An Edinburgh chip shop on one of the city's busiest streets has warned that a national shortage has stopped sales of the iconic deep fried Mars Bar.
Giuseppe Andreucci, the owner of the Clamshell Takeaway on Edinburgh's Royal Mile, provides a vitally important tourist service. His shop offers the only deep fried Mars Bars on the Royal Mile and he takes his job of introducing tourists to the Scottish delicacy very seriously.
“The deep fried Mars bars were very popular during the festival and it was hard to keep up with demand,” Andreucci said. "We were out of stock all of last week and over the weekend but we have them again for now.”
Andreucci and the Clamshell Takeaway were not the only ones impacted by what appears to be a national Mars Bar shortage. It has been reported that many chains across the UK have struggled to keep the confectionary staple in stock in recent weeks.
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“I don’t know what to tell you about why they were unavailable, but I can tell you they are the best deep fried candy bar we offer. If customers have never had one before, I always steer them away from the Twix and Snickers towards the Mars Bar because they are the best,” said Andreucci.
Andreucci called the deep friend confection a “Scottish delicacy” that every tourist should try while they are visiting the city.
On a grey Tuesday morning just after the Festival Fringe, Andreucci expertly submerged a whole Mars Bar in a vat of simple flour batter.
With a twirl and flourish, the creation was placed into the deep fat fryer. Andreucci explained that the batter acted as a barrier between the chocolate and oil. While the batter created a golden, crispy exterior the inside became full of gooey, melted warm chocolate.
Andreucci explained that the fryer had to be just the right temperature to make the perfect treat, and it appeared as though mastering the quick movements and techniques took a bit of practice to protect the treat’s aesthetic.
Despite some mild scepticism, my inaugural Mars Bars was a great treat. It was a decedent, over the top dessert perfect for holiday makers or an end of the work week splurge.
Despite the Mars Bar stock issues, Andreucci said business and tourism have been good for his shop this season.
“The festival has been pretty normal. The rubbish situation has not helped, but things are getting better. I don’t think things are quite the same as before the pandemic, and I believe it will be another couple of years before we see normalcy,” he said.
“The biggest change is the way people spend money. With the utility bills and cost of everything going up, I think people have been very hesitant and careful about spending their money this year, which is entirely understandable.”
Mars Bars global parent company, Mars Wrigley, is the company behind Mars, Snickers, Bounty and Twix bars. The company previously told The Guardian that it was “experiencing high levels of demand”, but added that it wanted to “reassure the British public that our much-loved brands are still available nationwide”.
Mars Wrigley has been contacted for comment.
More information about the Royal Mile’s Clamshell Takeaway here.
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