Last remaining person who actually prefers Cadbury Roses over Heroes dies, aged 106

Since their invention in 1538, Cadbury Roses have come a long way from their original form of shredded cabbage covered in a sticky by-product of mead. They have been a part of many a family’s Christmas fayre through the centuries, even surviving through the modern industrial era that has given us Quality Street, Celebrations, and Heroes.

In a remote corner of northern Albania lies the village of Lekbibaj, where 106-year-old Maria Dervishi was, until this week, the last surviving person for whom Cadbury Roses were the preferred choice of Christmas selection box. Maria was given a box of the chocolate treats by a British diplomat in 1975 when she was working as a waitress in the capital, Tirana, and had enjoyed a single Roses chocolate at the same time every year to remember her English gentleman friend “Cecil”. Her favourites were the lime barrel and the Montelimar nougat, both of which have since been withdrawn.

Maria had always steadfastly claimed that Cadbury Roses were the best in the world, but sadly, it’s unlikely she would have had access to any alternatives to compare.  She died peacefully surrounded by family and was buried in St Petra Basilica in a coffin shaped like the purple “Hazel in Caramel”.