23rd August 1995

First mention of the deep-fried Mars Bar in print

“The creator of the deep-fried Mars bar has made a shock confession – he’s never tried the snack,” reported the Daily Mirror on 26 July 2015. “John Davie said he will never tuck into one of his creations because he doesn’t like chocolate.”

The delicacy was invented at Stonehaven’s Haven chip shop, but started appearing on other chip shop menus throughout Scotland after the Aberdeen Evening Express brought it to wider attention in 1995.

Under the headline “Mars Bar chip suppers”, the paper’s 23 August edition announced that “Mars Bars, deep-fried in batter, are being snapped up by sweet-toothed teenagers. The craze started when the school holidays began and has quickly taken hold says Ingram Mowatt (41), owner of the Haven… Some youngsters are even asking to get their Yorkie bars, Crunchies and Snickers deep-fried.”