A mum has spent two decades amassing a stunning collection of 250 ultra-rare and limited edition snacks – including an original Marathon bar from 37 years ago.

Ali Smith's impressive selection of goodies includes crisps with weird flavours, discontinued chocolate bars, biscuits, baked beans and even tomato sauce.

Her most prized possession is a Marathon bar dating back to 1982 which she spent £25 on from eBay.

Her collection began with a special box of Celebrations that only contained Malteser chocolates 20 years ago – and has been building ever since.

Ali, who works for Sheffield City Council, said: "I bought the Celebrations because Maltesers are my favourite but when I saw 'limited edition' written on the box I couldn't bring myself to open it.

"After that I got a bit obsessed and every time I saw limited edition chocolate or crisps I had to buy them."

The 43-year-old mum-of-one now always buys special editions two at a time, so she can eat one and safely store the other under her bed.

She added: "I like that they're only released for a short period of time and that afterwards they will never be made ever again.

"Keeping hold of them is like owning a little bit of history."

Among the most bizarre items in Ali's collection are packets of vanilla ice cream flavour Monster Munch and a bottle of green-coloured Heinz ketchup.

Ali also has 17 varieties of Kit Kat, ten types of Snickers, five different flavours of Twix and four sorts of Mars bars.

But forced to choose, she said she's go savoury over sweet.

"Chocolate isn't really my thing, I can take it or leave it. I much prefer crisps," she said.

Her extensive crisp selection is largely made up of Walkers, helped along by the firm's frequent calls to the public for new flavours.

Over the years Ali has picked up builders breakfast, fish and chips, chilli and chocolate and onion bhaji flavoured bags.

Ali's next addition to her collection will be the brand's limited edition Christmas bags, which are glazed ham, Brussels sprout and pigs in blankets flavoured.

Her most recent addition was a retro pack of Marathon bars which were released last month, 30 years after the brand changed its name to Snickers.

Ali said: "Marathon bars are my all time favourite, I was so annoyed when they changed the name.

"It's great that they've released these retro ones but they're half the size they used to be."

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