards over the years. However, it is John Davie, the owner of the Carron, who is credited with first frying a Mars Bar there in 1992, reports the Express. Even Meyden, the lesser-known chippie, boasts an impressive 4.2-star rating with numerous glowing five-star reviews. Aberdeenshire is a haven for chip shops, boasting six of Scotland's top ten establishments as ranked by the National Federation, all nestled in or near Aberdeen. Stonehaven isn't just famed for its excellent fish and chips. Its beach, a blend of sand and pebble, was honoured with a Keep Scotland Beautiful award earlier this year for its cleanliness, facilities, and accessibility. The lively harbour invites visitors to enjoy a leisurely stroll to burn off those extra calories, while the Stonehaven Tolbooth Museum on the waterfront provides a glimpse into the town's history. Just a stone's throw away, the dramatic ruins of Dunnotter Castle perch atop a 160-foot rock, creating one of Scotland's most iconic views. The cliffs surrounding Stonehaven are home to tens of thousands of seabirds, and the town becomes a hive of activity during the famous Stonehaven Fireballs event, which rings in the New Year with a fiery spectacle. Located about 15 miles south of Aberdeen, Stonehaven can be reached by car from Glasgow or Edinburgh in roughly two and a half hours. In other news, Scotland's favourite fish and chip shop was recently revealed in the eagerly awaited Deliveroo Restaurant Awards. Sea Salt and Sole, with four outlets across Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire, in Dyce, Bridge of Don, Cove, and Ellon, scooped the title of Best Fish and Chips in Scotland 2025. Famed for its use of fresh, locally caught fish and ingredients sourced from the surrounding area, Sea Salt and Sole has become a favourite among food enthusiasts thanks to its signature double-cooked chips that perfectly complement a variety of dishes. The menu is seasonally adjusted, with careful consideration given to every detail, from the type of potatoes used to the precise frying temperatures.
Belfast Telegraph
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Belfast Telegraph
In a place where children sit transfer tests how come everyone needs to be a winner on school sports day?
A summer of World Cup football was to follow, Gerry Armstrong's goal against hosts Spain and all that when yer man got the ball. Sadly I had arrived home on Friday, June 25, from an end-of-primary-school week-long trip to the Isle of Man and fell asleep on the sofa at half-time, missing one of NI's greatest sporting moments. The previous week had been spent sneaking out of the tent 'complaining' of a sore head to sneak peeks at matches in the teacher's centre where they were all crowded around the only TV. And as the wonderful sporting moment rolled in, I enjoyed one of my own, claiming the sweetest Mars Bar of my life when I won the class long distance race (twice around the football pitch was a long way for the second smallest boy in the year) during school sports day. No Mars Bar has ever matched that slightly melted one. I can still remember licking the remains off my fingers, savouring the moment that taught me if I put the effort in, there would be a reward in the end. I was also in the piggy back race that year. As one of the smallest, I was paired with one of the biggest boys, a seemingly fool-proof route to another victory. No one told us it would be a 'two-way' race. I had to carry him for the second leg and hopes of another Mars Bar melted in a heap of laughter as he could almost run when he was on my back with feet dragging on the ground before the inevitable collapse. There was the other side of the story. The taking part despite having no chance of winning. No one cried because they didn't 'win'. Unclaimed chocolate bar prizes were shared out once the final race was run. I was struck a few weeks ago watching a video of a school sports day on social media — a mum's race across a bumpy grass pitch, with one mum destroying the field of competitors. It helped that she was Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, three times an Olympic gold medallist track and field sprinter. Aged 38, she's still the third fastest female sprinter on the planet. The other mums had barely left the line as she finished, still pushing herself to be the best she can be. It was a lesson for all those watching, too. No matter what stage you are in life, giving your all to be the best you can be, whether you win or not, is a success in its own right. 