Did anyone watch the wonderful programme on BBC4 about what sweets defined your childhood. I must say it brought back many memories for me, of sweets I had forgotten and sweets that I associated with certain people and places.
My first recollection of eating sweets was pink sugar mice with the little piece of string for a tail. I lived right in the middle of Sheffield when I was a kid and every year there was 'Rag Day' and a parade of lorries and carts with students all dressed up making a right old racket. It used to scare the pants off me, I can still remember the sweet shop where I would be bought sugar mice for me to suck and pink and white coconut flakes. There was also coconut ice
These were so sweet you could almost feel your teeth rotting.
My dad was a sucker for Thornton's toffee, and as Nigel Slater remembered it came in a foil tin with a little hammer for you to crack it in to lumps, but my Mum's favourite was Fry's Turkish Delight.
When we used to go to my fraternal Grandma's she would have a stock of Fry's Five Boys Chocolate or Fry's Peppermint Cream, I could just about tolerate the dark chocolate surrounding the peppermint cream, but mostly I would laboriously pick it all off.
But when I began to have pocket money I could choose for myself always 2oz in weight, you were rich if you could afford a quarter , licquorice string, sweet cigarettes, sweet coconut tobacco, aniseed balls and gobstoppers, rhubarb and custard , pear drops and of course sherbert dabs, sherbert lemons and sherbert fountains. Do you remember those lollipops that you couldn't bite through, what were they called? Sherbet lollies I think, you just about broke your teeth on those.
My Dad's sister used to work at Bassett's sweet factory so there were always Licquorice Allsorts knocking about the place. But the sweets I hated most were Pontefract Cakes and dark chocolate - I just never acquired a taste for either.
My Mum's Dad used to love Nuttall's Mintoes which were given a special jar of their own on the bureau.
But my favourite chocolate was a Walnut Whip which my Dad used to bring home for a special treat and we used to sit and bite the walnut off the top then dip our tongues down the centre of the whip for all that gooey marshmallowy stuff in the middle.
Of course, Christmas always included Sugar Almonds and Butter Brazils, chocolate dragees and the ubiquitous chocolate liqueurs (which I hated, dark chocolate you see).
Ah those were the days, a childhood measured out in sweets and visits to the dentist.
My first recollection of eating sweets was pink sugar mice with the little piece of string for a tail. I lived right in the middle of Sheffield when I was a kid and every year there was 'Rag Day' and a parade of lorries and carts with students all dressed up making a right old racket. It used to scare the pants off me, I can still remember the sweet shop where I would be bought sugar mice for me to suck and pink and white coconut flakes. There was also coconut ice
These were so sweet you could almost feel your teeth rotting.
My dad was a sucker for Thornton's toffee, and as Nigel Slater remembered it came in a foil tin with a little hammer for you to crack it in to lumps, but my Mum's favourite was Fry's Turkish Delight.
When we used to go to my fraternal Grandma's she would have a stock of Fry's Five Boys Chocolate or Fry's Peppermint Cream, I could just about tolerate the dark chocolate surrounding the peppermint cream, but mostly I would laboriously pick it all off.
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My Mum's Dad used to love Nuttall's Mintoes which were given a special jar of their own on the bureau.
But my favourite chocolate was a Walnut Whip which my Dad used to bring home for a special treat and we used to sit and bite the walnut off the top then dip our tongues down the centre of the whip for all that gooey marshmallowy stuff in the middle.
Of course, Christmas always included Sugar Almonds and Butter Brazils, chocolate dragees and the ubiquitous chocolate liqueurs (which I hated, dark chocolate you see).
Ah those were the days, a childhood measured out in sweets and visits to the dentist.
I did watch the programme and really enjoyed it. It brought back some memories for me. My earliest memory is of my grandma taking me into a little wooden hut on the way into her small town when I was staying with her. Inside was a little sweet shop and she would buy me a little white pointed paper bag full of either black jacks or fruit salads (the pink and yellow ones)- they may have been 4 for a penny or something like that. We also used to call in the village shop on the way home from school to buy gobstoppers or aniseed balls and the landlady at the local pub sold sweets from her living room - things like liguorish laces, sticks and whorls and sherbert dabs. Like you I disliked pontefract cakes. I also remember buying an elderly aunt a box of Newberry fruits every Christmas:)
ReplyDeleteDo you remember those orange and lemon slices, there were jelly coated in sugar they were also a Christmas favourite.
DeleteYes, I do - we had them every year (same as we did a net bag of nuts and a box of dates) I only remember them being put on top of the Christmas trifle as a decoration:)
DeleteI missed the programme so must chase it up on I-player. I absolutely loved Sherbet Dib Dabs as a kid.... Jx
ReplyDeleteDo you remember Jamboree bags? I always had one after Saturday morning pictures!
ReplyDeleteYes I do remember Jamboree bags and Lucky bags - oh the Saturday morning matinees what freedom we had then.
DeleteWere sherbet fountains the ones with the straw made out of liquorice? I loved those. And totally agree with you on the walnut whips - nibble down until only the base was left, where the chocolate was really thick.
ReplyDeleteOoh what memories. Friday night was always "sweet " night in our house. Dad always brought a large bag of sweets on his way home from work. I still remember the sheer joy of looking into the bag with my sister and choosing what we wanted first. They had to last all week but boy did we appreciate them. My favourites were what we called Cough candy but believe they were also called Aniseed twists. Sherbet lemons to this day are still the best.
ReplyDeletePatricia x
My dad was always partial to sweets, as indeed I am although I don't eat many nowadays, so this post bought back some wonderful memories. Flighty xx
ReplyDeleteIs there any place that still sells Nuttall's Mintoes? My last name is Nuttall and my dad loved those mints. I bought him some when I was in England years ago and would love to find some more!
ReplyDeleteI am not sure Sarah, can't say I've seen any in a long time. When I was small we lived in Sheffield, and I always thought they were a northern thing. Sorry I can't be of more help.
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