Guest Post: Vintage Sweets

There is something magical about old fashioned sweets, what better feeling is there than stepping foot into a sweet shop with your weekly pocket money and having a shelf full of candy treats to choose from. Unfortunately traditional sweet shops are very few and far between these days. In this article I will take you on a trip down memory lane and highlight some of my favourite old fashioned sweets.

Anglo Bubbly

Know by many as the king of bubble gum, Anglo Bubbly allows you to blow the biggest bubbles ever. This nostalgic gum is soft, chewy and unrivalled when it comes to blowing bubbles. If you were brought up during the 70’s or 80’s these nostalgic sweets will bring back some great memories. What I love about these sweets is the fact they have maintained their retro pink colour even after all these years.

Aniseed Balls

Similar to red gobstoppers, these are traditional hard boiled sweets that are flavoured using aniseed oil. Aniseed balls last for what seems like an eternity in the mouth and are a firm favourite in the UK and New Zealand. In most Aniseed balls you will find a rapeseed; these are used for forming layers of sugar within the sweet.

Coconut Mushrooms

A firm old fashioned favourite that features a very distinctive coconut taste, Coconut mushrooms consist of a white fondant stalk and a chewy cap that is sprinkled in tasty desiccated coconut. These are the type of sweet that you could eat whilst blindfolded and instantly recognize the taste. I am still baffled as to why they are shaped like a mushroom rather than a coconut.

White Mice

Guaranteed to take you through the decades, White mice were one of the most popular sweets during the 1960s and are still a firm favourite in many modern day sweet shops. They consist of creamy white chocolate and feature a very unique, distinctive taste.

Sherbet Fountains

Still incredibly popular and a true retro classic, Sherbet fountains are tubes of tasty sherbet that come with a hollow licorice stick that can be used to suck all the sherbet up. They taste exactly the same as you remember them; although they are now manufactured by Barrett’s who bought out the original makers Trebor.

Dolly Mixtures

More than just a pretty face, Dolly mixtures are also ridiculously tasty! A traditional dolly mixture consists of numerous candies and jelly shapes that all add their own subtle flavouring to the mix. These are as traditional as sweets get and have been around since the early 1920’s. Nothing at all has changed about these sweets in over 90 years, which speaks volumes about their unique taste. 

ABC Alphabet Letters

These sweets will take you on a trip down memory lane and remind you of your time spent spelling out words with your favourite retro sweets. Shaped exactly like the letters of the alphabet, these fruity sweets taste just as good now as they did back in the golden days. ABC alphabet letters are the ideal candy treat for kids and big kids alike.

Candy Sticks

Packed with Nostalgic charm, candy sticks are a personal favourite of mine and bring back fond memories of holidays spent at the seaside. Candy sticks are still popular in sweet shops and are available in an array of colours and flavours. They are typically three to seven inches in length, but in some cases you will find them in sizes of up to 12 inches.

Author by-line:
This article was contributed by David at Sweet and Nostalgic Gift Ideas, David is passionate about all things vintage and has written articles for numerous blogs and magazines.