A mum was blown away to discover a Dairy Milk bar that's nearly 100 years old hiding underneath her floorboards - in such good nick it's fit to be put straight on the shelves. Emma Young was pulling back the original floorboards in her bathroom while renovating her 1930s home when she noticed what at first appeared to be some rubbish.
But when the 51-year-old grabbed it and brushed the dust away, she unearthed a 'beautiful' rectangular cardboard sleeve with Cadbury's distinctive purple packaging. The inquisitive mum-of-two didn't recognise it, so reached out to the confectionery company to find out more and was stunned to find out it was produced between 1930-1934.
It had hit Britain's shelves and found its way into her home when King George V was monarch, Ramsay MacDonald was prime minister, and at a time when a chocolate bar cost just 6 pence. The chocolate lover said there was no 'treasure' inside and given her home was built in 1932, suspects it was eaten by a builder who then discarded the packaging.
Despite being nearly a century old, the communications consultant said it's in 'pristine' condition and it's currently residing on her mantlepiece, but she's hoping to have it framed and displayed. Photos captured by Emma show her grinning from ear to ear kneeling next to the floorboards alongside the find that she deemed as 'more than a wrapper', but a slice of history.
Emma, of Plymouth, said: "What stunned me a lot was its condition. It's in such good nick and one side is pristine - you wouldn't believe that it was nearly 100 years old.
"I think because it's so old, I was expecting it to be almost illegible but apart from one side that had been chewed by mice, the other side looks like something you'd put on a shelf.
"It says 'Cadbury's Dairy Milk chocolate Neapolitan' and 'made in the garden village of Bournville England', it's lovely.
"There's no chocolate inside, someone's had the treasure. It's an obvious sleeve, I think the bar inside would have slid out. The house was built around 1932 and given its age and that the chocolate was only around between 1930-34, I'm wondering if it was a builder having a snack that left it."
Emma said she moved into her detached four bed property back in 2016 and is slowly renovating it. They'd got around to modernising the upstairs bathroom, which was originally a bedroom, when the wrapper was discovered on January 27.
Emma said: "As we were lifting the floor and found the original floorboards, we were having a look and suddenly put our hand underneath and pulled out what looked like just rubbish. We dusted off the dust and found it to be this beautiful cardboard, it's almost a tube, which has the distinctive Cadbury's colours but I didn't recognise it as a chocolate bar.
"I thought oh gosh, that looks pretty old as it had 'six pence' on it.
"I just left it on the mantelpiece and Googled it but couldn't work out what it was so thought I'd ask Cadbury's, and they gave me the news that it was a 1930-1934 Cadbury's Dairy Milk.
"That's when I thought 'wow, that really is old'. I was a bit taken aback because I just didn't expect to find something in such good condition."
The purple packet is around 16cm long and three cm wide and in gold writing reads 'Cadbury's Dairy Milk chocolate Neapolitan'.
It also mentions that it was 'made in the garden village of Bournville England', where production began at the site in 1879.
Emma said "I'm a chocolate lover. Cadbury's has always been a favourite.
"It's more than a wrapper, it's a bit of history. It's been sitting on our mantlepiece because it's a little bit of a talking point.
"I was proud in a sense and obviously showed my children and when they realised it was older than their great nanna, they suddenly realised the age of the chocolate wrapper that's been living under their bathroom floor.
"It's got a lot of sentimental value. I think it might have to be framed and go on the bathroom wall with the date of the find because that's where it belongs, so we'll put it back where we found it but in full view this time.
"As we're doing the house up we're not ripping out the 1930s features, we're keeping the spirit of the property - and even what was under the floorboards."
A Cadbury's spokesperson said: "We were delighted to see the joy that this piece of Cadbury history has brought! As the nation's favourite chocolate brand, Cadbury has a rich heritage and has been part of British culture and heritage for almost 200 hundred years.
"These 1930s Dairy Milk Neopolitans are a reminder that our chocolate plays a cherished role in people's lives and we're thrilled to hear that this particular discovery will be treasured forever."
