M&S is launching its own ‘Dubai-style’ chocolate – and the new treat is a variation of its Big Daddy bar that was hugely popular with shoppers last year.
The chocolate first gained notoriety in 2024 when Dubai-based chocolatier Sarah Hamouda, inspired by her pregnancy cravings, began inventing filled chocolate bars to satisfy her sweet tooth.
It is made from milk chocolate filled with a sweet cream, made from tahini paste, finely chopped kadayif (a pastry made from shredded filo dough) and the key ingredient – pistachios.
Hamouda launched her brand Fix Dessert Chocolatier in 2021, later inventing the pistachio cream and filo-pastry filled pudding which went on to land global acclaim after TikTok Maria Vehera posted a video sampling the treat in all its crunchy glory.
Vehera’s original video triggered a global obsession, as thousands began posting ASMR videos sinking their teeth into the thick chocolate bars, leaving a flurry of salivating foodies desperate to sample it for themselves.
On TikTok alone, billions have searched for the cocoa treat with hundreds sharing recipes and offering their thoughts on the viral bar.
And brands from across the globe have leapt on the trend, with the likes of Nestle, Lidl and Lindt having rushed to made their own versions.
And now M&S is about to launch its new bar, a twist on its popular Big Daddy bar, which was hugely popular with shoppers last year. It is an addition to the range, and is not replacing the original. The new bar is called the Big Daddy Pistachio.
M&S is launching its highly-anticipated Big Daddy Pistachio bar in its Foodhalls across the UK on April 23
Like the original Big Daddy bar, the new version features milk chocolate, sweet and salty caramel, and biscuit crumb.
The Big Daddy Bar is described by the retailer as a ‘chunky chocolate bar [that] combines creamy milk and rich dark chocolate with a satisfying centre of peanut butter and roasted peanut pieces, capped with a layer of soft caramel’.
But in a twist, the new bar features a pistachio layer, which boasts pistachio crème, roasted pistachios, and white chocolate.
Describing the bar on its website, M&S said: ‘The wait is over. Introducing our viral Big Daddy bar, now in an irresistible pistachio flavour. Featuring our signature rich, creamy milk chocolate layered with gooey sweet and salty caramel, now filled with a chunky pistachio layer with roasted pistachios, velvety pistachio crème, and a light, crunchy biscuit crumb.
‘After our Big Daddy Bar was named the UK’s answer to Dubai chocolate last summer, everyone’s going to be talking about this epic upgraded version. Get your hands on one in store from 23 April.’
According to the upmarket retailer, its anticipated Big Daddy Pistachio bar took nine months ‘to ensure absolute perfection’.
Kathryn Turner, M&S director of product development, 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!’
Earlier this month, it was reported that British shoppers had gone into a frenzy over the launch of Dubai chocolate at UK supermarkets, with some queuing up to get their hands on the sweet treat.
The retailer spent nine months developing the bar, saying it took so long so they could ensure it was ‘absolute perfection’
Supermarkets reported seeing a rush on Brits trying to get their hands on the bar, with some even limiting customers to only buying two bars each.
Bingbing, an influencer from London, revealed she headed to her local Lidl at 7.30am on a Saturday morning, to discover a queue outside.
Once inside, she said she couldn’t find the chocolate, and had to ask for it from a worker who kept it behind the till.
‘I can’t believe we woke up at 7:30 on a Saturday to queue, but it seems like other people had the same idea,’ she explained.
‘We arrived around 7.55 and there were about 30 people outside already for the 8am opening.’
Waitrose added the popular Lindt Dubai Style Chocolate to selected stores in March, and started limiting the amount of bars every customer could buy.
M&S has created a new version of its original Big Daddy bar (pictured) however, the new product will not replace the original, it is an addition to the range
The chocolate became the store’s fastest-selling confectionery product.
Speaking at the end of March, a spokesman for Waitrose told The Grocer that the limit was introduced to regulate stock levels of the £10 bars.
A representative said: ‘Due to the incredible popularity of this product, we want to make sure that as many customers as possible have the opportunity to try it.’
The flavour has proven popular with chocolate lovers in the UK after videos were share of it on TikTok, with stores such as Lidl and Morrisons also selling the delicious treat.
M&S will launch its Big Daddy Pistachio bar in its Foodhalls from April 23. It will cost £8.50 for a 280g bar.