'I only want to finish when I cross the line knowing I have given it everything,' the Jamaican said after the sports day event. Strange, then, that so many schools have now made sports days 'non competitive'. No need to push yourself to be better. It's the taking part that counts and that, it's believed, is reward in itself. My daughter excelled in sports day through primary school. Imagine the horror when, in her final year, she learned there would be a 'non-competitive' event. In truth, she was left wondering why she had bothered. And by post-primary school, her enthusiasm had all but disappeared after children were split into groups to perform various sporting activities. A day off work to watch children run around in a field. And the point of the 'exercise' was to 'take part' and feel 'included'. Strange, too, that these same schools take so much pride in pushing children in other ways. No A grade at GCSE has ever been awarded for making a few marks on a page to confirm 'I was there'. Are children really so delicate these days that they can't be seen to come second in an egg and spoon race, while we still run transfer tests dividing success and failure? Since when, in the wider world, has a job interview been successful for turning up and smiling sweetly despite not being equipped to do the job as required? There's no protection from that disappointment. Being successful in life can be shaped by how we deal with our disappointments as well as how we handle our successes. If they do believe that 'taking part' is all that's required, will they ever learn to push themselves to be better people in the future? Frank Dick was the head of athletics coaching for Great Britain in the 1980s, working and inspiring the likes of Sebastian Coe and Steve Ovett to Olympic glory. But much of his early work was further down the pecking order. 'I was Scottish national coach,' he recalled in a famous interview on what it means to be a winner, one that's well worth a watch. 'I went round the tracks, working with other coaches, and at one of the tracks a little girl comes up to me, nine years old, shouting Mr Dick, Mr Dick? With a name like mine, you never know what's coming, but she asks me if I would work with her. She wanted to run the 100 metres. I worked with her for a few weeks and she goes to her first race. She lines up with seven other kids. Bang, runs down the track, hurls herself at the line. Eighth out of eight in 18 seconds. She comes back upset, 'Mr Dick, I was last'. I said no, you were 18 seconds. 'You've smashed the 20-second barrier and I had you down for 19 seconds. You're a whole second fast than that. This means it's your lifetime best performance. Your own personal world record. In a few weeks time, she'll have another race. What does she think winning is now? If she does 17.9, she'll grab a flag and run round the track, because that's what winning is. It's being better today than you were yesterday, but we've killed our definition of a winner. 'The reason you go into tough arenas in life is to be challenged to perform better. You do not learn to climb mountains in life by going around them or asking someone for a ladder. You learn to climb mountains by climbing mountains.' Defaulting to the lowest common denominator so everyone feels 'included' means only those who want to try to win leave sports day disappointed. It is, in the end, not just about the winning, nor should it be simply about the taking part. A reward for taking part does nothing to provide an incentive to improve. Some parts of education seem to have lost sight of what they're there to do. Surely it's better to bring up children to be the best they can be in whatever they choose to do, rather than emerge from their cotton wool wrapping as a snowflake to melt away like that Mars Bar left out on a sunny summer day sports day in 1982 when life turns out to be a hotter competition than they might have imagined.
