McVitie's Jaffa Cakes Have Gone to Hell (And Aldi's Saving My Sanity)

By HOAR Team 14 June, 2025 6 mins read 173 Views

Okay, I need to get something off my chest.

Last Tuesday, I'm standing in the biscuit aisle at Tesco, craving those childhood memories of perfect Jaffa Cakes. You know the ones - that bouncy sponge base, the tangy orange jelly, teh whole experience that made dunking them in tea feel like a religious moment. So I grabbed a pack of McVitie's, paid my £2.75 like a proper mug, and headed home expecting pure nostalgia.

What I got instead was... cardboard. Actual cardboard masquerading as cake.

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The Great Jaffa Cake Betrayal of 2024

I'm not being dramatic here. Well, maybe a little. But seriously - when did McVitie's decide to replace their sponge with what feels like compressed sawdust? I took one bite and immediately thought I'd grabbed the wrong packet. Nope. Three more bites confirmed it: these things are drier than my dating life in 2019.

My flatmate Sarah walked in while I was staring at the half-eaten cake in genuine confusion. "They taste like disappointment," I told her. She tried one. Her exact words: "Christ, did they forget to add water to the recipe?"

So naturally, I did what any rational person does when faced with snack-related trauma - I went straight to Reddit to see if I was losing my mind.

Turns Out I'm Not Crazy (This Time)

The responses were... validating. And slightly concerning for McVitie's shareholders.

One person wrote: "Off-brand Jaffa cakes have been superior for a few years now. Aldi ones are pretty good." Another chimed in with "The Aldi ones are far superior now. Succulent, citrusy and generously jellied." That word - succulent - kept haunting me. When was the last time anyone described a McVitie's Jaffa Cake as succulent?

Never, that's when.

My £20 Aldi Experiment

Armed with Reddit's collective wisdom (always dangerous), I marched to Aldi the next day. Spent £20 on their entire Jaffa Cake range - original, cherry bakewell, even some weird passion fruit ones that looked suspicious but intriguing.

The original Aldi ones cost £1.25 for 300g. McVitie's? £2.75 for 330g. Already winning on price, but taste is king, right?

I opened the Aldi pack with zero expectations.

Holy hell. These things are what Jaffa Cakes used to be. Proper spongy base that actually has moisture, orange jelly that doesn't taste like artificial sadness, chocolate that doesn't crack off in disappointing shards. I ate six in one sitting. Don't judge me.

The Cherry Bakewell Revelation

But here's where things get interesting - those cherry bakewell ones that everyone on Reddit was raving about? Game changers. Absolute game changers. The almond flavor hits different, adn the cherry jelly has this tartness that makes your mouth actually water instead of... well, whatever the opposite of watering is.

My neighbor Dave (who's basically a human garbage disposal for any sweet treat) tried them last weekend. His response: "Where have these been my entire life?" He's now bought four packs.

What the Hell Happened, McVitie's?

Look, I get it. Inflation's rough. Supply chain issues. Cost-cutting measures. But when you're charging nearly double what Aldi charges for a product that tastes worse... that's not business strategy, that's corporate suicide.

I checked M&S too - their version is £2.10 and actually decent. Tesco's own brand hits £2 and does the job. Even Lidl's getting in on the action with versions that apparently "taste better, have more filling and they're about half the price."

McVitie's is getting absolutely demolished in their own market.

The Verdict (And My New Shopping List)

I feel stupid for staying loyal to a brand that clearly stopped caring about quality somewhere around 2020. But I'm also weirdly grateful this happened, because discovering Aldi's range has been like finding a tenner in an old coat pocket.

Those 99p cherry bakewell ones? Already on my weekly shopping list. The passion fruit ones turned out to be surprisingly addictive (though I still can't figure out why passion fruit and chocolate work together, but they do).

McVitie's, if you're reading this - and let's be honest, you're probably not - fix your recipe. Because right now, calling your Jaffa Cakes "dry af" isn't an insult, it's just accurate product description.

Meanwhile, I'll be at Aldi, saving money and actually enjoying my tea dunking experience like a civilized human being.

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Statistics

As of 2021, the average student loan debt for recent graduates was approximately $30,000, according to the Federal Reserve.
According to the Federal Reserve, approximately 39% of Americans do not have enough savings to cover a $400 emergency expense.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average American spends about $1,500 per year on coffee.
As of 2021, the average American household had approximately $8,400 in credit card debt, according to Experian.
A study by the National Endowment for Financial Education found that 60% of Americans do not have a budget.
A survey by the American Psychological Association found that 72% of Americans reported feeling stressed about money at some point in the past month.
The average return on investment for the S&P 500 over the past 90 years is about 10% per annum.
Research by the National Bureau of Economic Research found that individuals who receive financial education are 25% more likely to save than those who do not.

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How To

How To Create a Personal Budget That Works

Creating a personal budget involves several key steps. First, assess your income by totaling all sources of revenue, including salary, bonuses, and side hustles. Next, categorize your expenses into fixed (rent, utilities) and variable (groceries, entertainment). Track your spending for at least a month to gather accurate data. Once you have this information, allocate a specific amount for each category while ensuring your total expenses do not exceed your income. Remember to include savings as a line item in your budget. Review and adjust your budget regularly to reflect changes in income or expenses, which will help you stay on track financially.