The chocolate orange is not what it was, says Anthony Terry, 60, great-great-great-grandson of the founder of Terry’s of York. “Terry’s used to have their own cocoa plantation in Venezuela before the war. Terry’s was renowned for finding the best cocoa beans.”
The company had a series of different owners and was taken over by Kraft in 1993.
Mr Terry said the 175g orange of today also seems smaller than it used to. “I think originally it was about 7oz (198g); that goes back to the 1930s. The moulds have changed over the years and one suspects if there’s the opportunity to make another mould it’s the sort of thing you might expect them [the manufacturers] to do — cut the size down a bit.”
Terry’s used to produce a large range of confectionery, from sugared almonds to the Terry’s wafer, but over the years all but two of the original products have been cut.
David Meek, 69, who worked for Terry’s as an electrician for 30 years, said: “Terry’s used to make a lot of lines that didn’t sell a vast amount,” he said. “But they were known for that sort of thing. If you go to a supermarket all you will see is Terry’s All Gold and Chocolate Orange. I don’t buy Terry’s any more.”
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Mr Terry said that, while much of the deterioration at Terry’s happened before Kraft took over, Cadbury-lovers could expect to see changes to some of their favourite products. “I think some of the Cadbury’s assortments will be looked at with a fine-tooth comb,” he said. “Things like Milk Tray, the Bournville selection — they will look very closely at the ingredients.”