Sarah van der Kley
Last week was a truly magical time for me.
A week that proved dreams really can come true.
About a month ago I heard from a reliable source that something beloved from my childhood would soon be making a comeback.
I didn't dare get too excited in case it wasn't true but much to my joy, the rumour proved to be fact with the return of Caramilk chocolate last week.
It's no secret I love chocolate and it's a love affair that started from a very young age.
When I was about 9 years old, Cadbury introduced a product made of caramelised white chocolate; you might remember the ad featuring a spinning cow?
Then, after tantalising our tastebuds and making a whole generation fall in love with chocolate that tastes remarkably like condensed milk, they took it away!
No warning, no apologies, we were just left with nothing.
Since then, whenever anyone asked what from my childhood I would bring back, "Caramilk chocolate" was my answer.
But when they bring something back that holds such fond memories there's an element of fear mingled with the excitement.
What if it's not the same as you remember? What if it never actually tasted that good and you've just built it up over the years in your mind?
These were the doubts I was experiencing as I sat in my car outside the supermarket last Thursday night, about to open my first block of Caramilk chocolate in more than 20 years.
As soon as I opened the packet, the smell took me right back to primary school age.
I could vividly remember going to the dairy with my best friend on the weekend and combining our pocket money to buy a block of deliciousness, then sneakily eating it when our parents weren't around.
It smelled like the real thing but would it taste right?
Well, after buying quite a few blocks and consuming a significant amount of Caramilk since it was re-released, I can attest to the fact that it is just as I remember it and it's darn good.
When it comes straight off the shelf it's a little hard, so I would recommend warming it a little to get that slightly melted goodness before eating.
I found sitting on a block for about 10 minutes works best.
I would not suggest putting it in the microwave; turns out even though it doesn't look like it, the packaging is actually foil and will cause your microwave to spark and potentially set fire to your kitchen. Whoops.
• Don't miss Adam Green and Sarah Van Der Kley on The Hits Hawke's Bay from 6am to 9am Monday to Friday.
OPINION: Serpentine route battered by storm and floods.