The big, old fashioned sweet jars stacked on shelves in classic sweet stores are hard to come by
nowadays. Walking, wide eyes into the local sweet shop clutching this week’s pocket money is an
experience the youth of today are unlikely to enjoy. Fear not though; retro sweets are not
completely extinct and they can make an excellent gift, no matter who the recipient is!
Before we get into retro sweets that have become almost extinct, let’s take a trip to our coastal
resorts. Sticks of rock are still widely available, from Skegness to Scarborough and have been for
decades. A good, old stick of rock has been the standard seaside gift since the beginning of the 20th
century!
Whilst the days of old fashioned sweets and sweet shops are numbered, retro sweets are all over
the internet. Several websites give you the chance to sample all the old favourites, with a few
offering gift wrapping services and free delivery.
A huge jar of her favourite sweets from the ‘50s would go down a treat with your Gran. Old classics
like Tavener’s Pontefract cakes, pear drops and dolly mixtures were firm favourites of the decade
and be all be found online.
For those noisy children, gobstoppers are the perfect retro gift. They’ll keep kids quiet for hours,
although probably rot their teeth! Candy sticks, flying saucers and sherbet dips are all classic
favourites for your kids. A jar brimming with retro sweets is the perfect stocking filler!
For older children, Anglo bubbly gum, fizzy cola bottles and space dust are often much-loved
choices. Black jacks and liquorice can be bought by the jarful, again an ideal little gift for friends and
family.
Remember when Starbursts were called Opal Fruits? How about the Marathon bar? Wouldn’t it be
great to purchase the retro versions of these still loved delights? Whilst there is still nostalgic
wrapping available online, unfortunately the original products have long since gone out of
production. Such a shame; they’d make an excellent retro sweet gift!
Be it a hamper, jar or gift set, retro sweets offer us a nostalgic little glimpse of yesteryear,
conjuring up fond, childhood memories. Not only are they fantastic gifts for older generations,
children will love them too. They can also make great gifts for anniversaries or corporate occasions.
Some high street stores are in fact stocking retro gift sets once more. The likes of Debenhams are
cashing in on the retro revival and offering retro jars of sweets for under £20. Whilst the sweets
are there, they certainly don’t come in that famous glass bell jar. Look online and you’ll be sure to
find the real deal.
The site aquarterof.co.uk specialise in retro 1970s sweets, many of which are no longer available in
stores. Check them out for great deals on retro sweet gifts. Other sites stocking retro sweets
include partydelights.co.uk and britishcandy.com. They all offer the goodies that once lined the
shelf of the iconic British sweet shop.