View Full Version : What you miss most about old fashioned sweet shops
I have to write an article about old fashioned shops and markets etc.
Are there any sweets from your childhood you wish you could still buy?
Personally what I could eat by the boxful was Cadbury's Silk bars. They were 5 individual chocolates sold in a blue wrapper, and mixed dark and milk chocolate, with a strawberry/raspberry centre. I also like Shush bars, like an old fashioned milky way. The real Milky Ways!
ALR
LiesaAnna
17-10-2006, 14:39
pink panther chocolate!!
We have a sweet shop in our local garden centre that sells old fashioned sweets[msntongue], I remember the tobacco you could buy, it came in a foil wrapper and looked just like tobacco, it tasted great.
Unfortunately the old fashioned sweet shop mentioned, said they don't sell it as it was stopped because of the likeness to tobacco and children getting confused between the two[msnembarrased]
tezz7628
17-10-2006, 14:46
i thought it sounded familiar, previously mentioned :)
http://www.aquarterof.co.uk/
I remember chocolate cigarettes, but you've got me Liesa with the pink panther chocolate. I don't remember this at all. I remember Mint cracknell and country bars though!
ALR
I used to love banana splits that were all sticky and stuck fast to your teeth. Also sherbet lemons - but I guess you can still buy those. Also those tiny tiny Tom Thum drops that you could buy that lasted for ever. We used to lodge at a sweet shop and you could buy 2 oz of anything at all in those days in little white bags.
Lisi
gwendolinemary
17-10-2006, 16:42
Aztec bars - a bit like a Mars Bar, and Spangles which tried to make a come-back a few years ago. Also , lucky tatties are not the same since the toy in the middle was banned in case some-one choked!! (For English readers a lucky tattie is a hard white chewy confection coated in cinnamon - Yummm!!)
[msnsmile2][msnsmile2]
Albert the Frog
17-10-2006, 16:44
Fry's 5 Centres for me!! Dark chocolate with sections of orange creme,strawberry creme etc ---Bring them back I say!!
Where I went to school (Rusholme Manchester) way before it became the curry capital of the north there used to be a "temperance bar" which was set out like a cowboy saloon and sold sasparilla, dandelion & burdock,cream soda-all on draught. But at the back they had those big glass jars with every kind of sweet imaginable-wonderful!
Spangles, Opal Mints (which came back as Pacers for a while, but have now vanished), boxes of All Black Jelly Babies and tubes of blackcurrant Pastilles. I'm sure there are others, but these are the ones that sprang to mind first.
LiesaAnna
17-10-2006, 16:55
http://www.orlando-guide.info/forums/Data/LiesaAnna/20061017125453_sweet9.jpg
memories!![msncry]
http://www.orlando-guide.info/forums/Data/LiesaAnna/20061017125838_spangles_mints.jpg
steph_goodrum
17-10-2006, 17:04
Liesa
My memories must go back further than yours, it would have been more like 2d. Black jacks and fruit salad sweets are still available. We have a newsagents here that has all the old sweets in jars to buy by the quarter (or grams).
A lot have been revived, Caramacs disappeared for a while but are back now.
I had my own sweet shop my dad made and my mum kept all my baby brothers Heinz baby food jars and filled with sweets, like the sherbert pips and tom thumb drops, and managed to get some bags from the local shop, with my scales and cash register I used to play for hours selling my brothers and sisters sweets.:)
gwendolinemary
17-10-2006, 17:08
Liesa , those pictures really take me back!!
Albert The Frog, Fry's 5 centres always seemed like a good idea til you'd eaten the whole bar and felt sick!!
LiesaAnna
17-10-2006, 17:09
sounds heavenly Steph!!!
i remember 2p mixers!!! we got what is equiverlent to 10p mixer bags today i think?
Our local shop used to have a hard candy sweet, a bit like long cough candy, that had a chocolate centre which was one of my favourites. They used to be 1d and were sold from a large jar. Also miss Spangles and Aztec bars.
Some years back we went to the Ironbridge museum and they had an old fashioned sweet shop with the old fashioned jars of sweets. Our sons thought it was great and came away with several bags to try.
steph_goodrum
17-10-2006, 17:31
Liesa
I'm not sure if it was nature or nurture that led my daughter to working in a Candy Store on Marthas Vineyard last summer, she spent the summer trying out lots of the old fashioned US candies that aren't always available now (judging by the amount of money the store used to take quite often though they're obviously still popular.