San Francisco Chronicle
12-05-2025
- Business
- San Francisco Chronicle
First wave of fixes to S.F. permitting red tape would help bars and nightclubs
Mayor Daniel Lurie floated the first reforms in his promised overhaul of San Francisco's famously convoluted permitting process on Monday, proposing to cut red tape for bar and nightclub owners looking to extend hours or offer live music. Speaking at the annual Nightlife and Entertainment Summit, Lurie told a room full of nightclub owners and impresarios that the reforms would make 'permitting faster, more predictable and more transparent.' Lurie said he plans to introduce legislation next week that would eliminate the need for Planning Department approvals for two types of permits: limited live performance and fixed-place amplified sound. About 60 of these types of permits were sent to the Planning Department during the last fiscal year, which cost about $12,000. In addition, businesses will no longer need the Department of Building Inspection approval for permits for entertainment and extended hours. The changes will shave 30 days from the approval process. 'You are the visionaries and operators who help this city shine after dark,' said Lurie. 'Our job at City Hall and in government is to create the conditions for your success. We want people off the couches, and I want them in your bars and on your dance floors.' The modest changes are the start of an initiative Lurie is calling PermitSF, which the mayor has promised will speed up approval for housing and small businesses and improve permit tracking technology. Lurie also vowed to implement a 'shot clock' that would limit the amount of time that the city can review permits, potentially ending instances where applications languish for months or years. 'We are going to be cutting red tape by ensuring that entertainment permits only go to the departments that actually need to review them,' said Lurie. 'That means no unnecessary reviews from planning or building inspection when they are not relevant.' In mid-February, Lurie said the reforms would be introduced within 100 days. While the streamlining would only cut a few of the dozens of bureaucratic sign-offs bar and nightclub owners have to deal with, business owners at the entertainment summit applauded the proposed changes. David Kiely, who owns Mars Bar in SoMa, said making it easier and faster to obtain permits 'is tantamount to our economic survival.' He said Mars Bar is currently trying to extend its hours and get special entertainment permits. 'It's what we need,' said Kiely. 'Anything we can do that is going to draw people to come in and have events is only going to help us.' Entertainment Commission President Ben Bleiman said at the summit that the city's permitting process for bars and nightclubs is 'a hodgepodge of rules overlapped on one another.' The regulations change from neighborhood to neighborhood, often driven by complaints from residents. 'There was no vision or forward thinking on how these things were put together,' he said. 'These things are extremely frustrating for us and more importantly, frustrating for our faith in our government. If we don't believe our government works, everything falls apart.'
Scottish Sun
02-05-2025
- Business
- Scottish Sun
The reason your favourite snacks get discontinued REVEALED according to insiders from Mars and Walkers
EVERYONE has a discontinued snack that they wish would be brought back. But how do snack giants like Mars and Walkers decide which ones should axed and when to bring them back? We spoke to insiders from both firms to find out. 4 Mars first made its iconic Mars Bar back in 1932 and it's still on shelves today - but other favourites haven't stood the test of time Credit: Reuters 4 Walkers has kept its iconic flavours like Salt and Vinegar, Cheese and Onion and Prawn Cocktail around for decades Credit: Getty 4 Lizzy Dinsdale is a chocolate scientist at Mars Wrigley and she's often juggling multiple projects in different stages of development Credit: Mars Wrigley 4 Steph Herbert, head of marketing at Walkers, says the brand often needs to swap out flavours for new one Credit: Walkers Steph Herbert, head of marketing at Walkers, says a lot of products get discontinued due to limited shelf space in supermarkets. "The reality is that within shops and the customers that we work with, they only hold a certain number of products on their shelves at any one time," she said. That means that when a new flavour is brought in, often something else might have to go. "We know that our fans' taste buds are always evolving, so we opt to make changes to our line-up and we'll maybe swap one flavour in for another flavour," she said. The taste experts at big brands will always be looking at what trends are emerging and what customers might want, and they'll ask supermarkets for their recommendations too. Lizzy Dinsdale, pricipal chocolate scientist at Mars, is responsible for looking at flavour trends across the world and coming up with new chocolates for the likes of M&M's, Mars and Galaxy. Mars launches new M&M