I have covered this before in the very early days of this blog. That post covered sweets, biscuits and chocolate. This time, in a revisiting of the subject, I am sticking to children’s pocket money treats which they could buy in the local shop. There was always a mixture of packet, branded sweets on the counter. I particularly recall Spangles, Fruit Gums, Fruit Pastilles, Refreshers, Love Hearts, Polos. The chocolate bars I remember best are Fry’s Chocolate Cream, Turkish Delight, Mars, Milky Way, KitKat, Crunchie.
Then there were the loose sweets, usually sold out of jars and weighed out on scales into a paper bag. The usual amount children asked for was ‘a quarter’. This meant four ounces or a quarter of a pound. Sometimes you would order two ounces – especially if it was the end of your pocket money week! The smaller portions were weighed out into a cone shaped paper bag, the quarters into a square one. The loose sweets were myriad. I will name a few which I remember best. Shrimps (which always looked more like ears to me), aniseed balls, barley sugars, Everton Mints, butterscotch gums.
Love Hearts Spangles.
Liquorice Allsorts. Flying Saucers.
A 1950s sweet shop.
Sherbet Fountains. Barley sugars.
Childhood Memories of growing up in the 1950s and 1960s. 
I remember penny candy–but darned if I can remember what most of them were called. There were jawbreakers and these little button things on a strip of paper.
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I imagine jawbreakers are what we call gobstoppers. Toothbreakers would be a better name!
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I like “gobstoppers”!
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Giggling here..as my narsty mind..FLYS off to the 1970s period..with the ‘little buttons on paper strips’. No I never got the drug stuff..but..the stories I have heard. The malt and sugars..wrapped like a butterscotch candy, plus a ‘bee hive’ shape chocolate dipped’..fondant ball..with vanilla inside. That was my grandfathers fave. candy..so..when Dr. silas Richard jaynes..bellied up to the candy section of the counter..THAT..the choice! Hey..i didn’t need to buy them, he happily did..and then shared. I got to ‘travel on his nickel’..so to speak. Oh..there was something like kool aid in a 5 cent packet..and you poured it..into your hand. lik em aid..it was called. Which meant during my elem/early 7th grade time frame..we all had nasty glowing colors..on our palms..and arouynd our chops. That stuff prob. was colored with every manner of illegal dye..you could think of. At some period in time..maybe 30ish years ago..it occurred to me..wanting to have a candy bar..and eat same..what could I do..that was..no trip to the store. What I came up with..was a small juice glass..with about 6 walnuts, a teaspoon of genuine honey (the romans did eat that..ever so long ago)..and a touch of philly crm cheese..mixed in. My godfrey..it was GOOD! I also while patting myself on the back..realized that not only did it save a trip..it had no strange other ingrediants in it. That is a ..fallback..when the hungers..just say..ROLL toward the sweets! ina
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It occurred to me..that there were web sites..in this time frame..where one can actually go, read about the old time, and the other types of sweets..and they are still selling them. A great way to surprise family and friends..with a ..’blast from the past’. The only thing I have heard about such sites..is that..other candy makers..in say..malasia..buy the old recipes..and then..start to ..recreate..the design/the recipes. I have not tried any..but..it might make a fun..side-gig..for looking into. ina
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You’ll have to let me know if you recreate any of the old sweets. My mum used to make Turkish Delight, fudge and toffee for occasions like village bazaars.
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Great memories! Thanks for sharing. I love your inventiveness in making your own treat. Beehive sounds like my kind of chocolate, we didn’t have them here.
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We used to have 1d to spend on the way to school and had a great choice for that, 4 fruit salads, 4 black jacks,a giant gobstopper etc. I used to love anything with sherbet in,especially sherbet fountains.
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Sherbet fountains were favourites of mine too! That wonderful combination of sherbet and liquorice.
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I am drooling just reading this post, Meryl! Thank you for the sweet memories of the treasures found in the big jars of the little corner shops of the early to mid 60’s. I had completely forgotten about Spangles. Did Dolly Mixture come loose or was it always in packets? Fruit Pastilles were a favourite of mine and I also enjoyed the almost intoxicating sizzle of sherbet and licorice. My Welsh aunt would always offer me “boiled sweets” (especially barley sugar) to alleviate motion sickness in the car. Perhaps merely a distraction, but it seemed to work!
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Dolly mixtures were loose in the 50s. Might have become branded later. I’d forgotten about barley sugars combatting travel sickness! There was often a tin of them in the glove compartment. Perhaps it was a Welsh thing? Thanks for commenting Helena. Meryl
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