Christmas content has already started creeping into our feeds despite summer barely being over, and while plenty of us won’t want to think about the big day until Halloween’s out the way, others are already stocking up. One festive item in particular has shoppers keen to grab it early, before it disappears from shelves closer to December.
The Big Mix at M&S went viral last year, after shoppers claimed the chocolate tin was better than Quality Street, and it looks set to be just as popular again this year. British households tend to be fiercely loyal to their Christmas chocolate tin of choice, whether that’s Quality Street, Roses or Heroes.
In recent years though, changes to the Cadbury and Nestlé tubs have caused frustration, with shrinkflation hitting hard and some fan favourite chocolates disappearing entirely. As a result, shoppers have been actively hunting for alternatives, and M&S’s own-brand offering has emerged as a frontrunner, with many claiming it feels considerably more festive than some of the bigger, more established names.
What’s in The Big Mix?
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The Big Mix from M&S costs £7 for a 650g carton, or £12 for a larger 1.2 kg tin, and includes ten different sweets wrapped in colourful foil, all suitable for vegetarians. The selection covers Salted Caramel, Coffee Truffle, Hazelnut in Caramel, Cream Toffee, Milk Crème, Caramel Fudge, Strawberry Crème, Orange Crème, Biscuit in Caramel and a Butterscotch Éclair.
Both the box and tin are currently available to buy through Ocado, and shoppers have been enthusiastic about the product across social media.
Why shoppers can’t stop talking about it
Reaction online has been largely glowing. On Threads, one shopper shared photos of the tin, saying they’d be buying it for Christmas instead of Quality Street, which they described as disappointing these days. Another admitted stocking up early specifically to avoid missing out, since tins reportedly sold out quickly last time round.
Reviews elsewhere have been similarly strong. One shopper gave the tin a full five out of five, calling it their favourite Christmas chocolate box for sharing with family, praising the thick chocolate and generous fillings, and noting they’d been buying it over other big name brands for several years running. Others praised the flavour selection specifically, singling out the coffee variety as a standout, alongside a smooth milk chocolate coating throughout the mix.
The shiny wrappers are a huge part of the appeal.
A recurring theme in the praise has been the traditional foil wrapping used on each sweet, something plenty of shoppers say they specifically miss from other big brands. Quality Street famously swapped its shiny sweet wrappers for paper versions back in 2023, as part of a wider effort to cut down on plastic packaging.
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That change hasn’t gone down well with everyone. On X, one shopper posted a fairly pointed message directed at Nestlé and Cadbury, saying customers have been unhappy with the plain, less exciting wrappers now used on Roses and Quality Street. She argued that M&S’s decision to stick with a traditional metal tin and shiny wrappers is exactly why its Christmas chocolate has been flying off shelves, pointing out how much nostalgic value those glittering old tins carried for generations of children. Another shopper echoed the sentiment, saying that at Christmas, they want sparkle and a tin filled to the brim, not a half empty plastic tub of plain, muted wrappers.
Not everyone is completely won over, though.
Despite the largely positive reaction, The Big Mix hasn’t won everyone over entirely. Some shoppers described the flavour as overly sweet or sickly, with a handful simply calling it fine rather than exceptional. A few reviewers also raised concerns about palm oil appearing on the ingredients list, an issue that continues to divide opinion among shoppers more broadly when it comes to food products generally.
M&S has been busy with other new launches too.
This chocolate tin buzz comes shortly after M&S added several new items to its bakery range, including a product designed to take on Greggs directly. Six new savoury bakes have landed in stores, including a sausage roll, a spinach and feta roll, a tomato and cheddar knot, and a couple of new breadsticks.
The retailer has also unveiled a string of new Christmas products this year, with pistachio featuring heavily throughout the range. The lineup includes Pistachio Star Chocolate, Pistachio Muddles, and a Choc Marks Salted Blond Chocolate Pistachios, Shortbread and Cornflakes Minis tin, alongside Big Daddy Pistachio Bites tucked inside this year’s advent calendar, and a Pistachio and Single Origin Chocolate Bombe. Beyond the pistachio heavy items, shoppers can also pick up a festive Percy Pig Festive Fun bag, a Malt Balls Selection Box, and a range of Christmas biscuits and cookies presented in decorative tins.