treat in UK after popular product flew off the shelves in the US - and shoppers are thrilled She says that not only do brands look at what's popular right now but they'll also be trying to predict what customers will want to eat in five and even 10 years' time. Still, there's some products that have always stood the test of time. The iconic Mars Bar was first made in 1932 - and to this day it's still produced in the same factory in Slough. Now three million of the caramel and nougat-filled bars are made every day. Meanwhile Walkers first brought in its Cheese and Onion flavour back in the 1950s, and Prawn Cocktail first hit shelves in the 70s. Top discontinued products Here are our top discontinued snacks - including picks from our team... Fabulous Bakin' Boys Cupcakes Consumer reporter Emily Mee says: "It was always a good day when I spotted these in my lunch box at school. Putting a layer of chocolate on top of a vanilla cupcake is a simple idea but a genius one. I would pay good money to try these again..." Ready Salted Chipsticks Head of Consumer Tara Evans says: "Ready Salted Chipsticks. Why did they get rid of this classic flavour? Some people think ready salted is boring - but why mess with a classic? I often feel taunted when I see the salt and vinegar version in shops." Coco Pops Rocks Consumer news editor Ellie Smitherman says: "No idea whose bright idea it was to get rid of these, but it was possibly one of the worst moves in cereal history. Coco Pops Straws, too! If I had known the last time I'd have one would be the last time, I'd have savoured it far more." Tooti Frooties Senior consumer reporter James Flanders says: "Tooty Frooties were a chewy blast of childhood joy. Scrapped after 50 years, they were Britain's alternative to Skittles - and in an age obsessed with nostalgia, bringing them back just makes sense. Lots of dupes can be picked up at budget supermarkets but they just don't taste the same." White Maltesers While the milk chocolate version is still going strong, White Chocolate Maltesers were pulled from shelves in 2014. Mars said it was a "difficult decision" at the time, and fans still post comments on its social media pages calling for it to come back. Heinz Toast Toppers Out of all the discontinued products, this is one of the ones we see the most calls for to come back. The creamy cans came in a variety of flavours like chicken and mushroom or cheese and ham. They were binned in 2015 after delighting shoppers for decades. Cadbury Spira Another of the regular calls we see is for the Cadbury Spira to return. The chocolate featured twin bars in each pack which were formed into a spiral shape, with six hollow tubes running through each one. Bringing it back Every now and then, the powers that be decide to bring back discontinued favourites - and they're often a hit with shoppers. You may remember that Mars brought back its cult favourite Crispy Rolls this year, after they had disappeared from shelves in 2022. They were initially brought back to supermarkets for a week in February, before later being quietly added to Morrisons' meal deal offering. Mars said at the time it wanted to tap into the growing demand for nostalgic products. Chocolate scientist Lizzy revealed this came after an online petition to bring the product back hit over 8,000 signatures. "I think that's the most demand for a product I've seen in a while!" she said. For Walkers, their most popular recent relaunch has been the iconic Worcester Sauce crisp. The flavour had been discontinued in 2023 - much to the disappointment of fans who said the brand had made a "grave error". Steph admitted crisp fans "feel very attached to Worcester Sauce" and the flavour has a "real loyal fan base". That's why this year the flavour landed back on shelves - this time as part of a collaboration with Lea & Perrins Worcester Sauce. Can YOU help bring back a much-loved product? So do shoppers have any power to help bring back a product? Lizzy says: "At Mars, bringing back an old favourite is all about listening to our consumers. "When we see a clear desire from people for a certain product to return, whether on social media or via a petition, we take note. "We get hundreds of requests from customers asking us to bring back their favourite products, and listening to consumer feedback is key for us." The company has a dedicated social media team who keep on top of what people are saying online. They'll scan social media posts, comments on the brand's social media, and even petitions. Lizzy says she can't give away what she's currently working on, but "a personal dream would be for the Galaxy Truffle from Celebrations to make a return". Meanwhile, Steph says Walkers is contacted "more than you'd probably think" about bringing back old flavours, and every comment from fans gets read by the team. "In the last two years, we've had requests to bring back over 60 different types of flavours of Walkers," she says. If you're wanting your favourite flavour back, she says your best bet is to contact the Walkers customer service team or comment on its