Goodbye Caramac - and 7 more long lost Rowntree's treats

Sweet-tooth fans expressed their dismay after food giant Nestlé confirmed that it was discontinuing the caramel-flavoured bar.

It will mark an end to more than 60 years of production of Caramac, which launched in the UK in 1959 but has recently suffered from declining sales.

The name is a combination of caramel and the name of its original manufacturers Mackintosh. It was produced in Norwich until 1996, when it moved to Nestlé’s Fawdon factory near Newcastle.

It is not a chocolate bar because it contains no cocoa. And with neither egg nor gelatine in the recipe it is is suitable for vegetarians, leading to some posts from fans on social media saying it is the only 'chocolate' bar they can eat.

The Caramac bar which is to be discontinued

In a statement, Nestle said: “We are very sorry to disappoint fans of Caramac. There has been a steady decline in its sales over the past few years and unfortunately we had to make the difficult decision to discontinue it.

“We know fans will be disappointed to see it go, but this change will enable us to focus on our best-performing brands, as well as develop exciting new innovations to delight consumers’ tastebuds.”

Caramac is the latest in a long line of sweet treats we have loved and lost over the years.

Today, we take a skip down memory lane, to recall some of the lost classics from yesteryear.

An advert for Caramac from 1959

Which of these can you recall? And which do you remember most fondly? Or is there another lost classic that you would love to see brought back?

1 - Rowntree’s Tokens – First launched in 1963, Tokens were a very limited line indeed. They had disappeared from sale within a year.

2 - Rowntree’s Chocolate Cream Eggs – First launched in 1963, this line was phased out in the early 1980s to make room for the ever popular Smarties Eggheads.

3 - Texan – the Rowntree’s milk chocolate covered nougat bar. “A man’s got to chew what a man’s got to chew”. It ran from 1972 to 1981. It was revived briefly as a limited edition, and still receives fan mail from consumers who want to see its return.

Remember the Texan bar?

4 - Toffo – Originally named Toff –O- Lux, the tube of individually wrapped toffees was launched in the 1930s, alongside Rolo. The name was changed to Toffo in 1975 and the last Toffo rolled off the production line in 2008.

5 - Weekend – Mackintosh’s Weekend assortments were a popular treat during the 60s, 70s, and 80s. They included candied fruits, nougat and posh jelly beans.

6 - Good News – (1960 to 1988). It was launched by Mackintosh’s to rival Rowntree’s Black Magic chocolates. Savoy Truffle, anyone?

7 - Toffee Mallow Eggs – Mackintosh’s toffee expertise was put to good use in 1972 to launch these toffee and marshmallow filled eggs. They continued to delight consumers well into the 1990s.