Mars Milky Way Banana Choc

A favourite of kids everywhere, Milky Way bars (not to be confused with Milky Ways from the US) are still as popular now as they were when I was at school (oh no that makes me sound old!). The newest seasonal release flavour is Banana Choc.

You might believe we've seen this flavour before and quite recently, but actually Banana Choc is new; we saw Banana Whip in 2012, which was just a banana-flavoured centre. This year's version is completely and totally different. Absolutely.

All Milky Way bars are made with no artificial colours or flavours. That's a bonus for people who are concerned about that sort of thing, as while there are a few different jellies around with natural colours/flavours, there isn't so much in the chocolate range. The 25g is a good treat size, too - enough to eleviate a chocolate craving but 'won't ruin your appetite', so says the packaging.

The bar itself is small at about 8cm long, and enrobed in a thin layer of milk chocolate. It has a strong 'lolly banana' scent to it, like its cousin Banana Whip. Cracking open the bar reveals a twin layer centre: neon yellow nougat on the top (a lot brighter than the photo), and a delightful dark brown for the bottom chocolate nougat layer. As expected, the yellow layer tastes as if Mars took a bag of lolly bananas and pulverized them. For a product with no artificial flavours, I'm curious how they succeeded in producing such a fake flavour. I'm not complaining, mind you; I actually prefer lolly bananas to the flavour of real ones! I think Mars has recycled the recipe from Banana Whip for this bar. The chocolate-flavoured layer is nice; it's strong, but tastes a little powdery to me when eaten on its own

Although I didn't expect to like this bar, I did find it pleasant. The chocolate tempers the bright sweetness of the banana, and the nougat centre is light and fluffy.

Score: 3.5 out of 5 jelly beans.

Mars Milky Way Banana Choc is made in Australia. It contains milk, wheat, barley, soy and eggs. It main contain peanuts and tree nuts.