social media posts. Decisions will usually be based around how much demand there is for a product to come back, but Steph says another factor at play is what trends there are generally. Explaining why Worcester Sauce was brought back - along with the Heinz Tomato Ketchup flavour - she said: "So with those flavours in particular, we saw based on our market data that condiment flavours were growing in popularity. "And then coupled with that, they were our top most requested flavours that were reported back to us by consumer services so it was a no-brainer to bring them back into the range." She said there's no plans currently to bring back any other discontinued flavours but "never say never". The science behind new flavours You might like to think of product developers testing out random flavours until something works, but in reality the ideas stage is much more data-driven. Lizzy explains that Mars has product development, sensory and human intelligence experts who are constantly keeping an eye on new trends. "We focus on taste as the number one priority, but we also keep an eye out and respond to trends like healthier snacks with lower sugar, nutritional benefits, and natural ingredients," she says. She's often developing recipes and testing them out, juggling about five different projects at any one time. There is no guarantee any of these will end up landing on supermarket shelves, but one of her most recent creations that has reached shoppers is the Maltesers Bunnies Popcorn flavour. "People love indulgence and nostalgic treats that bring joy and memories, but we know that innovation and new flavour combinations continue to interest people," she said. Walkers is also looking at what's trending and what types of flavours are selling. It groups its flavours into "flavour buckets" like spicy, meaty and cheesy, and if it sees a particular flavour bucket doing well then it might focus more on that type of product.
The Sun
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
The reason your favourite snacks get discontinued REVEALED according to insiders from Mars and Walkers
EVERYONE has a discontinued snack that they wish would be brought back. But how do snack giants like Mars and Walkers decide which ones should axed and when to bring them back? We spoke to insiders from both firms to find out. 4 4 4 4 Steph Herbert, head of marketing at Walkers, says a lot of products get discontinued due to limited shelf space in supermarkets. "The reality is that within shops and the customers that we work with, they only hold a certain number of products on their shelves at any one time," she said. That means that when a new flavour is brought in, often something else might have to go. "We know that our fans' taste buds are always evolving, so we opt to make changes to our line-up and we'll maybe swap one flavour in for another flavour," she said. The taste experts at big brands will always be looking at what trends are emerging and what customers might want, and they'll ask supermarkets for their recommendations too. Lizzy Dinsdale, pricipal chocolate scientist at Mars, is responsible for looking at flavour trends across the world and coming up with new chocolates for the likes of M&M's, Mars and Galaxy. She says that not only do brands look at what's popular right now but they'll also be trying to predict what customers will want to eat in five and even 10 years' time. Still, there's some products that have always stood the test of time. The iconic Mars Bar was first made in 1932 - and to this day it's still produced in the same factory in Slough. Now three million of the caramel and nougat-filled bars are made every day. Meanwhile Walkers first brought in its Cheese and Onion flavour back in the 1950s, and Prawn Cocktail first hit shelves in the 70s. Top discontinued products Here are our top discontinued snacks - including picks from our team... Fabulous Bakin' Boys Cupcakes Consumer reporter Emily Mee says: "It was always a good day when I spotted these in my lunch box at school. Putting a layer of chocolate on top of a vanilla cupcake is a simple idea but a genius one. I would pay good money to try these again..." Ready Salted Chipsticks Head of Consumer Tara Evans says: "Ready Salted Chipsticks. Why did they get rid of this classic flavour? Some people think ready salted is boring - but why mess with a classic? I often feel taunted when I see the salt and vinegar version in shops." Coco Pops Rocks Consumer news editor Ellie Smitherman says: "No idea whose bright idea it was to get rid of these, but it was possibly one of the worst moves in cereal history. Coco Pops Straws, too! If I had known the last time I'd have one would be the last time, I'd have savoured it far more." Tooti Frooties Senior consumer reporter James Flanders says: "Tooty Frooties were a chewy blast of childhood joy. Scrapped after 50 years, they were Britain's alternative to Skittles - and in an age obsessed with nostalgia, bringing them back just makes sense. Lots of dupes can be picked up at budget supermarkets but they just don't taste the