The Cadbury Flake is an icon of British confectionary.
First developed all the way back in 1920, and surprisingly discovered just by chance thanks to Cadbury Bournville factory employee, Ralph Thompson – who noticed thin streams of excess chocolate falling from moulds cooled into flaky ripples – the Flake has gone on to become a beloved sweet treat, not just in the UK, but in several other countries worldwide too.
Due to the success of the chocolate bar, by 1930, Cadbury began selling half-sized Flakes specifically for sticking in the top of vanilla soft serve ice cream, known as ’99 Flakes’, which were served by ice cream vendors nationwide.
Many will be familiar with the famous 1983 advert, where Cadbury chose to brand Flakes as “the crumbliest, flakiest milk chocolate in the world”.
But could the day finally be here? The day when the “the crumbliest, flakiest milk chocolate in the world” is now just too crumbly to stick in 99 cone? Well, according to a growing number of ice cream sellers, this is apparently the case.
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Ice cream sellers are complaining Cadbury Flakes are now ‘too crumbly’ for 99s / Credit: Flickr
With the UK having been treated to some warm weather recently, and the hottest day of the year even on the horizon this bank holiday weekend, it’s led to ice cream traders across the country complaining that 99 Flakes have started deteriorating in quality since the production of the chocolate treats was moved over to Egypt in 2020.
Vendor John Taylor, who owns of C&M Creamery Ices in North Yorkshire, complained to the BBC that the quality of 99 Flakes nowadays is “embarrassing for an ice cream man”.
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“You can’t give someone a 99 with a broken Flake,” he added.
Lawrence Glauser, owner of Lorenzo’s Ices in East Yorkshire, agreed with fellow vendor John and described the situation as a “big issue” because often at least a quarter of the Flake boxes are “unusable” – which has left him having to resorting to more creative measures.
“I now serve trays of ice cream and sprinkle bits of Flake on top,” Lawrence revealed, “I shouldn’t have to do that. I’m fed up of the wastage”.
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Is the “crumbliest, flakiest milk chocolate in the world” now… too crumbly? / Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Katy Alston, who is the president of The Ice Cream Alliance, says she won’t be using Cadbury Flakes in the 99s she sells from her ice cream van in Bognor Regis for the first time ever this year, as she claims she sometimes has to throw at least half the box away because “they’ve all been broken”, which doesn’t help when she has a reputation to maintain.
“If you order a 99, you want a good solid Flake in it,” she concluded.
Addressing the growing concerns, a spokesperson for manufacturer Mondelēz International said: “Cadbury Flake 99 is a naturally delicate and crumbly product, and we have processes in place within our supply chain to avoid any breakage as much as possible.
“We are aware that recently some customers have received product which does not meet our usual high standards. This has been addressed following recent improvements to our production processes although some prior stock may remain in circulation.
“We are in the process of liaising with our customers (wholesalers) to support those potentially impacted.
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“We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused”.
Featured Image – Flickr
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You can line dance to Lily Allen’s West End Girl in full right here in Manchester
Thomas Melia
After a fun way to kickstart the New Year? Some people might suggest hobbies like ‘Tennis’, but how about a line dancing class playing Lily Allen’s new album in its entirety – we know which we’d rather do.
Grab your nearest ‘Nonmonogamummy’ or take ‘Madeline’, if you know one, because there’s a line dance class where you get to line dance to Lily Allen’s West End Girl in full right here in Manchester.
Hosted by Red Rodeo Club, a queer line dancing group based in Manchester, who have hosted monthly artist-inspired events city wide including Chappell Roan, Beyoncé, Charli XCX and more.
This troupe even managed to line dance all the way to one of Manchester’s most reputable LGBTQIA+ nights of the year, performing on the Archive stage at Homobloc just last month.
Now, Red Rodeo is returning with another special night that is sure to interest all the West Endand North West girls across Manchester, as it prepares a Lily Allen line dance spectacular later this month.
If you’re ‘Ruminating’ about attending this event, there’s absolutely no pressure or dance experience needed as the group prides itself on providing ‘classic boot-scootin tutorials with a party vibe’.
You’ll definitely be in good company regardless of your dance partners, as hosting the event is Violet Blonde, known for their extraordinary outfits and love of Country icon Dolly Parton.
We’re already onto a winner…
Your dance instructor for the night is the remarkable Shanika Sunrise, a rapper and producer, who boasts a seriously impressive roster of acts they’ve opened for, including Chappell Roan, Cupcakke and Moonchild Sanelly.
Opportunities like this aren’t always feasible for everyone, which is something this line dance group is aware of as they’re offering a ‘Red Rodeo Club Low Income Ticket’, suited for students, unwaged and disabled attendees.
Red Rodeo Club is bringing the ‘Lily Allen edition’ line dance class to Fairfield Social Club in Manchester on Thursday, 29 January 2026, from 7-10:30pm.
If you’re interested in grapevine stepping or electric shuffling your way to the Lily Allen West End Girl line dance event in Manchester, you can find tickets HERE.
Serving as yet another fitting tribute from his beloved football club, who already honoured the late, great, Manc musician at Old Trafford, it’s rumoured to launch later this year.
Snapped alongside United’s current third kit for the 25/26 season, the rumoured ‘lifestyle’ jersey is apparently coming very soon.
This pair of images has seemingly confirmed the claims made by trusted online kit source, Footy Headlines, who specialise in sharing pictures of the football shirts, boots and more, who had already reported on the release in 2025.
As you can see, not only does the design feature a striking blue take on the band’s iconic album art style (expanded from an original painting by guitarist John Squire), but if you look closely, it also features the band’s iconic song and overriding slogan, ‘I Wanna Be Adored’, built into the crest.
You can see the rest of the existing Stone Roses collection in full down below.
We’re sure there are loads of other little details besides the twist on the badge still to be spotted, but for now, all we know is that the world-famous sporting franchise is continuing to capitalise even further on The Stone Roses connection.
Since the last batch of officially licensed adidas x Stone Roses merch quickly became collector’s items, we can only assume that this latest shirt won’t be the only new addition.
For instance, one user already commented, ‘Where’s the bucket hat?’
As for Manchester United, they’re no doubt looking to generate as much revenue as possible after having to pay another sizeable severance package following the sacking of Ruben Amorim – the question is, who is going to be next?
Emily Sergeant -
26th May 2023 
