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Sweetie shops

(92 Posts)
Babs03 Sat 17-Aug-24 14:15:07

Remember the old sweetie shops, with all the glass jars of sweeties measured out in quarters?
And there used to be a tray of assorted sweets, you could buy several for a big old penny. There were black jacks, fruit salads, fizzy planets, bubble guns, gob stoppers, and red liquorice laces.
My favourite from the glass jars would be a quarter of cinder toffee or brightly coloured sherbet with a stick of liquorice to dip in.

lixy Sat 17-Aug-24 21:28:22

We are lucky to have a proper sweet shop in town. It’s a treat to take the g’children when they visit. It gives their mental maths a holiday workout!

As children we took it in turns to go to the newsagent on a Saturday morning and would share our ‘tuck’. I loved the liquorice twigs, my brother preferred fruit salads. We would be allowed to choose a selection to share but always included those two.

Babs03 Sat 17-Aug-24 21:24:34

We also had sweets on the penny tray that were squares wrapped in sweetie paper, the texture was a bit like an antacid tablet - powdery/chalky - but the taste was fruity and fizzy.
Don't know what they were called but I loved them.

Babs03 Sat 17-Aug-24 21:22:29

Casdon

There’s a great sweet shop at St Fagans. I’ve tried to source my favourites, Toffee Crunch, which were hard and shaped like pillows, but they are no longer made sadly.

The toffee crunch you mention was called cinder toffee in our neck of the woods, I loved it, was a bit honeycombed in the middle like the stuff inside a crunchie. Would love to know if you can get it now, but as you say is probs impossible.

Marydoll Sat 17-Aug-24 21:16:35

Our Italian café has many shelves of sweets in jars. I always buy cinnamon balls for DH and toffee bonbons for me.
I loathed soor plooms, kola and pineapple cubes and still do..

LOUISA1523 Sat 17-Aug-24 21:02:02

Army and navy tablets were my favourite and rainbow sherbert

Casdon Sat 17-Aug-24 20:57:43

There’s a great sweet shop at St Fagans. I’ve tried to source my favourites, Toffee Crunch, which were hard and shaped like pillows, but they are no longer made sadly.

Vintagejazz Sat 17-Aug-24 20:52:33

Ah the memories. I loved sherbet lemons. Also remember buying pink sugar mice.
Now even most newsagents have closed down as the supermarkets have taken over angry

Auntieflo Sat 17-Aug-24 16:28:09

When my dad retired, around 1960, he and mum bought a corner shop.
It sold newspapers and sweets. All the sweets were in big glass jars.
There was also a couple of big chest freezers, holding ice cream, lollies, frozen peas etc.
Dad used to make paper cones for the children when they bought their sweets, and they were preferred to a paper bag.
Even though they would close on Christmas day, there would still be customers knocking to collect their ice cream at lunch time.

Babs03 Sat 17-Aug-24 16:24:21

@spanielCuddler
We only ever called liquorice Spanish.

Grandmabatty Sat 17-Aug-24 16:23:47

Pineapple cubes were another favourite

Grandmabatty Sat 17-Aug-24 16:23:27

Mum used to send me to Mrs Galbraith's shop for a quarter of mixed boilings. I favoured cinnamon balls and would sook and crunchy them to my heart's content.

MissAdventure Sat 17-Aug-24 16:18:49

Sherbet fountains, with the liquorice tube. smile

Hellogirl1 Sat 17-Aug-24 16:13:11

It was Kali in Yorkshire as well. Nothing nicer with small sticks of hard liquorice to dip in it.
The liquorice that looked like twigs was bought from herbal shops, it was actually a laxative, but I loved it!

Babs03 Sat 17-Aug-24 16:00:24

My old dad loved Pontefract cakes and my mum would get pear drops.

SpanielCuddler Sat 17-Aug-24 15:56:34

Penny tray used to be brilliant at the corner shop! I loved Kali/rainbow crystals with “spanish” (liquorice). I remember Bazooka bubbly and you could join the Bazooka club and get merchandise.

There’s a brilliant online shop ( I know there are lots) This one has all the old favourites. Good for gifts and there’s a newsletter you can get via email. Full of nostalgia!

www.aquarterof.co.uk/?gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAA-DjMtt_Z1-fz-lNNiSHUc1Yd9GTb&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI3IzirqL8hwMV1IBQBh2zNiXEEAAYASAAEgJL-_D_BwE

Babs03 Sat 17-Aug-24 15:55:32

Correction said in my OP fizzy planets but meant fizzy spaceships.

nanaK54 Sat 17-Aug-24 15:42:25

Has anyone mentioned 'Jamboree bags'

Anniebach Sat 17-Aug-24 15:40:04

Sherbet Dabs, delicious

Babs03 Sat 17-Aug-24 15:23:39

blue14

Oh yes - I remember the sherbet in the bag but we didn't call it kali.
Different areas of the country I suppose.

I was brought up in Lancashire.

blue14 Sat 17-Aug-24 15:11:31

Oh yes - I remember the sherbet in the bag but we didn't call it kali.
Different areas of the country I suppose.

Ali23 Sat 17-Aug-24 15:09:20

Yes, that’s it! And it had a slightly fruity or sharp taste.
I used to dip my finger in and then suck my finger. You could make it last for ages!

Babs03 Sat 17-Aug-24 15:06:50

Ali23

A penny worth of Kali in a cone shaped paper bag was a great treat.

Yes!!
A granulated sherbet in bright colours.
Kali!

Babs03 Sat 17-Aug-24 15:05:30

Yes I loved the pink shrimps.
And the sweet cigarettes.
Tbh wasn’t much I didn’t like 😜

blue14 Sat 17-Aug-24 15:05:17

What is Kali? I don't remember that.

Ali23 Sat 17-Aug-24 15:04:15

A penny worth of Kali in a cone shaped paper bag was a great treat.