Quality Street is making a huge change to what’s inside its tins

It's October, which means it's virtually Christmas, and boy, do we have some big Yuletide news for you.

While many of us go a bit Scrooge when the festive time of year comes around, one thing we can almost all get behind is the abundance of chocolate.

Whether you're a Roses or a Celebrations kind of person, there's nothing better than face planting into a box of sweet treats while Shakin' Stevens plays in the background. Right?

However, this year will be very different for the Quality Street fans out there.

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Yep, Nestlé has made major changes to its designs, meaning its wrappers will look very different, with the confectioner binning its sparkly foil and see-through packaging.

Cheryl Allen is the head of sustainability at Nestlé confectionery, and says it wasn't an easy decision to make, but the firm thinks customers will like what it's done.

She said: "Quality Street is a brand that people feel very strongly about.

"We know that opening the lid and seeing 'the jewels', as we call them, is really important.

"We think we’ve done a really good job with the redesign, and feel confident that people will respond positively."

Chocolate historian Alex Hutchinson said it was massive change for the company.

He said: "It’s a huge deal. And it’s a bit sad.

"Because when Harold Mackintosh originally launched Quality Street he specifically designed it to be an explosion of colour, different flavours, different shapes. The wrapping was absolutely key."

But Nestle isn't the only company that has had to make a big change to its chocolate offering recently. Lidl had a shocker last week.

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The budget supermarket chain revealed it was forced to melt all of its chocolate bunnies sold in Switzerland because they were 'too similar' to the original Lindt version.

Lindt claimed that its gold-wrapped Easter rabbit should have its own copyright protection to avoid supermarkets such as Lidl creating similar looking products.

For context, Lidl's bunny has a green bow and bell, whereas, Lindt's bunny has a red bow and bell.

Well, last year, the commercial court of Switzerland actually sided with Lidl, but it has now agreed to overturn the ruling.

As a result, the court concluded that the chocolate shouldn't be wasted and melting it could be a suitable solution.

"Destruction is proportionate, especially as it does not necessarily mean that the chocolate as such would have to be destroyed," it said in a summary of its verdict on Thursday (29 September).

Lidl clarified that only its bunnies sold in Switzerland are being discontinued, and it will still continue to sell them in the UK and other countries.

What a waste.