Cadbury Cherry Ripe
Luckily for us Aussies, the two words, ‘Cherry’ and ‘Ripe’ don’t have quite the unsavoury sexual connotations they do in the US, ala the ‘Porky’s’ videos I remember seeing as an impressionable teenager in 1982 or thereabouts.
Here, ‘Cherry Ripe’ means a very popular, yet sophisticated chocolate bar. The photo to the right is the new 240g version but it is still the classic 50g bar that sells by the bucket load. Cadbury also package them in packs of 12 ‘fun sized’ bars that are only about four centimeters long but I’ve always failed to see what’s so ‘fun’ about a tiny bar when I can always inhale a king-sized one at 80g.
However, one shouldn’t merely inhale a Cherry Ripe – this is the only bar that Cadbury makes in Australia that is coated in dark chocolate – excepting the ‘old gold’ bars, so it is rather unique and automatically stands out as a bit more ‘special’ than the usual Cadbury fare. Inside the lovely almost blackish coating is a deliciously moist, Bounty-like coconut mixture generously studded with glace cherries. It tastes much nicer than its rather ordinary depiction. In my opinion, dark chocolate does a much better job complementing cherries and coconut than milk chocolate. As an aside, it is nice to see that the Bounty dark chocolate versions are almost as popular as the milkier originals.
Cherry Ripes are best enjoyed in winter, on the sofa after dinner in front of a good movie. Nibbled with alternating slurps of hot herbal tea, coffee or – strangely enough – an ice cold shot glass of Bailey’s Irish Cream. Actually, they’re pretty good in summer too, especially straight from the fridge and go down a treat with the unofficial non-alcoholic beverage of choice in South Australia, the Farmers Union Iced Coffee (or FUIC for short).
Actually, they’re not too bad for breakfast either. Taking huge, satisfying chomps out of a king-size bar, reading your emails before the phone calls start with a decent cappuccino at your side is a pretty bloody great way to start a day. If that shocks the nutrition nerds out there, I’ll let you in on MillyMoo’s chocolate diet tip – follow your choccie-fest with an apple or orange: the goodness of the fruit completely negates the evil of the chocolate, so you’re even. [Are you sure about this, MillyMoo? - Ed]
My older brother Rob, who is as thin as a whippet with legs a flamingo would envy, adores Cherry Ripes. So much so that my father bought a corner-shop box of 48 for his birthday one year. He managed to make them last until his next birthday – a feat of self-restraint never experienced by this writer/his sister!
March 7, 2007 : 8:55pm
oowww ur torturin us i totally adore ur blog ud gonna see alot of me around here lol
i just realized its cadbury yummy i must say … but i dont think they sale it in uae :( not fair
March 8, 2007 : 4:19am
Hmm, Cherry covered in dark chocolate, eh? I know Green and Black’s do a version of that. I think I might buy it, I have no doubt it’ll put this Cherry Ripe to shame.
March 9, 2007 : 5:56am
Apparently there’s something that’s not allowed to be in food in Cherry Ripes that prevents them being sold in the UK.
Anyone know if this is true?
August 9, 2007 : 5:19am
I am looking for an image of MacRobertson’s Cherry Ripe in the silver foil and orange (?) paper wrap with the story of the cherry tree hanging over the fence and the boys stealing the cherries before the farmer catches them … or something similar. It immediately predates the current red tub packaging probably dating from the 1940′s through to the early 1970s.
If you can point me in a direction just post a comment here,
Thanks,
Gordon
April 7, 2008 : 2:01pm
When we going to see Cadbury’s making and selling Cherry Ripes in the UK.. I mean for once it’s a chocolate that is not full of rubbish. It’s a propper dark chocolate and based on Coconuts and Cherry’s
Got to be better than some other snack treats available in the UK
For the UK It’s time for something different, Cherry Ripe..
Plus I just eaten my last bar now got to wait till my parcel from Oz arrives with fresh supplies :-/
July 25, 2008 : 10:12pm
My roomate from australia, gave me one of these and i can’t get enough it, I wanted them so badly i asked cadbury’s to sell them in the states. but can’t be done. sigh.
August 5, 2008 : 11:28pm
i loved cherry ripe in australia… cadbury’s will not intrioduce them here in the usa… so i hope someone else will … like see’s
chocolate or mars… they are trying to get a toe hold here in the usa… try cherry ripe, because their chocolate bars are not the same as the uk… they say that the american taste is different … BULL CRAP! steve
January 18, 2009 : 4:31am
I had a baby Cherry-Ripe for the first time in months the other day. Still as good as the first one I ate about 35 years ago.
Mass commercial stuff but still yummy!
March 20, 2009 : 1:28pm
Hahah you right these cherryripes are heaven !! haha I was an itern in australi and all my friend told me to taste a cherryripe & i was hooked right away :P and by the way it realy was a good breakfast hahah Lazy student I din’t like to make breakfast !! I love uhm :P
:D:D
August 2, 2009 : 1:41pm
You can buy them at Australian Shops or from the Australian Catalog company in the US. Be prepared to pay though!
August 30, 2009 : 9:42am
Hi, could you tell me if there is anywhere in england i can purschase cherry ripes
Thanks
Jane
August 30, 2009 : 1:34pm
Jane: Try http://www.cybercandy.co.uk/
April 4, 2010 : 5:58am
will there ever be a white cherry ripe?
i think that would be very popular….
May 20, 2010 : 11:28am
Can anyone please send me some Cherry Ripes here to Norway. I am suffering because I have not had one since 1993….
August 17, 2010 : 12:22pm
Can someone please tell me if these little rascals are the same as a ruffle?
The ruffle is the greatest invention known to man so i must try this cherry ripe immediately.
August 17, 2010 : 2:13pm
They’re similar, but not the same, although Jameson’s were owned by a subsidiary of Cadbury for a while.
I guess if you like Ruffle, you’d like Cherry Ripe too though!
August 17, 2010 : 6:34pm
Ordered!