An easyJet passenger shared their surprise after opening a packet of Cadbury Dairy Milk Buttons on board, only to find the chocolate was nothing like expected.
Unexpected chocolate surprise at 30,000 feet
Plane food doesn't have a good reputation at the best of times. When you're cruising at 30,000 feet, it's hard for your taste buds to register flavour as they do on the ground. Being up so high can impact the consistency of our favourite treats, too. An easyJet passenger learned this the hard way when they ordered a packet of Cadbury Dairy Milk Buttons on board.
The bite-sized pieces of chocolate are great for sharing and are small enough to pop into your mouth. However, the in-flight Buttons looked nothing like they usually do. When a holidaymaker called Sophie purchased the chocolate while flying out of Heathrow Airport, she opened the packet to find one giant melted lump of chocolate. All the Buttons had fused together, so no sharing could be done. What's more, the chocolate appeared to be an unusual cream colour with brown spots scattered throughout.
Passenger's reaction and cabin crew response
Passenger Sophie filmed the strange moment and joked: "POV: you’re flying easyJet and this is what your chocolate buttons look like." The customer approached a cabin crew member to ask if the Cadbury's chocolate is meant to look like that – and they appeared to smile awkwardly and say 'no'. Sharing the video online, Sophie laughed: "easyJet customer orders chocolate buttons on flight and is floored by what they get."
Why chocolate changes consistency on planes
Chocolate can change consistency on a plane mainly because temperature swings and pressure/humidity changes affect the cocoa butter crystal structure and can cause partial melting and re-setting. Even if the cabin feels cool, chocolate may have been sitting in a warm pocket, handbag, near a window in sun, or in a warm aircraft hold or on the tarmac. When chocolate warms and cools repeatedly, cocoa butter can migrate to the surface and crystallise there. That could be what has caused the whitish or grey haze of the Buttons. It's not anything dangerous, simply a quality and texture issue. However, easyJet has been approached for comment.
