LIDL Ireland has sent chocolate lovers into a frenzy with a new Dubai-style chocolate bar.
And with shoppers scrambling to get their hands on the dupe bar, we decided to put it to the test.
The bar has a thick chocolate coating and it’s filled with the traditional Arab dessert Knafeh.
The much-anticipated treat landed in stores on Thursday but was quickly snapped up.
The J.D. Gross Dubai-Style Chocolate comes in a 122g bar and is the cheapest available from Irish supermarkets.
The luxurious bar often comes with a hefty price tag with a single bar costing €10 or more.
Retailing at a bargain €4.99 in Lidl, the green and gold packaging is easy to spot.
Unwrapping the bar, packaged in a golden foil, it did not seem as thick as others.
Biting into the chocolatey goodness, the dupe bar certainly lived up to its reputation.
Firstly, I noticed the Lidl bar had a good ratio of chocolate and filling.
I was pleasantly surprised by the sweet taste of the supermarket chocolate.
And the best part is that it’s made with rainforest alliance certified cocoa, driving more sustainable cocoa farming.
The green filling, made from pistachio and a traditional Arab dessert called Knafeh, was not too overpowering.
It is the perfect choice for chocoholics who prefer cocoa over pistachio.
This dupe bar had a nice crunch and didn’t feel too heavy.
I would rate it 9/10 and couldn’t stop myself reaching for more.
Lidl chiefs said the bar will “satisfy your sweet tooth with its premium quality and irresistible taste”.
A spokesperson for Lidl said: “This luxurious treat, known for its rich, velvety texture and unique pistachio flavours, is making waves for being both indulgent and exotic.
“Why travel thousands of miles when you can experience the luxury of Dubai right from your local Lidl store.”
Meanwhile, we recently put a number of supermarket own-brand digestive biscuits to the test.
Popular brands like McVitie’s can set shoppers back around €3.15, while own-brands start from a bargain 70 cent.
And we also tried supermarket dupes of the Lindt Golden Bunny.
Wrapped in gold foil with a red ribbon collar and a gold bell, the Swiss chocolate bunny always goes down a treat.
But many shops also sell their own versions, creating their own dupe bunnies, with prices from €2.49.
THE HISTORY OF LIDL IN IRELAND
LIDL first opened in Germany in 1973.
Back then, it employed just three people, stocking 500 product lines.
The first Irish store, located just off Molesworth Street in Dublin, was opened in 1999.
This was Lidl’s first entry into the Irish grocery market.
Then, Lidl opened more stores in 2000, in Limerick, Letterkenny, Mullingar, Athlone, Cavan, Ballinasloe and Portlaoise.
Now, the retailer has over 180 stores and three distribution centres, employing over 6,000 people.
They work with a network of more than 260 Irish suppliers from the communities they operate in.
