While there are many iconic and major British chocolate titans, not least Cadbury and Bournville, the sweet treat isn't an inherently British product, as cocoa is always sourced from other (much warmer) countries. In fact, the last time a chocolate bar was made entirely using British grown ingredients was back in 1932, when confectionary giant Rowntree's gifted Princess Elizabeth, when she was six-years-old and well before she became Queen, with the only other UK-grown bar of chocolate.
As we near the 100-year milestone for this moment, a student from the University of Reading has made headlines by creating the first bar of UK-grown chocolate in almost a century. As per BBC News, Master's student Maha Khan has managed to create a sweet treat using ingredients from the UK, not least cocoa that was grown, harvested, fermented, and processed nearby in Reading.
Speaking about the feat, Khan stated: "It is incredible that we can make 100% British chocolate - but in the context of climate change, pests and diseases, there are estimates that 30 to 40% is lost. And we've seen with these heatwaves, climate change, these problems and challenges are only going to get exacerbated."
It's unclear what this means for the UK's chocolate initiatives, as it's likely still far cheaper to import cocoa from areas like South America, Africa, and Asia, but perhaps it does also offer an alternative for the industry valued at around £10.4 billion for the UK and yet uses a huge amount of imported ingredients.