I had a Saturday job in a Sweet shop, in the afternoon when it went quiet my boss used to let me help myself[msneek] as you can imagine I put on a few pounds[msnembarrased]I remember all the sweets mentioned above[msnwink]
I loved chocolate covered nuts and raisins and Fry's Orange cream[msntongue]
Paula D-S
17-10-2006, 17:45
Spangles were always the last item to be ate out of our selection boxes but ate eventually.
I loved cola cubes too although they do them today they don't have much of the soft center now, I used to suck these until the roof of my mouth was raw.
Black Jacks were always in a 10p mix too....I never liked them either but again they were ate once everything was gone.
Chocolate mice mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
Toffee strips, sherbert fountains, sherbert dib-dabs - lovely memories of my Grandad taking us to the sweet shop:)
Cruella DeVilla
17-10-2006, 18:08
Nothing, you can buy it all on EBay....well almost;)
The only thing I have not seen and loads of people have never heard of them was a Cadburys Cream Bear, same as the cream egg but it was a bear shape.
I quite often buy childhood sweeties, including lucky tatties gwendolinemary on the net and also send them to a my family as none of us are in Scotland anymore.
My Mum reminded me only Sunday about the sweetie necklaces you used to get, she told me she was forever picking them off my neck and hair and clothes...............................
This might help with your topic.
We spent a week in Pateley Bridge North Yorkshire this year for a get away, and came across the oldest sweet shop in England
They even have their own Website http://www.oldestsweetshop.co.uk/
They have just about every type of sweet I can remebr, its FAB
Needless to say we spent a fortune :D:D:D
PS Thats the lady who served us also
julieanne
17-10-2006, 18:16
Another vote for Aztec Bars, I loved them [msntongue] [msntongue] [msntongue]
jackie greaves
17-10-2006, 18:28
Liesa I remember the pink panther bars aswell[msnembarrased] I also remember being given 5p on a Sunday to go to the local sweet shop. This was the highlight of our week. Those were the days[msnwink]
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by LiesaAnna
http://www.orlando-guide.info/forums/Data/LiesaAnna/20061017125453_sweet9.jpg
memories!![msncry]
http://www.orlando-guide.info/forums/Data/LiesaAnna/20061017125838_spangles_mints.jpg
[/quote]
I have to say that I don't remember the Pink Panther bar - but the bottom Spangles packet has really jogged a memory, but I can't remember what flavour they were! [msnsad]
steph_goodrum
17-10-2006, 19:00
Weren't they clear mint Emm bit like Foxs glacier mints?
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by steph_goodrum
Weren't they clear mint Emm bit like Foxs glacier mints?
[/quote]
Yes, I think you are right!!! [msnsmile2]
there a great place up north called beamish open air museum which is set pre first world war time 1913, the attraction is well worth a visit purely for the sweet shop
they also sells confectionery online
www.jubileeconfectionery.co.uk
and www.beamish.org.uk
and my favourite would have to be cough candy twist[msntongue]
Mizzy
LiesaAnna
17-10-2006, 20:16
Beamish looks wonderful,
i love places like that!
thanks Mizzy x
Ray&Sarah
17-10-2006, 23:07
I used to love Galaxy Chocolate Buttons, came in a white bag with a picture of a giraffe on. They still do them in the Revels packets but used to do them on their own and I don't like most of the other sorts in the Revels packet.[msntongue][msnsmile2]
cad-properties
18-10-2006, 01:11
There is a sweetie shop in Chester by the Cathedral which sells alot of the older confectionery and sweets in the jars, but they cost a fortune. Even some of the sweets which are still easily available such as Sherbert Fountains are expensive in there.
Clair.
www.onlinefloridavillas.com/villas/495.aspx
Me too!, Aztecs were lovely. Does anybody remember skys[bad language filtered out]ers? They were long pink toffee bars with squares on them, real tooth rotting stuff. Also used to love the coffee walnut whip but you can only get the vanilla ones these days. I also remember the tobacco stuff, think it was coconut flavoured and remember being sick after eating it, yuk! I remember spangles too and they were always the last to be eaten in our selection boxes too.
Karen
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by julieanne
Another vote for Aztec Bars, I loved them [msntongue] [msntongue] [msntongue]
[/quote]
Loved Spangles and Pacers (do you remember the advert in the ice rink (white with a green stripe??)) and also Cremolafoam.
Ooh!!! Kazzie , walnut whips[msntongue] now you're talking, coffee (i wish) and vanilla i could eat three now[msnembarrased]
but don't you think they've got a lot smaller than they use to be or is it just my imagination?
mizzy
Cruella DeVilla
18-10-2006, 02:20
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Ray&Sarah
I used to love Galaxy Chocolate Buttons, came in a white bag with a picture of a giraffe on. They still do them in the Revels packets but used to do them on their own and I don't like most of the other sorts in the Revels packet.[msntongue][msnsmile2]
[/quote]
Sarah,
They were caled Counters!
