Let's be honest, Cadbury eggs are already quite polarizing. You either love the creme-filled chocolate eggs, or you can't stand the look of them. So when I saw that Cadbury and your favorite mayonnaise brand teamed up to make Heinz Cadbury Creme Egg Mayo, I knew people were going to have strong opinions and a heck of a lot of questions. Namely, why on earth would anyone in their right mind dare to mix the classic American condiment with the British Easter treat? It just seemed wrong on so many levels.
On April 1, Heinz posted a short video unveiling the Cadbury Creme Egg flavored mayo on Twitter, which many interpreted as an obvious April Fool's Day prank. But when the condiment brand followed up with a second post on April 2, announcing that the product was real and that they would be giving away free samples at Ely's Yard, Truman Brewery in London from April 11 - 13, the Twitterverse naturally erupted.
I'm someone who falls decidedly in the anti-Cadbury egg camp, so I'm not going to lie — I had a pretty viscerally negative response to the mere mention of this product. And when I caught a glimpse of it in the Heinz Twitter post, I was even more disturbed. I get the sweet-savory thing, but this was pushing it too far. And don't get me started on all of the textural issues. Who needs chocolate nibs in creamy condiment?
Twitter user @TheAmadisKay summed up my feelings best in her comment to the Heinz post, "I am curled up in the fetal position waiting for you to take this back."
For those who have already had the "opportunity" to sample the mystifying Heinz Cadbury condiment collaboration, it seems the reactions are split, which perhaps isn't surprising given the extreme positive or negative feelings people have to Cadbury egg themselves.
“When I first saw it I thought it was an abomination, but I’ll try anything once and I had forgotten my lunch. Confusing at first, the texture of mayonnaise with the chocolatey taste of a Crème egg; odd. But I noticed myself adding more and more to my crumpet which must mean, to my own surprise, I’m a fan," said Courtney, an employee at Stylish, a UK publication that reported on their office's response to the new mayo flavor.
And Instagram user @xj_o_d_i_ex said: "Results are in, Creme egg mayo is yummmy! @heinz 😚 other half doesn’t think so though."
Of course, there were some clear haters out there too. "I muster up the courage to dip two chips into the mayo. I chew and pause for a moment while I try and figure out what the hell I've just put in my mouth. I can no longer taste chips. All I can taste is the too-sweet-for-most-humans concoction that is currently assaulting my taste buds," said Rachel Thompson on Mashable.
There's no saying whether this product will be available for mass consumption at any point in the future, so for now, we're left with a lot of questions.
"It smells like mayonnaise and looks like clumpy mustard, which are words no-one wants to hear about their food. It doesn’t taste savoury, though – this is definitely a sweet spread and not unpleasant. But it does beg the question: why?” said Jenny, another Stylish employee.
I haven't tried the product myself yet, so I can't confirm if it is as unpleasant as it sounds (at least to me), but I know if I ever see it on a store shelf, I'll be running in the other direction.