same." White Maltesers While the milk chocolate version is still going strong, White Chocolate Maltesers were pulled from shelves in 2014. Mars said it was a "difficult decision" at the time, and fans still post comments on its social media pages calling for it to come back. Heinz Toast Toppers Out of all the discontinued products, this is one of the ones we see the most calls for to come back. The creamy cans came in a variety of flavours like chicken and mushroom or cheese and ham. They were binned in 2015 after delighting shoppers for decades. Cadbury Spira Another of the regular calls we see is for the Cadbury Spira to return. The chocolate featured twin bars in each pack which were formed into a spiral shape, with six hollow tubes running through each one. Bringing it back Every now and then, the powers that be decide to bring back discontinued favourites - and they're often a hit with shoppers. You may remember that Mars brought back its cult favourite Crispy Rolls this year, after they had disappeared from shelves in 2022. They were initially brought back to supermarkets for a week in February, before later being quietly added to Morrisons' meal deal offering. Mars said at the time it wanted to tap into the growing demand for nostalgic products. Chocolate scientist Lizzy revealed this came after an online petition to bring the product back hit over 8,000 signatures. "I think that's the most demand for a product I've seen in a while!" she said. For Walkers, their most popular recent relaunch has been the iconic Worcester Sauce crisp. The flavour had been discontinued in 2023 - much to the disappointment of fans who said the brand had made a "grave error". Steph admitted crisp fans "feel very attached to Worcester Sauce" and the flavour has a "real loyal fan base". That's why this year the flavour landed back on shelves - this time as part of a collaboration with Lea & Perrins Worcester Sauce. Can YOU help bring back a much-loved product? So do shoppers have any power to help bring back a product? Lizzy says: "At Mars, bringing back an old favourite is all about listening to our consumers. "When we see a clear desire from people for a certain product to return, whether on social media or via a petition, we take note. "We get hundreds of requests from customers asking us to bring back their favourite products, and listening to consumer feedback is key for us." The company has a dedicated social media team who keep on top of what people are saying online. They'll scan social media posts, comments on the brand's social media, and even petitions. Lizzy says she can't give away what she's currently working on, but "a personal dream would be for the Galaxy Truffle from Celebrations to make a return". Meanwhile, Steph says Walkers is contacted "more than you'd probably think" about bringing back old flavours, and every comment from fans gets read by the team. "In the last two years, we've had requests to bring back over 60 different types of flavours of Walkers," she says. If you're wanting your favourite flavour back, she says your best bet is to contact the Walkers customer service team or comment on its social media posts. Decisions will usually be based around how much demand there is for a product to come back, but Steph says another factor at play is what trends there are generally. Explaining why Worcester Sauce was brought back - along with the Heinz Tomato Ketchup flavour - she said: "So with those flavours in particular, we saw based on our market data that condiment flavours were growing in popularity. "And then coupled with that, they were our top most requested flavours that were reported back to us by consumer services so it was a no-brainer to bring them back into the range." She said there's no plans currently to bring back any other discontinued flavours but "never say never". The science behind new flavours You might like to think of product developers testing out random flavours until something works, but in reality the ideas stage is much more data-driven. Lizzy explains that Mars has product development, sensory and human intelligence experts who are constantly keeping an eye on new trends. "We focus on taste as the number one priority, but we also keep an eye out and respond to trends like healthier snacks with lower sugar, nutritional benefits, and natural ingredients," she says. She's often developing recipes and testing them out, juggling about five different projects at any one time. There is no guarantee any of these will end up landing on supermarket shelves, but one of her most recent creations that has reached shoppers is the Maltesers Bunnies Popcorn flavour. "People love indulgence and nostalgic treats that bring joy and memories, but we know that innovation and new flavour combinations continue to interest people," she said. Walkers is also looking at what's trending and what types of flavours are selling. It groups its flavours into "flavour buckets" like spicy, meaty and cheesy, and if it sees a particular flavour bucket doing well then it might focus more on that type of product.