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by MTP
Loved Spangles and Pacers (do you remember the advert in the ice rink (white with a green stripe??)) and also Cremolafoam.
[/quote]
Cremola Foam!! Whatever happened to that?? It always reminds me of going to Guide Camp. We weren't allowed Cremola Foam at home, but someone always had some at camp!
Does anyone remember penny chews? Was it Highland Toffee? They were huge.
Mizzy, I agree that Walnut Whips are a lot smaller now than they used to be. It is ages since I had one, but do they still have the walnut at the bottom?
Pegasus928
18-10-2006, 02:30
A couple of my favourites were Texan bars which did make a come back for a while fairly recently and Coconut Cabana bars - the ones with whole glace cherries through the bar - delicious [msntongue]
Liesa - I have an unopened packet of Spangles in my draw upstairs - my Dad gave them to me years ago when we were having a similar discussion to this one. [msnsmile2] Way past their sell by date - but oh! the memories!!
Mrs Pegasus
Walnut whips used to have a second walnut inside at the bottom.
Then there were spaceships, spearmint pips, Tom Thumb drops (someone already mentioned those), shoelaces, sherbet dabs, wagon wheels, toasted marshmallows (with toasted coconut on the outside), black jacks and Mars bars which were at least double the thickness they are now.
Wagon Wheels are so tiny compared to what they used to be!
Somerset
18-10-2006, 04:37
4 for 1d. blackjacks.... sherbet 'flying saucers' ... hard liquorice sticks... red liquorice strings, 3d. lucky bags.... bubblegum ?yazoo?? can't remember the name, big pink things though.
Oh yeah - gobstoppers aswell, sweet 'necklaces'... sherbet dips...sherbet lollipops...lovehearts... those little violet sweets - can't remember the name... penny chews... pear drops... pineapple chunks... aniseed twists...
oh wow!!!
Somerset
18-10-2006, 04:43
Pontefract cakes.... ''minty'' liquorice allsorts sweets... caramel bars... milky ways and milky bars... milky ice-lollies... frozen orange jubilees...
Ray&Sarah
18-10-2006, 12:11
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Cruella DeVilla
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Ray&Sarah
I used to love Galaxy Chocolate Buttons, came in a white bag with a picture of a giraffe on. They still do them in the Revels packets but used to do them on their own and I don't like most of the other sorts in the Revels packet.[msntongue][msnsmile2]
[/quote]
Sarah,
They were caled Counters!
[/quote]
So they were, thanks CDV, shame that you can't get them any more though.[msnsmile]
Cruella DeVilla
18-10-2006, 13:04
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Pegasus928
A couple of my favourites were Texan bars which did make a come back for a while fairly recently and Coconut Cabana bars - the ones with whole glace cherries through the bar - delicious [msntongue]
Mrs Pegasus
[/quote]
I used to love both of those sweets especially the Texan Bar, it used to make your jaws ache!
steph_goodrum
18-10-2006, 13:05
"those little violet sweets - can't remember the name"
Parma violets, I still buy them now but usually they only have a much larger size for 25p a pack now. They used to be tiny.
Alphabet letters was another favourite, and cachous. The super saver chemist in town does those.
Lemon and strawberry bon-bons, sweet peanuts, milk bottles!
LiesaAnna
18-10-2006, 13:25
used to love all these bubblegums!!
especially the ones with the tattoo!!
http://www.orlando-guide.info/forums/Data/LiesaAnna/2006101892454_anglo_bubbly.jpg
http://www.orlando-guide.info/forums/Data/LiesaAnna/200610189259_bazooka.jpg
http://www.orlando-guide.info/forums/Data/LiesaAnna/2006101892523_happy_tattoo.jpg
Cruella DeVilla
18-10-2006, 16:55
Talking of bubblegum, am I the only person in the world that hates seeing people eat it and chewing gum also?
LiesaAnna
18-10-2006, 17:23
no your so not alone CDV with that one!!!!
but i have a big hate of anyone eating with their mouths open!!! so chewing gum and slapping your mouth is annoying bigtime!!!!:(
Has anyone come up with the name for the rock [like barley twist] with Choc in middle mentioned earlier -I have been racking my brains ever since [I liked those too!!]
Is it chocolate limes your thinking of?[msnscared]
Wow, I thought I might get a few responses to this topic for my homework but it appears to be quite a popular nostalgic subject.[msnwink]
Thanks everyone
ALR
E. Cosgrove
18-10-2006, 20:43
My parents owned an old fashioned sweet shop for 10 years from me being 5 until 15!!(1962 - 1972)
We lived behind and above the shop.
