Minstrels, Smarties and M&M's all look like variations on the same sweet, but only two of the three actually share a manufacturer.
Same format, three different companies
Minstrels, Smarties and M&M's all follow the same basic idea — a chocolate button coated in a hard, colourful sugar shell — but they come from two rival manufacturers. Mars makes both Minstrels and M&M's, while Smarties belongs to Nestle.
Minstrels: Mars's UK-only answer to Smarties
Minstrels launched in the UK in 1968, several decades after Smarties had already established the coloured-button format on British shelves. Mars has kept Minstrels as a UK and Ireland-only product ever since, even though its other coloured-button brand, M&M's, is sold in the same UK market worldwide.
How the chocolate itself differs
- Minstrels — larger, domed button with a comparatively thick milk chocolate core
- M&M's — smaller, flatter button, sold worldwide including the UK
- Smarties — Nestle's disc-shaped button, switched to natural food colourings in 2006
The Smarties colour change
When Nestle reformulated Smarties to use only natural colourings in 2006, no natural dye could replicate the exact blue shade, so blue Smarties disappeared from tubes entirely for a period until a suitable natural blue was sourced. Minstrels and M&M's, made by a different company, were unaffected by that change. You can compare the two head-to-head in our chocolate collection and Smarties range.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between Minstrels and M&M's?
Both are made by Mars, but they're sold as separate brands, Minstrels only in the UK and Ireland, M&M's worldwide including the UK. Minstrels are a plain milk chocolate button with a candy shell, generally with a thicker chocolate-to-shell ratio than M&M's.
Who makes Smarties?
Smarties are made by Nestle, having originally been a Rowntree's product before Nestle acquired the company in 1988. Unlike Minstrels and M&M's, Smarties switched to natural colourings in 2006, which briefly removed the blue Smartie until a suitable natural blue dye was found.
Are Minstrels just Smarties with a different name?
No, they're separate products from separate companies. Smarties are Nestle's disc-shaped button sweet, while Minstrels are Mars's own version, generally larger and with a thicker chocolate shell, launched in 1968 as Mars's answer to the format Smarties had already established.