CHOCOLATE giant Cadbury has been left with creme egg on its face after a controversial recipe change saw millions in Easter sales melt away.

The confectionery brand upset some chocolate fans last year by changing the recipe so that the shell is made from standard, traditional Cadbury milk chocolate instead of Cadbury Dairy Milk.

Research by analysts IRI for trade magazine The Grocer found Cadbury’s best-selling seasonal lines were £10m lower in 2015, cutting the confectioner’s market share from 42% to 40%.

And the report found that filled and shell Creme Egg sales were down by £6m.

The chocolate maker, owned by US giant Mondelez, said that recognised industry data from researchers Nielsen in fact showed a sales fall of £7m overall, not £10m.

Mondelez said in a statement: “The fundamentals of the Cadbury Creme Egg remain exactly the same as the original in the 1971 recipe with delicious Cadbury chocolate and a unique gooey creme filling.

“In fact, only six out of 45 years of gooey history saw the shell made with Cadbury Dairy Milk.

“Cadbury remains the number one treat at Easter. The Easter season changes every year depending on when Easter falls. It was two weeks shorter in 2015 than 2014 so it’s hard to compare like for like.

“This is why most of the big chocolate brands show a fall in revenue for 2015 against 2014.”