I hated.......... the fact that my mum was always working.
We never sat down and ate a meal in peace, the shop bell would go and someone would have to go and serve.
We could never have the TV on too loud as it could be heard in the shop.
Christmas was always so busy and as soon as my dad came home from work he was helping my mum in the shop as it didn't close til 8 pm ( we opened at 7.30 am so people would stop for their cigarettes on the way to work )
Family outings were few and far between as one of my parents always had to "mind the shop", so it was either out with mum, or out with dad...never both[msnsad]
There was a little glass window between the shop and the living area and if the shop got busy whoever was serving would knock on the window for help.
Tuesdays was half day closing and because my mum worked so hard, dad insisted she didn't cook on Tuesdays so we always had potted meat sandwiches for tea [sick][sick]
If I had a birthday my party always had to be on a Tuesday.
BUT
Because of the shop we had a double income, my mum didn't need to get me minded as she effectively worked from home.
We were one of the first families in the neighbourhood to have a car:)
We were definitely the first to go abroad......I was 8 and we went on a package tour to Spain, I remeber the adult price was 35 guineas[msnoo]
I always had the best prizes for the school raffle[msnsmile2]
So I guess it had it's ups and downs:D
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by dawn
Lemon and strawberry bon-bons, sweet peanuts, milk bottles!
[/quote]
i'm a sweet peanut fan too, you can still get these along with strawberry and lemon bon bons and kola cubes at my local paper shop[msnsmile2]
mizzy
LiesaAnna
18-10-2006, 23:05
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by E. Cosgrove
My parents owned an old fashioned sweet shop for 10 years from me being 5 until 15!!(1962 - 1972)
We lived behind and above the shop.
I hated.......... the fact that my mum was always working.
We never sat down and ate a meal in peace, the shop bell would go and someone would have to go and serve.
We could never have the TV on too loud as it could be heard in the shop.
Christmas was always so busy and as soon as my dad came home from work he was helping my mum in the shop as it didn't close til 8 pm ( we opened at 7.30 am so people would stop for their cigarettes on the way to work )
Family outings were few and far between as one of my parents always had to "mind the shop", so it was either out with mum, or out with dad...never both[msnsad]
There was a little glass window between the shop and the living area and if the shop got busy whoever was serving would knock on the window for help.
Tuesdays was half day closing and because my mum worked so hard, dad insisted she didn't cook on Tuesdays so we always had potted meat sandwiches for tea [sick][sick]
If I had a birthday my party always had to be on a Tuesday.
BUT
Because of the shop we had a double income, my mum didn't need to get me minded as she effectively worked from home.
We were one of the first families in the neighbourhood to have a car:)
We were definitely the first to go abroad......I was 8 and we went on a package tour to Spain, I remeber the adult price was 35 guineas[msnoo]
I always had the best prizes for the school raffle[msnsmile2]
So I guess it had it's ups and downs:D
[/quote]
sounds heavenly to me!![msnwink]
Cruella DeVilla
19-10-2006, 01:12
Aw bless ya Liz it sounds like a Catherine Cookston tale[msncry]
E. Cosgrove
19-10-2006, 10:53
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Cruella DeVilla
Aw bless ya Liz it sounds like a Catherine Cookston tale[msncry]
[/quote]
Yeah! You should have seen me in my shawl and wooden clogs, playing with a hoop and a stick![msnwink]
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by jovi
Is it chocolate limes your thinking of?[msnscared]
[/quote]
No -Just had a couple of those last night!
No someone mentioned it at the beginning of the thread - they were sticks of a buttery hard candy filled with chocolate. Thin long sticks, about half the thickness of a small stick of rock
Another one I liked was Imperial creams [I think] -cripsy sugar coated fruit flavoured creams. My Mum used to get the, I could only ever manage one [ha but give 'em me now, I'll show ya [}:)]]
Ray&Sarah
19-10-2006, 14:25
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by E. Cosgrove
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Cruella DeVilla
Aw bless ya Liz it sounds like a Catherine Cookston tale[msncry]
[/quote]
Yeah! You should have seen me in my shawl and wooden clogs, playing with a hoop and a stick![msnwink]
[/quote]
Just can't picture it somehow Liz.[msnwink][msnsmile2]
Cruella DeVilla
19-10-2006, 20:03
I can Sarah:D
Ray&Sarah
19-10-2006, 20:14
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Cruella DeVilla
I can Sarah:D
[/quote]
Ok have tried harder and maybe I can.:D[msnwink]:D
There is a little old fashioned sweet shop on Lord Street in Southport that sells many of the sweets mentioned above. If anyone from that area is interested, it is up towards the Argos end of Lord Street and on the same side. I usually buy Jargonelle Pears (large Pear drops really) sometimes cherry lips and cough candy,and generally would love to buy tons..... only trouble being that I would eat it all and can't afford the calories sadly. By the way CDV I HATE seeing gum chewers. Chloe
E. Cosgrove
19-10-2006, 23:20
I wasn't supposed to buy sweets from other shops but the shops title was " High Class Sweets and tobacconist" so I used to sneak off and but the things I liked elsewhere.......American Cream Soda with a penny licquorice to dip in, Spanish Gold ( supposed to be tobacco but was really sugar coated coconut) Rainbow drops and magic wands ( spanish filled with crystals)[msntongue]rhubarb and custard sweets.
