Fry's holds a title no other chocolate bar in Britain can claim: it's the oldest chocolate bar brand still in production anywhere in the world. The Fry family had been making chocolate in Bristol since around 1759, and by 1866 J. S. Fry & Sons had turned that expertise into Fry's Chocolate Cream — widely credited as the first mass-produced chocolate bar. Half a century later came Fry's Turkish Delight, the rose-flavoured bar that's now the more famous of the two. Here's what each one actually is, and what we currently stock.
Fry's Turkish Delight
Launched in 1914, Fry's Turkish Delight wraps a soft, rose-flavoured Turkish delight centre in milk chocolate. It became a fixture of British sweet shops in the decades after, helped along by the "Full of Eastern Promise" advertising campaign that ran on UK television from the late 1950s onward. The rose flavour is the whole point — it's a much more floral, perfumed bar than most British chocolate, closer in spirit to the Middle Eastern confection it's named after than to a standard chocolate filling.
We stock the Fry's Turkish Delight Chocolate Bar 51g, sold as a wholesale case of 48 — useful for shops, pick 'n' mix counters or anyone stocking up rather than buying a single bar. It's a special-order line, so it typically takes around two weeks to arrive rather than shipping same-day, but the price is the same as our regular stock.
Fry's Chocolate Cream
This is the original: a plain fondant centre coated in dark chocolate, first sold in 1866 and remoulded into its current bar shape in 1875. It's the direct descendant of Fry's Cream Stick from 1853, which is generally regarded as the first industrialised, affordable chocolate bar produced anywhere. In other words, before Cadbury, before Mars, before pretty much anything else in a British newsagent's chocolate rack, there was Fry's Chocolate Cream.
We do list the Fry's Chocolate Cream Bar, Case of 48 as a genuine wholesale SKU, but it's currently out of stock. It's a line that comes and goes with supply rather than being permanently discontinued, so it's worth checking back on the product page if you're after it specifically — for now, the Turkish Delight bar is the one we can actually get out to you.
What happened to Fry's?
J. S. Fry & Sons merged with Cadbury in 1919, and the Fry's name has been a Cadbury-owned brand ever since, even as the Bristol factories that once made it closed down. Since 2010, Fry's Turkish Delight for the UK and Irish market has been produced in Poland, following the decommissioning of the old Somerdale factory near Bristol. The name and the recipe have survived over 160 years of chocolate history even though the original Bristol production line hasn't.
FAQ
Is Fry's Turkish Delight the same as Turkish delight sweets?
No — Turkish delight on its own is a gel-like confection usually made with cornflour or gelatine and dusted in icing sugar. Fry's Turkish Delight is a chocolate bar with a soft, rose-flavoured fondant-style centre inspired by that flavour, coated in milk chocolate, rather than the traditional cube-shaped sweet itself.
Is Fry's Chocolate Cream really the oldest chocolate bar in the world?
It's widely credited as the oldest chocolate bar brand still in production, dating back to 1866, and as a direct descendant of Fry's 1853 Cream Stick — generally considered the first mass-produced, affordable chocolate bar.
Why is Fry's Turkish Delight a special-order item?
It's a lower-turnover wholesale line for us, so rather than holding constant floor stock we order it in as demand comes through — typically around a two-week wait, at the same price as our regular range.
Is Fry's Chocolate Cream Bar back in stock?
Not currently — it's a genuine, ongoing SKU rather than a discontinued one, so it's worth checking the product page again if you're specifically after it, but we can't promise a restock date.
Who makes Fry's chocolate now?
Fry's has been owned by Cadbury since the 1919 merger between J. S. Fry & Sons and Cadbury Brothers. UK and Irish supply of Fry's Turkish Delight has been made in Poland since 2010.