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Cadbury’s Creme Egg fans are fuming after its owners “secretly” changed the recipe for the popular treat.

Chocolate lovers have slammed makers Mondelez International after the company admitted it had swapped the traditional Dairy Milk shell for a standard cocoa mix chocolate.

A spokesman said: “It's no longer Dairy Milk. It's similar, but not exactly Diary Milk. We tested the new one with consumers.

"It was found to be the best one for the Creme Egg, which is why we've used it this year.

"The Creme Egg has never been called the Cadbury's Dairy Milk Creme Egg. We have never played on the fact that Dairy Milk chocolate was used.”

The company, which is a spin-off firm from Kraft Foods which bought Cadbury in 2010, is thought to sell more than 200 million Creme Eggs each year but the new recipe has left many customers fuming.

Choc fan Jennifer Mills said: "I don't believe it's acceptable to mess around with the Cadburys #CremeEgg”.

On Twitter, AndyP said: "Don't mess with my #CremeEgg”, while mangrove said: "Stop messing with our chocolate Kraft.@CadburyUK #cremeegg How do you eat yours? I don't , cos they now taste weird.”

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Fans of the sweet treat were already fuming after Cadbury dropped its multipacks of three and six for bundles of five or 12.

The Creme Egg was first introduced in 1963 by confectioners Frys, but was renamed Cadbury’s Creme Egg in 1971.