We did sell some lovely stuff as well though, Rileys chocolate toffee rolls, Lion wine gums ( you can buy those again now )maltona drops, black currant and liquorice toffees,Ben Shaws limeade, quiz bars, the list is endless.
Somerset
20-10-2006, 05:49
as an aside - weren't the Easter Eggs - all big ribbons and bows - with mini chocolates inside the big egg. also boxes of chocolates all were fantastic then... Is it me or are all the sweets and chocs considerably smaller...;)
Paula D-S
20-10-2006, 10:39
Les I think chocolate bars are smaller, wagon wheels used to be huge.....or did they, maybe it was just my mouth and hands were smaller.[msnwink]
jbrinkworth
23-10-2006, 01:46
Nobody has mentioned Banjo's. They were a twin bar of chocolate (like a twix) but with a choclatey paste with peanuts on top then covered with chocolate.mmmmmmmm. Surely I'm not the only one to remember these, they were around in the 70's.
Plus, mmmmmmmmm to all of the above![msnwink]
Julie B
Ray&Sarah
23-10-2006, 01:59
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by jbrinkworth
Nobody has mentioned Banjo's. They were a twin bar of chocolate (like a twix) but with a choclatey paste with peanuts on top then covered with chocolate.mmmmmmmm. Surely I'm not the only one to remember these, they were around in the 70's.
Plus, mmmmmmmmm to all of the above![msnwink]
Julie B
[/quote]
No you are not alone Julie, I remember them too.[msnsmile2]
Does anybody remember Pacers. They were white with a spearmint taste but they looked just like Opel Fruits (Starburst)
http://www.orlando-guide.info/forums/Data/becbecs/200610239238_pacers1.gif
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by becbecs
Does anybody remember Pacers. They were white with a spearmint taste but they looked just like Opel Fruits (Starburst)
http://www.orlando-guide.info/forums/Data/becbecs/200610239238_pacers1.gif
[/quote]
Yes!! [msnsmile2]
I remember them before they were called Pacers [msnscared].... they used to be Opal Mints.
jillizzy
23-10-2006, 16:16
I remember at Christmas getting toffee caramel filled eggs in boxes of four, slightly smaller than the Caburys creme eggs that we didn't and still don't like.
Sadly I still look for them every year but no joy - I know we used to get them in Woolworths. If anyone does see them let me know and the diet will go out of the window.
I used to like Ruffle bars too, I think they were dark chocolate and filled with a pink coloured coconut - I think you can still get them as individual sweets though.
Jill
E. Cosgrove
23-10-2006, 18:21
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by jillizzy
I remember at Christmas getting toffee caramel filled eggs in boxes of four, slightly smaller than the Caburys creme eggs that we didn't and still don't like.
Sadly I still look for them every year but no joy - I know we used to get them in Woolworths. If anyone does see them let me know and the diet will go out of the window.
I used to like Ruffle bars too, I think they were dark chocolate and filled with a pink coloured coconut - I think you can still get them as individual sweets though.
Jill
[/quote]
You can still buy the ruffle bars and the individual raspberry ruffles at one of the newsagents near me[msntongue]
Cruella DeVilla
23-10-2006, 21:09
Funny you should mention that I bought a packet of Ruffles bars on Saturday, they seem harder than they used to be.
E. Cosgrove
24-10-2006, 00:27
I agree with you there, the centres always used to be a similar texture to bounty although perhaps not quite as moist, they are definitely harder and drier[msnsad]
mfairhurst
29-10-2006, 17:44
We love root beer sweets in florida they have then in cvs and oh the taste is lovely .
Santos uncle joes are are nice in winter as well we have them in the car.
A heshey choclate bar can be nice with a coffee got our first taste at PHILI factory shop .
[sporty]
MAUREEN
www.onlinefloridavillas.com/villas/1683.aspx